# The burgess shale fossils - 科目：雅思阅读真题（Part 1） - 考频：中频 - 最近考试：2025.3.15Asia - 题目数：10 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/d1a789e8-5824-4d77-942d-fb53a7613eda（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-29 ## 题目原文 A Some discoveries are so unusual it takes decades and sometimes even centuries to understand their full significance. One such discovery is the fossil bed known as the ago. It was discovered in the Canadian Rockies over a century ago and was popularised in 1989 in a book, Wonderful Life, by Stephen Jay Gould an American palaeontologist. B The Burgess Shale fossils were created at a time when the future Canadian land mass was situated near the Earth’s equator. The creatures were preserved when an entire marine ecosystem was buried in mud that eventually hardened and became exposed hundreds of millions of years later in an outcrop of the Rocky Mountains. American palaeontologist Charles Walcott, following reports of fabulous fossils finds by construction workers on Canadian railways who were digging in the mountains in the late 19th century, is said to have tripped over a block of shale in 1909 that revealed the area’s remarkable supply of specimens. It has long been believed that the curious fauna that lived there vanished in a series of extinction because the fossil record ends abruptly, but that no longer appears to be the case. C The Burgess Shale began to form soon after a period of time known as the Cambrian explosion, when most major groups of complex animals arose over a surprisingly short period. Before 560m years ago, most living things were either individual cells or simple colonies of cells. Then, and for reasons that remain a mystery, life massively diversified and became ever more complex as the rate of evolution increased. An unusual feature of the Burgess Shale is that it is one of the earliest fossil beds to contain impressions of the soft body parts alongside the remains of bones and shells, which is highly unusual. D Although the fossil bed was discovered on a mountain, these animals originally existed below an ocean, the bed of which was later pushed up to create the Rockies. Nobody knows exactly why they were so well preserved. One possibility is that the creatures were buried quickly and in conditions that were hostile to the bacteria that cause decomposition of soft body parts. E Those that first worked on the Burgess Shale, unearthing 65,000 specimens over a 14-year period up to 1924, assumed that the fossils came from extinct members of groups of animals in existence today. This turned out to be misleading because many of the creatures are so unusual that they are still difficult to classify. F One such example is Opabinia, a creature that grew to about 8cm (3 inches), had five eyes, a body that was a series of lobes, a tail in the shape of a fan and that ate using a long proboscis. The proboscis had a set of grasping claws on the end, with which it grabbed food and stuff it into its mouth. Nectocaris, meanwhile, could be mistaken for a leech, with fins and tentacles. Weirdest of all was Hallucigenia, described by palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris when he re-examined Walcott’s specimens in 1979. With its multiplicity of spines and tentacles, little about Hallucigenia made sense. Like an abstract painting, its orientation is a mystery at first, making it difficult to work out which way up it went, which hole food went into, and which hole food come out of. G Palaeontologists had long thought that many of the Burgess Shale animals were examples of experiments in evolution. In other words, entirely new forms of life that did not survive or lead to other groups or species. Hallucigenia, ironically, turned out to be the exception that proved the rule. It is now thought to be an ancestor of the modern group of arthropods, which includes everything from flies and butterflies to centipedes and crabs. H Now another misconception has been quashed. Writing in Nature, Peter Van Roy of Yale University and his colleagues suggest that the sudden absence of such crazy soft-bodied fossils does not indicate a mass extinction, but merely an end to the unusual local circumstances that caused the creatures to be preserved. In an area of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Van Roy’s team of researchers have found another diverse (and sometimes bizarre) assemblage of soft- bodied organisms from a period after the Burgess Shale was formed. One discovery includes something that may be a stalked barnacle. This suggests that the evolution of such complex life went on uninterrupted. For its part, the Burgess Shale continues to produce an astonishing array of indefinable creatures faster than palaeontologists can examine them. The world still has plenty to learn about this wonderful life. ## 题目与答案 ### 1. 1 The Burgess Shale became widely known to the public because of Gould’s book. 1 The Burgess Shale became widely known to the public because of Gould’s book. