Mammoth kill

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题目与答案

1. The reason why had big size mammals become extinct 11,000 years ago is under hot debate.First explanation is that 14_____ of human made it happen.

   答案：hunting

   原文定位：Now new findings offer support to one of these controversial hypotheses: that human hunting drove this megafaunal menagerie to extinction

2. This so called 15_____ began from 1960s suggested by an expert, who however received criticism of lack of further information.

   答案：overkill model

   原文定位：The overkill model emerged in the 1960s, when it was put forth by Paul S. Martin of the University of Arizona

   同义替换：「began from」↔「emerged in」，「suggested by an expert」↔「put forth by Paul S. Martin」

3. Another assumption promoted by MacPhee is that deadly 16_____ from human causes their demises.

   答案：hyperdisease

   原文定位：Rather he suggests that people may have introduced hyperlethal disease, perhaps through their dogs or hitchhiking vermin, which then spread wildly among the immunologically naive species of the New World

   同义替换：「deadly」↔「hyperlethal」，「from human」↔「people may have introduced」

4. However his hypothesis required more 17_____ to testify its validity.

   答案：empirical evidence

   原文定位：So far MacPhee does not have empirical evidence for the hyperdisease hypothesis, and it won’t be easy to come by

   同义替换：「required more」↔「won’t be easy to come by」

5. Graham proposed a third hypothesis that 18_____ in Pleistocene epoch drove some species disappear,

   答案：climatic instability

   原文定位：The Pleistocene epoch witnessed considerable climatic instability, explains paleontologist Russell W. Graham of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

6. reduced 19_____ posed a dangerous signal to these giants,

   答案：geographical ranges

   原文定位：For much of the megafauna, however, the increasingly homogeneous environment left them with shrinking geographical ranges- a death sentence for large animals, which need large ranges

   同义替换：「reduced」↔「shrinking」，「posed a dangerous signal」↔「a death sentence」，「giants」↔「megafauna」

7. and 20_____ finally wiped them out.

   答案：Younger Dryas event

   原文定位：Although these creatures managed to maintain viable populations through most of the Pleistocene, the final major fluctuation-the so-called Younger Dryas event pushed them over the edge, Graham says

   同义替换：「wiped them out」↔「pushed them over the edge」

8. Human hunting well explained which species would finally disappear.
   • John Alroy
   • Ross D.E. MacPhee
   • Russel W.Graham

   答案：John Alroy

   原文定位：The overkill model explains everything the disease and climate scenarios explain, he asserts, and makes accurate predictions about which species would eventually go extinct

   同义替换：「Human hunting」↔「overkill model」，「well explained」↔「explains everything」，「finally disappear」↔「eventually go extinct」

9. Further grounded proof needed to explain humans indirect impact on mammals.
   • John Alroy
   • Ross D.E. MacPhee
   • Russel W.Graham

   答案：Ross D.E. MacPhee

   原文定位：So far MacPhee does not have empirical evidence for the hyperdisease hypothesis, and it won’t be easy to come by: hyperlethal disease would kill far too quickly to leave its signature on the bones themselves. But he hopes that analyses of tissue and DNA from the last mammoths to perish will eventually reveal murderous microbes

   同义替换：「Further grounded proof needed」↔「does not have empirical evidence」，「humans indirect impact」↔「people introduced hyperlethal disease」，「mammals」↔「megafauna」

10. Over hunting situation has caused die-out of large mammals.
    • John Alroy
    • Ross D.E. MacPhee
    • Russel W.Graham

    答案：John Alroy

    原文定位：But at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Mexico City last October, paleoecologist John Alroy of the University of California at Santa Barbara argued that, in fact, hunting-driven extinction is not only plausible, it was unavoidable. He has determined, using a computer simulation that even a very modest amount of hunting would have wiped these animals out

    同义替换：「Over hunting situation」↔「a very modest amount of hunting」，「caused die-out of large mammals」↔「would have wiped these animals out」

11. Illness rather than hunting caused extensive extinction.
    • John Alroy
    • Ross D.E. MacPhee
    • Russel W.Graham

    答案：Ross D.E. MacPhee

    原文定位：MacPhee agrees that humans most likely brought about these extinctions (as well as others around the world that coincided with human arrival), but not directly. Rather he suggests that people may have introduced hyperlethal disease, perhaps through their dogs or hitchhiking vermin, which then spread wildly among the immunologically naive species of the New World. As in the overkill model, populations of large mammals would have a harder time recovering. Repeated outbreaks of a hyperdisease could thus quickly drive them to the point of no return

    同义替换：「Illness」↔「hyperdisease」，「caused extensive extinction」↔「drive them to the point of no return」

12. Doubt raised through the study of several fossil records.
    • John Alroy
    • Ross D.E. MacPhee
    • Russel W.Graham

    答案：Ross D.E. MacPhee

    原文定位：But a more specific criticism comes from mammalogist Ross D. E. MacPhee of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, who points out that the relevant archaeological record contains barely a dozen examples of stone points embedded in mammoth bones (and none, it should be noted, are known from other megafaunal remains)-hardly what one might expect if hunting drove these animals to extinction

    同义替换：「Doubt raised」↔「criticism」，「fossil」↔「archaeological」

13. Climate shift is the main reason of extinction.
    • John Alroy
    • Ross D.E. MacPhee
    • Russel W.Graham

    答案：Russel W.Graham

    原文定位：The third explanation for what brought on this North American extinction does not involve human beings. Instead, its proponents blame the loss on the weather. The Pleistocene epoch witnessed considerable climatic instability, explains paleontologist Russell W. Graham of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

    同义替换：「Climate shift」↔「weather change」，「the main reason of extinction」↔「blame the loss on the weather」