[科学美国人60秒] SSS 2015-11-20
时间：2018-12-24 作者：英语课 分类：2015年Scientific American(十一)月
英语课
The city of Tenness was consumed by the desert in the sandstorm of the last of the holy year. Wiped clean by ? Indiana Jones' friend, ?, explaining the fictional 1 fate of the City of Tenness in Raiders of the lost Ark.
Back in real life scientists have found something else covered by this Sahara sea of sand, an ancient river system. The remains 2 of the main channel, which dried up long ago, wind beneath the West African desert for more than three hundred miles before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers led by Shylock of the University of Leon in France uncovered the system using a kind of satellite-borne radar 3 that can penetrate 4 through several feet of dry surface elements like sand. The scientists think the network may extend even farther inland. But thick domes 5 prevent them from mapping it. They reported their findings in the journal Nature Communications. The discovery appeared to solve the mystery of what created a vast underwater canyon 6 off the coast of ? in northeast Africa. The subsurface looks like those that form the mouth of the massive rivers today. But researchers had only hypothesizedt he existence of major waterways in west Africa until now. The fact that rivers once raged in this region shed light on the Sahara's tumultuous history. Scientists know that this vast desert wasn't always dry. At certain times in the past, it boasted green grasslands 7 teeming 8 with life. The researchers think the Sahara's lost river last flowed sixty-five hundred years ago, revealing just how fast west Africa's climate can change. Maybe not quite as fast as Indiana Jones swapping 9 up a bag of sand for a golden idol 10, but still, surprisingly fast.
Wipe clean
1 fictional
adj.小说的，虚构的
- The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
- The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。
2 remains
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
3 radar
n.雷达，无线电探测器
- They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
- Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。
4 penetrate
v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解
- Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
- The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。
5 domes
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场
- The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
- Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网
6 canyon
n.峡谷，溪谷
- The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
- The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。
7 grasslands
n.草原，牧场( grassland的名词复数 )
- Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来，种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 teeming
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注
- The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
- the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道