Passage 25
（2010 重庆 D）

Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn't forget that charles darwin （1809—1882）arrived here in 1835.He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals.This finally inspired （启发）his famous work, On the Origin of Species.You can certainly follow darwin's footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands.

The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise （巨型海龟），which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Santa cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago （群岛）.Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been in their youth by darwin himself.

despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.

Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired darwin, so you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. at night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time.

1.What do we know about darwin's visit to the islands?

A. He studied different creatures on the islands.

B. He completed his famous book on the islands.

C. He was touched by the geography of the islands.

D. He was attracted by well-know animals of the islands.

2.Which of the following plays a role in making the islands “a paradise for wildlife”?

A. animals on the islands feed on grass.

B. Local government forbids killing wildlife.

C. People cannot visit the islands as they wish.

D. Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals.

3.Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of ______.

A. the beautiful sea views

B. darwin's inspiring trip

C. a closer view of animals

D. various daring activities

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the Passage?

A. a Unique attraction for Wildlife Lovers

B. Galapagos as a Paradise for adventures

C. charles darwin as a Symbol of Galapagos

D. a Successful Example of Wildlife Protection

【重点词汇】

inspire v.给……以灵感

On the Origin of Species 《物种起源》

footstep n.足迹

highland n.高地，高原（地区）

incomparable adj.无双的，无比的

sea lion 海狮

inch n.英寸

shark n.鲨鱼

magically adv.如魔法般地，神奇地

whale n.鲸鱼

surface v.浮出水面，升到水面

wildlife n.野生生物，野生动植物

undisturbed adj.未受惊扰的，未被打搅的

【疑难长句】

1.The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise, which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Santa cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago.

本句结构相对简单，which引导定语从句，修饰tortoise，从句中使用了被动语态。the second largest island in the archipelago是Santa cruz的同位语。

（参考译文）加拉帕戈斯群岛最著名的动物是巨型海龟，在圣克鲁斯岛的高地，可以看到它们缓慢地移动，圣克鲁斯岛是加拉帕戈斯群岛中的第二大岛。

2.despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.

despite引导状语从句，主句采用被动语态，a chain of 表示“一连串，许多个”，pictures后面的几个动词短语是对“一幅幅无与伦比的画面”的具体描述。

（参考译文）尽管游览活动及游览时间都有严格的限制，加拉帕戈斯群岛之旅在你的记忆中仍将是一幅幅无与伦比的画面：与海狮一起潜水，它们在与你近在咫尺的地方游泳、嬉戏；游泳时感受小鲨鱼轻触你的脚；最神奇的是，看到鲸鱼和她的宝宝浮出水面，大大地呼出一柱水汽。