英语听力英语高级听力材料Wild Europe Genesis.docx

英语听力英语高级听力材料Wild Europe Genesis.docx

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英语听力英语高级听力材料WildEuropeGenesis

Europe,anancientcontinent.Withinitsbordersliesunrivalledrichnessofbothnaturalandhumanwonders.

Atitsnorthernlimits,EuropereachesintotheicywastesofthehighArctic.Tothesouthandwest,itsfringeshavebeenshapedbytheMediterraneanSeaandAtlanticOcean.Fartotheeast,itisboundedbytheprimevalforestsofRussia,rubbingshoulderswithAsia.TheseboundariesencloseanareajusthalfthesizeofNorthAmerica,yet713,000,000peoplemakeEuropetheirhome.It'shardtofindaspaceunmarkedbyhumanoccupation.

TheEuropethatweseetodayistheproductofalongandcomplexhistory.Thousandsofyearsofsettlements,invasions,revolutionsandinventionshaveallowedustoreordernature'sancientpatternstosuitourneeds.

Onahumantimescale,thestoryofthechangingfaceofEuropeseemsimmense,butthereisanevenmoreextraordinarystorytobetold,onethatstretchesbackhalfabillionyears,andtellsoftheeventsthathavereallyshapedthecontinent.8,000yearsago,theskyscrapersofFrankfurtwouldhaverisenoverendlessprimevalwildwood,stretchingfromLisbontoLeningrad.Overthelast2millionyears,Europehasseesawedbetweenperishingcoldandstiflingheat.DuringtheIceAges,AmsterdamandLondonwouldhavebeensmotheredbyhugeglaciers.

Andatothertimes,they'dhavelookedmorelikeAfrica'sSerengetiPlains.Morethan15millionsyearsago,whatisnowViennaandPariswouldhavebeensubmergedbeneathrichtropicalseas.Andoverahundredmillionyearsago,FlorenceandOxfordwouldhavelookedmorelikeJurassicpark.Gobackovertwohundredmillionyears,andEuroperivaledtheSahara.Andthreehundredmillionyearsago,theworld'sfirstforestscoveredthecontinent.Berlinwouldhavebeenpartofthetropicalrainforest.Edinburghsitsastrideancientvolcanoeswhichshooktheearthnearlyhalfabillionyearsago.AllthesegreateventshelptolaythefoundationsfortheextraordinarycontinentwenowcallEurope.

ThenorthernfringesofEuropeareitswildestcountry,Scandinavia,alanddominatedbytheelements.Insummer,it'sbathedintheglowofmidnightsun.Andinwinter,bytheghostlyshadowsofthenorthernlights.Inthiscoastallabyrinthoffjordsandislands,Europe'smostancienthistorylieshidden.Norway'sLofotenislands,seeminglylifeless,butthey'resurroundedbytherichestofseas.HereAtlanticstormspoundsomeofthemostancientrocksintheworld.They'renearlythreebillionyearsold.ThesegranitesformedlongbeforetheEuropeancontinentevenexisted.HereinNorway,therearealsocluestoEurope'sbirth.Thesefjordsandmountainsarepartofanancientrange,theCaledonides,stretchingformIrelandtoScotland,andupthroughNorway,mountainsthattodayhelpdefinethecontinent'swesternedge.

Intheeast,anotherancientrange,theUrals,separatesEuropefromAsia.BoththeserangesareevidenceofEurope'searliestformation,theresultsofprocessesthatbeganhalfabillionyearsago.Backthen,Europewasstillinpieces.Scandinaviawasinthesouthernoceans,EnglandandtheLowCountrieswereneartheAntarcticCircle,andmostoftherestsatneartheSouthPole.Alloftheseisolatedfragmentsofcrustwereonthemove.

Continentalplatesaredraggedalongbypowerfulflowsofmoltenrockdeepintheearth'smantle,some80kilometersunderground.Theyonlymoveafewcentimeterseveryyear,butovermillionsofyearsthesecentimetersaddup.

Likeagiantjigsawpuzzle,Europewasgraduallyassembledpiecebypiece.Eachimpactcreatedenormouscrumplezones.Rockwasbentandbuckledasifcaughtbetweenthejawsofavice,andforcedupintogreatmountainchainsalongthejoin.

TheycreatedEurope'sbackbone,whichinscaleoncerivalledtheHimalayas.TheformationoftheseancientmountainswasthefirstactofEuropeanunion.Sincethen,Europehastraveledhalfwayacrosstheglobe.300millionyearsago,itwasstraddlingtheequator.

Inthiswarm,wetclimate,thefoothillsofEurope'soldestmountainrangesnowbecamethecradleoftheworld'sfirstforests.Pariswouldhavebeensmotheredinlushtropicalrainforestwhichstretchedeastacrosstheentirecontinent.

Thiswasnoordinaryforest.Whatlookedliketreeswereinfactgiantferns,horsetailsandclubmosses,thefossilsofwhichhavebeenexquisitelypreservedinthisScottishpark.TheyofferaglimpseofthebotanicwondersthatoncefilledEurope'sancientforests.Theseclubmossesgrewamassive13meterstall.

Longbeforebirdsappearedontheplanet,theseCarboniferousforestswouldhaveechoedtoaverydifferentdawnchorus.