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：It was discovered in the Canadian Rockies over a century ago and was popularised in 1989 in a book, Wonderful Life, by Stephen Jay Gould an American palaeontologist 同义替换：「became widely known to the public」↔「popularised」 ### 10-13. Burgess Shale Creatures | Name | Feature | | Opabinia | - five eyes | | | - tail resembling a 10_____ | | | - claws used to hold 11_____ | | Nectocaris | - looked like a 12_____ - fins | | | - tentacles | | Hallucigenia | - spines used to 13_____ | | | - tentacles | Burgess Shale Creatures | Name | Feature | | Opabinia | - five eyes | | | - tail resembling a 10_____ | | | - claws used to hold 11_____ | | Nectocaris | - looked like a 12_____ - fins | | | - tentacles | | Hallucigenia | - spines used to 13_____ | | | - tentacles | **答案**：fan|||food|||leech|||move 原文定位：Opabinia;had five eyes, a body that was a series of lobes, a tail in the shape of a fan;The proboscis had a set of grasping claws on the end, with which it grabbed food and stuff it into its mouth;Nectocaris, meanwhile, could be mistaken for a leech, with fins and tentacles;With its multiplicity of spines and tentacles, little about Hallucigenia made sense 同义替换：「resembling」↔「in the shape of」；「claws used to hold」↔「grabbed」；「looked like」↔「could be mistaken for」 ### 2. 2 Charles Walcott had to get permission from Canadian authorities to gain access to the fossil site. 2 Charles Walcott had to get permission from Canadian authorities to gain access to the fossil site. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：American palaeontologist Charles Walcott, following reports of fabulous fossils finds by construction workers on Canadian railways who were digging in the mountains in the late 19th century, is said to have tripped over a block of shale in 1909 that revealed the area’s remarkable supply of specimens ### 3. 3 The Burgess Shale includes impressions of soft and hard body parts. 3 The Burgess Shale includes impressions of soft and hard body parts. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：An unusual feature of the Burgess Shale is that it is one of the earliest fossil beds to contain impressions of the soft body parts alongside the remains of bones and shells, which is highly unusual 同义替换：「includes」↔「contain」；「hard body parts」↔「bones and shells」 ### 4. 4 The Burgess Shale creatures were land animals. 4 The Burgess Shale creatures were land animals. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：The creatures were preserved when an entire marine ecosystem was buried in mud;Although the fossil bed was discovered on a mountain, these animals originally existed below an ocean ### 5. 5 Researchers now believe that Hallucigenia is unrelated to any modern creature. 5 Researchers now believe that Hallucigenia is unrelated to any modern creature. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：It is now thought to be an ancestor of the modern group of arthropods, which includes everything from flies and butterflies to centipedes and crabs 同义替换：「believe」↔「thought」；「creature」↔「group」 ### 6. Burgess Shale Formation: - Burgess Shale was formed following a time called the 6_____ . Burgess Shale Formation: - Burgess Shale was formed following a time called the 6_____ . **答案**：Cambrian explosion 原文定位：The Burgess Shale began to form soon after a period of time known as the Cambrian explosion, when most major groups of complex animals arose over a surprisingly short period 同义替换：「formed following」↔「began to form soon after」；「called」↔「known as」 ### 7. Discovery and Investigation in the twentieth century: - discovered in 1909 - Charles Walcott learned of the fossil finds from people building a 7_____ . Discovery and Investigation in the twentieth century: - discovered in 1909 - Charles Walcott learned of the fossil finds from people building a 7_____ . **答案**：railway 原文定位：American palaeontologist Charles Walcott, following reports of fabulous fossils finds by construction workers on Canadian railways who were digging in the mountains in the late 19th century 同义替换：「people building」↔「construction workers」 ### 8. - the first work on Burgess Shale was undertaken at the start of the century - a researcher looked at Burgess Shale findings again in 8_____ . - the first work on Burgess Shale was undertaken at the start of the century - a researcher looked at Burgess Shale findings again in 8_____ . **答案**：1979 原文定位：Weirdest of all was Hallucigenia, described by palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris when he re-examined Walcott’s specimens in 1979 同义替换：「findings again」↔「re-examined」 ### 9. Recent theories: - Peter Van Roy - believes that discoveries in Morocco show that the 9_____ of complex life forms continued. Recent theories: - Peter Van Roy - believes that discoveries in Morocco show that the 9_____ of complex life forms continued. **答案**：evolution 原文定位：This suggests that the evolution of such complex life went on uninterrupted 同义替换：「continued」↔「went on uninterrupted」 --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。