專八閱讀訓(xùn)練：Exploration on the Origin of Continents

　　Exploration on the Origin of Continents

　　The origin of continental nuclei has long been a puzzle. Theories advanced so far have generally failed to explain the first step in continent growth, or have been subject to serious objections. It is the purpose of this article to examine the possible role of the impact of large meteorites or asteroids in the production of continental nuclei. Unfortunately, the geological evolution of the Earth’s surface has had an obliterating effect on the original composition and structure of the continents to such an extent that further terrestrial investigations have small chance of arriving at an unambiguous answer to the question of continental origin. Paradoxically, clues to the origin and early history of the surface features of the Earth may be found on the Moon and planets, rather than on the Earth, because some of these bodies appear to have had a much less active geological history. As a result, relatively primitive surface features are preserved for study and analysis. In the case of both the Moon and Mars, it is generally concluded from the appearance of their heavily cratered surfaces that they have been subjected to bombardment by large meteoroids during their geological history. Likewise, it would appear a reasonable hypothesis that the Earth has also been subjected to meteoroid bombardment in the past, and that very large bodies struck the Earth early in its geological history.

　　The large crater on the Moon listed by Baldwin has a diameter of 285 km. However, if we accept the hypotheses of formation of some of the mare basins by impact, the maximum lunar impact crater diameter is probably as large as 650km. Based on a lunar analogy, one might expect several impact craters of at least 500km diameter to have been formed on Earth. By applying Baldwin’s equation, the depth of such a crater should be about 20km. Baldwin admits that his equation gives excessive depths for large craters so that the actual depth should be somewhat smaller. Based on the measured depth of smaller lunar crater. Baldwin’s equation gives the depth of the zone of brecciation for such a crater as about 75km. The plasticity of the Earth’s mantle at the depth makes it impossible to speak of “bracciation” in the usual sense. However, local stresses may be temporarily sustained at that depth, as shown by the existence of deep-focus earthquakes. Thus, short-term effects might be expected to a depth of more than 50km in the mantle.

　　Even without knowing the precise effects, there is little doubt that the formation of a 500-km crater would be a major geological event. Numerous authors have considered the geological implications of such an event. Donn et al. have, for example, called on the impact of continent-size bodies of sialic composition to from the original continents. Two major difficulties inherent in this concept are the lack of any known sialic meteorites, and the high probability that the energy of impact would result in a wide dissemination of sialic material, rather than its concentration at the point of impact.

　　Gilvarry, on the other hand, called on meteoroid impact to explain the production of ocean basins. The major difficulties with this model are that the morphology of most of the ocean basins is not consistent with impact, and that the origin and growth of continents is not adequately explained.

　　We agree with Donn at al. that the impact of large meteorites or asteroids may have caused continent formation, but would rather think in terms of the localized addition of energy to the system, rather than in terms of the addition of actual sialic material.

　　1. A mare basin is

　　[A]. a formula for determining the relationship between the depth and width of craters.

　　[B]. a valley that is filled in when a spatial body has impact with the moon or the earth.

　　[C]. a planetoid (small planet) created when a meteorite, upon striking the moon, breaks off a part of the moon.

　　[D]. a dark spot on the moon, once supposed to be a sea, now a plain.

　　2. The writer does not believe that

　　[A]. an asteroid is larger than a meteorite.

　　[B]. material from space, upon hitting the earth, was eventually distributed.

　　[C]. the earth, at one time, had craters.

　　[D]. ocean were formerly craters.

　　3. The article is primarily concerned with

　　[A]. the origin of continents.

　　[B]. the relationship between astral phenomena and the moon.

　　[C]. differences of opinion among authoritative geologists.

　　[D]. the relationship between asteroids and meteorites.

　　4. Sialic material refers to

　　[A]. the broken rock resulting from the impact of a meteorite against the earth.

　　[B]. material that exists on planets other than the earth.

　　[C]. a composite of rock typical of continental areas of the earth.

　　[D]. material that is man-made to simulate materials that existed far back in geological history.