Predatorydragonflieswerecommon,andsomewereabsolutelyhuge.Thisone,Meganeura,wasthesizeofahawk,withawingspanofover60centimeters.Theforestfloorwasabug'sworldtoo.Fossilfootprintsofamillipedeshowthatitwasnearly2meterslong.Over800speciesofcockroachscurriedthroughtheancientundergrowth.Andthesewerepreyedonbyothergiantslikescorpions.Somewereover70centimeterslongwithastingtomatch.Theseswampyforestswerealsoroamedbytheveryfirstlandvertebrates:

amphibians.

TheCarboniferouserawastoplayapivotalroleinEuropeanhistory.Its300million-year-oldlegacywouldeventuallyrevolutionizeamodernworld.Thiswasthetimeofgreattectonicactivity.Asthelandrepeatedlysubsided,seasfloodedoverthesegreatcoastalforests.Ravagedbymonsoonstorms,fallentreesbecameburiedbylayersofsand,thenmud.Overmillionsofyears,thebuildupofsedimentscompressedthisvegetationintothis:

coal.

Ittookaten-meterlayeroffallenrainforesttomakejustaone-meterseamofcoal.WhenyouconsiderthedepthofalltheseamsinallthecoalfieldsworkedinEurope,fromBritainthroughtonorthernFranceandGermany,PolandandUkraine,theimmensescaleofCarboniferousforestsbecomesclear.

CoalfuelledoneofthegreatesttransformationsthatEuropehaseverseen.ItspresenceallacrossthecontinentwasavitalcomponentinmakingEuropethecradleoftheIndustrialRevolutionandultimatelyturneditintotheeconomicpowerhouseitistoday.Theancientpastcandirectlyshapethepresent.Europeisnowthemosturbanizedandindustrializedcontinentontheglobe,largelythankstoitspositionontheequator300millionyearsago.

Whenthesesteamingforestswereattheirpeak,othereventswerealreadyinmotionthatwouldbanishthemforever.Europe,stilldriftingnorth,hadbeenrockedbyanotherseriesofmonumentalcollisions.Andtheresultofthetectonicpileupwasthis,thesupercontinentPangea.

Around213millionyearsago,Europewasengulfedbyamassiveland.Now,farfromtheoceans,rainnolongerfell.Underanunforgivingsun,thelushtropicalforestsdisappearedandthecontinentwasswallowedbysand.

ThefossilizedremainsofthesedesertdunesnowformmuchofthebedrockoftheEasternEurope.InthedepthsofaRussianwinter,it'shardtoimaginehowhotanddrythisplaceoncewas,letalonesomeofthecreaturesthatroamedhere,Dinosaurs,aneworderonthemove.

PartsofPangaeawereperiodicallyfloodedbyshallowseas.Buttimeandagainthiswaterevaporated,leavinglayeruponlayerofsalt.TodaythesemassivedepositslieburieddeepbeneaththeNetherlands,Poland,NorthernEnglandandtheAustrianAlps.They'vebeenminedformillennia.Saltisamajoringredientforthechemicalindustry.It'salsoused,albeitcontroversially,todeiceEurope'sroadsinwinter,thousandoftonsaday.

Thisparticularmine,inKrakowinPoland,ismadeupofover300kilometersoftunnels.It’ssovastthatminershavecarvedanentireundergroundcathedraloutofthesalt,eventhechandeliers.

Aftertensofmillionsofyearsofbakingunderthedesertsun,Europechangedonceagain.ThisistheJurainEasternFrance.Theslopeshereareblessedwithfertilewell-drainedsoils,perfectforvineyards.AndscatteredamongthevinesarecluestothenextwavesofchangethatbegantosweepacrossEuropesome200millionyearsago.

Afossilammonite,amarinecreature,andmussels,eventheancientrelativesofsquid.Thisareawasonceunderthesea.Thesewatersteemedwithlife.Aswellasammonites,marinereptilescalledIchthyosaurswerecommon.Theyfedonfish,breathedair,andgavebirthtolifeyoung.Theywerethedolphinsoftheirtime.Allthesecreaturesswamwheretherearenowthousandsofvines.Andit'sthisregionofFrancethathaslentitsnametooneofthemostfamiliarperiodsintheearth'shistory.

Andwhenthisrockwasquarried,italsorevealedtracesofrealmonsters,thebonesofhugedinosaurs.117millionyearsago,Oxfordwasareal-lifeJurassicPark.

DinosaurfossilshavebeenfoundthroughoutEurope.InLaRiojainSpain,thetracesthey'veleftarenotonlythebones.Hundredsofdinosaurtrackshavebeendiscoveredinthismountainousregion,somerevealinganancientstrugglebetweenpredatorandprey,adeadlydramafromtheAgeoftheDinosaursfrozenforeverinalayerofrock.

AsreptilesconqueredtheskiesaboveancientEurope,dramaticchangeswereaffectingthewesternshores.Pangeacontinuedtodisintegrate,EuropewastearingitselfawayfromwhatisnowNorthAmerica.Thisseparationgavebirthtooneoftheworld'sgreatoceans,theAtlantic.

Asthisoceangrew,pterosaurswerenottheonlycreaturesexploringtheair.Andthemostfamousevidenceforthatisfoundhere,inSolnhofeninBavaria.Thistinycommunityisfamousfortheuniquequalitiesofthelocalrock.Thelimestonequarriedhereisextremelyfine-grainedandcanbeworkedintothinandverylightslabs.

Theymakeperfectrooftiles,butthesetilesoccasionallyrevealsomethingext