时间:2018-12-08 作者:英语课 分类:2018年VOA慢速英语(六)月


英语课

 


When you consider all life on Earth, billions of human beings are a relatively 1 small number when compared to trees, earthworms or even viruses.


But humans really know how to use what little power we have, a new study found. The study is said to be the first of its kind of the effect of life forms on our planet.


Humans only add up to about one ten-thousandth of the life on Earth, the study found. That estimate is based on the dry weight of the carbon that makes up the structure of all living things, also known as biomass.


The Associated Press says the planet’s real heavyweights are plants. They outweigh 2 people by about 7,500 to 1. In fact, plants make up more than 80 percent of the world’s biomass, the study found. The findings were published May 21 in Proceedings 3 of the National Academy of Sciences.


Bacteria are nearly 13 percent of the world’s biomass. Fungi 4 — things like yeast 5, mold and mushrooms— make up about 2 percent. These estimates are not very exact. The real numbers could be more or less, but they give an idea of proportion, noted 6 Ron Milo, who was lead writer of the report. Milo, a biologist, is with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.


“The fact that the biomass of fungi exceeds that of all animals sort of puts us in our place,” said James Hanken, a Harvard University professor. Hanken, a specialist on evolutionary 7 biology, was not part of the new study.


Still, human beings have an outsized influence on other creatures, the report said. Domesticated 8 cows and pigs outweigh all wild mammals by 14 to 1, the study found. The world’s chickens are triple the weight of all the wild birds.


Instead of children’s books about elephants and lions, a more honest representation of Earth’s animals would be “a cow next to another cow, next to another cow next to a chicken,” Milo said.


He and the other researchers took studies that looked at biomass for different life forms and combined them. They then considered the effect of climate and other environmental issues to come up with a planet-wide look at the effect of life on the planet.


Removing water from consideration and measuring only dry carbon made it easier for scientists to compare life forms. About one-sixth the weight of a human is dry carbon. Humans are about two-thirds water.


“Even though short in numbers, we have managed to throw a lot of sand in the air and mess up a lot of things,” noted Harvard University biologist E.O. Wilson. Wilson was not involved in the study.


I'm Lucija Millonig.


Words in This Story


earthworm– n.a long worm, a creature, that lives in wet soil


fungus 9- n.any one of a group of living things (such as molds,


mushrooms, or yeasts) that often look like plants but have no flowers


yeast – n.a kind of fungus that is used in making alcoholic 10 drinks


proportion– n.the relationship of one part to another


evolutionary – adj.of or related to the theory that all living things have come from other life forms that existed in the past


triple– v.to make three times as great or as many


mammal– n.a warm-blooded animal that produces milk for its young


domesticated– adj.trained to accept the care of human beings


manage– v.to make and keep; to have control of


mess – n.som



1 relatively
adv.比较...地,相对地
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
2 outweigh
vt.比...更重,...更重要
  • The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
  • One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。
3 proceedings
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
4 fungi
n.真菌,霉菌
  • Students practice to apply the study of genetics to multicellular plants and fungi.学生们练习把基因学应用到多细胞植物和真菌中。
  • The lawn was covered with fungi.草地上到处都是蘑菇。
5 yeast
n.酵母;酵母片;泡沫;v.发酵;起泡沫
  • Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
  • The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。
6 noted
adj.著名的,知名的
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
7 evolutionary
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的
  • Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
  • These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
8 domesticated
adj.喜欢家庭生活的;(指动物)被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )
  • He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务,烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 fungus
n.真菌,真菌类植物
  • Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
  • This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。
10 alcoholic
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
学英语单词
acnodal cubic
acoustic instrument
Albert's staining
atomizing apparatus
automatic information retrieval system (airs)
back-bench
bar hopped
Billroth's suture
Bouclans
Bowman's membranes
braunsapis mixta
bridge arch
burst correction
chromatic transference scale
coinstituted
Corallinaceae
corance
core-halo galaxy
crural fossae
cutaneous amebiasis
cyanogenetic glycoside
cylinder plug gauge
default button
disc handwheel
dogfoods
ear hustlin'
Eppenrod
experimental diabetes
extentions
faced time
file reconstitution
finite life design
Flavoteben
for months
Fundamental forecasting
gear type locating ring
geast
glucosides
gross sum
harvest-times
heat service conveyor belt
heavy cargo ship
home-lovings
hygrometer calibration chamber
Hyoid-cartilage
hypercorticism
inaudibility
incretory glands
independent linking up gear
information and communications technology
infrared measurement
inter-utereral
investment in affiliates
journey at reduced fare
Kivertsi
kosraeans
lasianthus obliquinervis simizui
lateral lymph nodes
Lima Duarte
lintel(l)ed
m'raq
made the rounds
Medroeort
methanolates
monomachia
Morris County
myoplasty
navving
Niono
non-dispersive infrared
off air call setup
orizio
out-out business
outfittings
parafollicular cells
parameter group identifier
patient-monitoring
Paton.
phalacrotophora (plalacrotophora) flaviclava
Pindarist
podolampas palmipes
portal frame type platform
post-replication repair
potting machine
poured joint filler
pterospermum acerifoliums
pulse mode multiplex
re-lease
rushliker
Salenijdae
salutatory address
sampling system of reactor
social distance scale
subcontrols
sylvians
tercentenary
typing by looking
unhabituated
unstaled
up-todate
Zebulon