　　答案祥解

　　1. D. 是月球上的一個黑點，一度認(rèn)識是海，現(xiàn)在知道是平原。Mare basin海盆地。詞義本身說明D項對。另一方面，第二段開始提及“鮑德溫所列出的月球上最大的隕石坑直徑為285公里。可是，如果我們接受了某些由于撞擊而形成海盆地的結(jié)構(gòu)假設(shè)，那么月球上最大隕石坑的直徑可能有650公里大。”這里都說mare basin指的是月球上隕石坑。這就排除了A,B,C三個選項。

　　A. 是測定隕石坑深度和寬度的公式。 B. 當(dāng)某一天體或地球撞擊時填入的深谷。 C. 當(dāng)隕星撞擊月亮?xí)r，撞掉的部分月亮而形成小星體。

　　2. D. 海洋是原來的隕石坑。倒數(shù)第二段“另一方面，Gilvarry 用隕星撞擊來解釋海洋盆地的形成。這一模式的最大困難在于大多數(shù)海洋盆地結(jié)構(gòu)和撞擊情況不符。”

　　A. 小行星大于隕星。 B. 來自太空的材料，在撞擊地球時，均勻分布。 C. 地球一度有過隕石坑。這三項明顯不對， 談不上相信不相信。

　　3. A. 大陸起源。這在文章一開始就點明“大陸核起源長期以來一直是個謎。進(jìn)展到現(xiàn)在的理論一般都不能說明大陸生長的第一步情況，或者遭到嚴(yán)厲的反對。這篇文章的目的就是要研究大隕星或小行星的撞擊在地球核生成中可能起的作用。”另見難句譯注1。

　　B. 星際現(xiàn)象和月球的關(guān)系。 C. 權(quán)威地質(zhì)學(xué)家意見分歧。 D. 小行星和隕星之間的關(guān)系。

　　4. C. 地球大陸地區(qū)特有的巖石構(gòu)成。第三段第三句：“舉例說，Donn et al.提出大陸區(qū)域大小的，硅鋁結(jié)構(gòu)的天體撞擊形成最初的大陸塊的設(shè)想。”其它見難句譯注3。

　　A. 由于隕星撞擊地球形成破碎的巖石。 B. 存在于地球之外其它星球的材料。 C. 人造材料模擬存在于遙遠(yuǎn)地質(zhì)史上的材料。三項文內(nèi)都沒有提到。

　　Vocabulary

　　1. meteorit 隕石，隕星

　　2. asteroid (火星和木星軌道間)小行星

　　3. obliterate 除去，消減……痕跡

　　4. crater 火山口，隕石坑

　　5. mare 海，(也指月亮，火星上的)陰暗區(qū)

　　6. impact 撞擊

　　7. impact crater 隕石坑，撞擊火山

　　8. brecciate 合成角礫巖

　　the zone of brecciation 角礫巖地帶

　　9. mantle 地幔

　　10. stress 應(yīng)力

　　local stress 局部(本身)應(yīng)力

　　11. sialic 硅鋁的

　　12. probability 概率，可能性

　　13. disseminate 傳播，分散，浸染

　　14. morphology 組織，結(jié)構(gòu)，形態(tài)(學(xué))

　　15. astral 星(星狀體)的

　　難句譯注

　　1. Unfortunately, the geological evolution of the Earth’s surface has had an obliterating effect on the original composition and structure of the continents to such an extent that further terrestrial investigations have small chance of arriving at an unambiguous answer to the question of continental origin.

　　[結(jié)構(gòu)簡析] 句中用such…that 句型。

　　[參考譯文] 遺憾的是，地球表面的地質(zhì)變化對大陸原始結(jié)構(gòu)和組成起了抹煞的作用。這種消除作用達(dá)到了這種程度，使進(jìn)一步的大陸的研究工作很難對大陸起源問題去得明確的答案。

　　2. In the case of both the Moon and Mars. It is generally concluded from the appearance of their heavily cratered surfaces that they have been subjected to bombardment by large meteoroids during their geological history.

　　[結(jié)構(gòu)簡析] in the case of 就……說，至于……，論到。

　　[參考譯文] 拿月亮和火星來說，一般都從它們表面嚴(yán)重的隕石坑得出結(jié)論：它們在其地質(zhì)進(jìn)化過程中遭到過巨大的隕星的撞擊。

　　3. Two major difficulties inherent in this concept are the lack of any known sialic meteorites, and the high probability that the energy of impact would result in a wide dissemination of sialic material, rather than its concentration at the point of impact.

　　[結(jié)構(gòu)簡析] that clause 是high probability 的說明同位語。

　　[參考譯文] 這一概念本身固有的兩大難點是缺乏任何已知的硅鋁隕石和下列現(xiàn)象的高概率：即撞擊的能量會導(dǎo)致硅鋁材料廣泛分散，而不是集中于撞擊點上。

　　寫作方法與文章大意

　　文章一開始就說明了此文論述“大陸核生成過程中大的隕星的撞擊作用。”由于地球表面地質(zhì)進(jìn)化抹去了大陸原始結(jié)構(gòu)和組成的痕跡，只好由月亮和火星作為研究對象來說明地球。從三方面來論述：一是鮑德溫的方程式，深度和寬度;二是硅鋁組成;三是海洋盆地。最后結(jié)論。