A lost continent消失的大陆

袁泉

1.55億年前，地球上一块神秘的大陆从澳大利亚西部断裂并漂移，最终消失在东南亚海平面以下至少5486米深的地方。这块消失的大陆被称为“阿尔戈大陆”，多年以来，科学家一直在寻找它的下落。

主题语境：自然生态 篇幅：342词 建议用时：7分钟

1 Geologists have long been fascinated by a missing piece of Earth＇s history—a lostcontinent called Argoland. Around 155 million years ago， the 5000kilometercontinentbroke off from Western Australia and began drifting （漂移）， leaving behind a basin deepbelow the ocean known as the Argo Abyssal Plain. But where did Argoland actually go？

2 The seabed structure suggests that the continent drifted northwestward and ended upin Southeast Asia. But surprisingly， there is no large continent hidden beneath thoseislands， only small continental fragments （碎片） surrounded by ancient oceanic basins.Using this theory， geologists at Utrecht University discovered that Argoland hadn＇t reallydisappeared but survives as a“ very extended and fragmented collection” under the islandsto the east of Indonesia.

3 Unlike other continents like Africa and South America， which broke neatly intotwo pieces， Argoland split into many smaller fragments that were dispersed， whichmade it difficult for scientists to locate and study the continent＇s geological features.However， with the advanced technology and discovery， scientists can now piece themtogether.

4 Tracing the continents is vital for understanding processes like the evolution ofbiodiversity. It could help explain something known as the mysterious Wallace Line， whichis an imaginary boundary that separates mammals， birds， and even early human species inSoutheast Asian islands. The boundary has puzzled scientists because how clearly itseparates the island＇s wildlife. To the west of the line are placental mammals like apes and elephants. But these are almost completely absent to the east， where you can findmarsupials and cockatoos—animals typically associated with Australia. Researchers havetheorized that this may be because Argoland carried its own wildlife away from Australiabefore it crashed into Southeast Asia， which helps explain why different species are foundin different nations.

5 The story of Argoland is not one of complete disappearance but of transformation. Asthe world continues to evolve， this lost continent serves as a powerful symbol of the fragilityof life on this planet， and a reminder of the importance of respecting and protecting theworld that we live in.

Reading Check

Detail

1. What do we know about Argoland？

A. It split into two pieces many years ago.

B. It broke away from the continent of Africa.

C. It sank to the bottom of the Argo Abyssal Plain.

D. It exists as fragments under the eastern islands of Indonesia.

Vocabulary

2. What does the underlined word“ dispersed” in paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. Crashed. B. Connected.

C. Distributed. D. Destroyed.

Inference

3. Why does the author mention the“ Wallace Line” in paragraph 4？

A. To introduce the early history of Argoland.

B. To stress the significance of tracing Argoland.

C. To prove the biodiversity of Southeast Asian islands.

D. To explain the evolutionary process of Australian species.

Gist

4. Which statement can summarize the main content of the text？

A. The discovery of a lost continent.

B. The boundaries of wildlife habitats.

C. The geological features of Argoland.

D. The formation of the Argo Abyssal Plain.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Text?centered chunks

be fascinated by 着迷于

break off 断开；折断

split into 分成

end up 最后处于

placental mammal 胎盘哺乳动物

crash into 撞到……上

Ⅱ. Difficult sentence in the text

Unlike other continents like Africa and South America， which broke neatly into twopieces， Argoland split into many smaller fragments that were dispersed， which made itdifficult for scientists to locate and study the continent＇s geological features. 与非洲和南美洲那样整齐断裂成两块的其他大陆不同，阿尔戈大陆分裂成了许多分散的小碎片，这使得科学家们很难找到并研究该大陆的地质特征。

【点石成金】本句中，第一个which引导非限制性定语从句，且which在从句中作主语；that引导定语从句，且that在从句中作主语；第二个which引导非限制性定语从句，且which在从句中作主语，指代前面的整件事情。