tpo35三篇托福阅读TOEFL原文译文题目答案译文背景知识.docx

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tpo35三篇托福阅读TOEFL原文译文题目答案译文背景知识

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Earth’sAge

①OneofthefirstrecordedobserverstosurmisealongageforEarthwastheGreekhistorianHerodotus,wholivedfromapproximately480B.C.to425B.C.HeobservedthattheNileRiverDeltawasinfactaseriesofsedimentdepositsbuiltupinsuccessivefloods.Bynotingthatindividualfloodsdepositonlythinlayersofsediment,hewasabletoconcludethattheNileDeltahadtakenmanythousandsofyearstobuildup.MoreimportantthantheamountoftimeHerodotuscomputed,whichturnsouttobetrivialcomparedwiththeageofEarth,wasthenotionthatonecouldestimateagesofgeologicfeaturesbydeterminingratesoftheprocessesresponsibleforsuchfeatures,andthenassumingtheratestoberoughlyconstantovertime.Similarapplicationsofthisconceptweretobeusedagainandagaininlatercenturiestoestimatetheagesofrockformationsand,inparticular,oflayersofsedimentthathadcompactedandcementedtoformsedimentaryrocks.

②ItwasnotuntiltheseventeenthcenturythatattemptsweremadeagaintounderstandcluestoEarthshistorythroughtherockrecord.NicolausSteno(1638-1686)wasthefirsttoworkoutprinciplesoftheprogressivedepositingofsedimentinTuscany.However,JamesHutton(1726-1797),knownasthefounderofmoderngeology,wasthefirsttohavetheimportantinsightthatgeologicprocessesarecyclicinnature.Forcesassociatedwithsubterraneanheatcauselandtobeupliftedintoplateausandmountainranges.Theeffectsofwindandwaterthenbreakdownthemassesofupliftedrock,producingsedimentthatistransportedbywaterdownwardtoultimatelyformlayersinl