一项深入研究亚马逊雨林历史的研究发现，原住民在此居住了数千年，却 “没有造成明显的物种损失或干扰”。

This was an exercise in botanical archaeology, with the researchers examining layers of rainforest soil excavated in a remote corner of northeastern Peru. They dated each layer and studied the microscopic plant fossils locked inside. This revealed that there had been little change in the composition of plants growing in this part of the rainforest for 5,000 years before Europeans arrived in the Amazon.

这是一个植物考古学的课题，研究人员们检验了在秘鲁东北部偏远角落挖掘出来的雨林土壤层。他们推算出了每层土壤的年代，并研究了锁在其中的微型植物化石。结果表明，在欧洲人到达亚马逊地区以前的五千年内，生长在这片雨林中的植物成分几乎没有变化。

Previous research has suggested that the rainforest was intensively managed and modified by indigenous peoples. But this evidence suggests that people lived for millennia among the Amazon’s biodiversity without disturbing it.

过去的研究认为，这片雨林曾被各原住民族密集地监管和改造。但最新的证据表明，原住民在生物种类多样的亚马逊地区生活了数千年，却未对其造成干扰。

That indigenous knowledge, for example, about which species thrive best in which locations, could be vital in helping modern conservationists to protect what’s now a landscape under threat.

原住民掌握的知识，比如哪些物种最适合在哪些地方繁衍生息，对帮助当下的保育人士维护这一现面临威胁的自然景观来说，可能是至关重要的。

词汇表

botanical archaeology 植物考古学
excavated 被挖掘
dated 确定年代
composition 成分，构成
intensively 深入地，密集地
indigenous 原住民的，本土的
millennia 数千年（单数为 “millennium”）
vital 至关重要的

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. How did researchers use the layers of soil they excavated in their research?

2. What did this research show about the Amazon’s indigenous peoples’ past relationship with the area’s biodiversity?

3. Who might this research help in protecting the Amazon in the future?

4. True or false? There has been little change in the composition of plants since the Europeans arrived in the area.

答案  

1. How did researchers use the layers of soil they excavated in their research?
Researchers dated each layer and studied the microscopic plant fossils locked inside.

2. What did this research show about the Amazon’s indigenous peoples’ past relationship with the area’s biodiversity?
This research has suggested that people lived for millennia among the Amazon’s biodiversity without disturbing it.

3. Who might this research help in protecting the Amazon in the future?
This research could be vital in helping modern conservationists to protect the Amazon in the future.

4. True or false? There has been little change in the composition of plants since the Europeans arrived in the area.
False. Research has shown there had been little change in the composition of plants growing in this part of the rainforest for 5,000 years before Europeans arrived in the Amazon.