首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto l
An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto l
admin
2010-01-10
99
问题
An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was. a crucial factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical features that make them surprisingly good runners. "We are very confident that strong selection for running — which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees — was instrumental in the origin of the modern human body form," says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah.
Traditional thinking up to now has been that the distinctive, upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running, or sprinting, over short distances. Even an Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses, antelopes and greyhounds, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favourably with that of horses or dogs.
Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament, a band of tissue that extends from a ridge on the base of the skull to the spine. When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads, held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates, although the fossil record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, which connect our calf muscles to our heel bones -- and which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to propel us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls, another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently. Add to this our light forearms, which swing out of phase with the movement of our legs to assist balance, and one begins to appreciate the point that Bramble and Lieberman are trying to make.
But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One hypothesis is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today," says Lieberman.
The passage suggests that ______.
选项
A、we do not need calf muscles in order to walk
B、without shoulders we could not run very fast
C、the movement of our forearms is out of phase
D、our Achilles tendons are an adaptation for running
答案
D
解析
这是一道主旨大意题。一看到诸如suggest,it can be referred that,indicate,learn from等词,考生就要注意从把握全文大意的角度来答题。解题句为"Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs,which connect our calf muscles to our heel bones — and which have nothing to do with walking.When we run,these tendons behave like springs,helping to propel us forward.”(阿基里斯腱位于我们腿的背部,连接着腓肠肌群和跟骨,这组韧带和步行没有任何关系。只有在跑步时,他才发挥出弹簧的作用,帮助人体向前倾。)
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/xK0O777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI中级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI中级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Solvingaproblemcanbebrokendownintoseveralsteps.First,theproblemmustbeidentifiedcorrectly.Psychologistsrefer(1
Solvingaproblemcanbebrokendownintoseveralsteps.First,theproblemmustbeidentifiedcorrectly.Psychologistsrefer(1
Then,policebegantocallattheapartmentsintheneighborhood,investigatingcar-smashing,shop-lifting,andotherincidents.
Newtechnologylinkstheworldasneverbefore.Ourplanethasshrunk.It’snowa"globalvillage"wherecountriesareonlyseco
AsanEnglishmajorstudentatoneofthemostfamousuniversitiesinChina,IstronglybelievethatbusinessEnglishismorepr
Theaccuracyofscientificobservationandcalculationsisalwaysatthemercyofthescientist’stimekeepingmethods.
Thefutilityoftheprogramresultedfrompoorplanning.
WemetMaryandherhusbandatapartytwomonthsago.______we’vehadnofurthercommunication.
He______hissmallshopintoasupermarketempireandbecameacelebratedentrepreneuroftheworld.
A、Feasible.B、Impractical.C、Unpopular.D、Inefficient.A根据题干要求在原文中找寻反对党的意见,发现原文最后一段关于反对党派的意见有如下说法“...haveraisedquestionsabout
随机试题
Whatdoesthewomansayshewilldonext?
马克斯.韦伯提出了“理想的行政组织体系”理论。认为一切社会组织的基础是等级、行政制和()
能阻断终板膜上胆碱能受体的物质是
关于乳剂中可以用表面活性剂作为乳化剂的原因,下列说法正确的是
某写字楼的租金为每日每平方米3元,电费、物业管理费由承租人负担,水费、供暖费、房地产税由出租人负担。由该租金减去运营费用求取该写字楼的净收益,应减去的运营费用包括()。
设置施工质量控制点是施工过程质量控制的有效方式,可以作为质量控制点的有()。
目前世界范围内大量的企业纷纷发生重组或者并购,以抵抗金融危机带来的冲击。其中,企业选择了并购,如果是看重并购中的协同效应,那么协同效应的主要来源包括()。
2×17年7月5日,甲公司自行研究开发的B专利技术达到预定可使用状态,并作为无形资产入账。B专利技术的成本为4000万元,预计使用年限为10年,无残值,采用直线法摊销。根据税法规定,B专利技术允许按照150%进行摊销。假定甲公司B专利技术的摊销方法、摊销年
用2012减去一个四位数的差,正好等于将这个四位数各个数位数字相加的和,那么有几个这样的四位数?()
EndangeredPeoplesA)Today,itisnotdistance,butculturethatseparatesthepeoplesoftheworld.Thecentralquestionof
最新回复
(
0
)