同學們準備好迎接托?？荚嚵藛?出國留學網(wǎng)為大家提供托福雙語閱讀之人類進化過程中留下的奇怪器官，希望對大家備考托福有所幫助哦!
    托福雙語閱讀之人類進化過程中留下的奇怪器官
    Modern humans have been walking the Earth for about 200,000 years.
    現(xiàn)代人已在地球上生存了約20萬年了。
    So it’s not surprising that over time our bodies have adapted.
    所以我們的身體與時俱進也不足為奇。
    From looking out for sabre-tooth tigers in the distant past to checking the latest on social media now, our frames have had to cope with changing demands.
    從遠古時代提防劍齒虎到現(xiàn)代在社交媒體上查看最新消息，我們的身體不得不適應(yīng)變化的需求。
    But, says BBC Focus magazine, some adaptations have left a few weird leftovers in modern humans…
    然而，據(jù)BBC焦點雜志稱，有些進化在現(xiàn)代人類身上留下了一些奇怪的痕跡……
    1) A tail
    1)尾巴
    Before you were born, you had a tail, albeit only for a few weeks.
    你出生前是有尾巴的，雖然僅僅存留了數(shù)周。
    All mammals develop a tail in the womb, but humans (except in a few very rare cases) lose it before birth. The coccyx, or tailbone, at the bottom of the spine is the tail’s last remnant.
    所有哺乳動物在子宮內(nèi)都會發(fā)育出尾巴，但人類(除了極其特殊情況)在出生前尾巴會消失。在脊柱末端的尾骨或者叫尾椎骨，是尾巴最后的遺跡。
    2) Third eyelid
    2)第三眼瞼
    In the corner of your eye, next to your tear duct, is what’s left of a third eyelid.
    在你的眼角淚腺旁邊，是第三眼瞼的殘留。
    In many reptiles and birds, and some mammals, this translucent blinking membrane can be drawn horizontally across the eye to add moisture, extra protection or to remove debris. In humans it assists tear drainage.
    在很多爬行動物和鳥類以及一些哺乳動物中，這層半透明眼膜可水平橫跨眼睛以增加水分，為清除雜物提供額外保護。對人類而言，它能夠幫助淚液排泄。
    3) Wisdom teeth
    3)智齒
    Most people only become aware of their wisdom teeth thanks to toothache in their late teens and early twenties.
    大部分人意識到智齒的存在還多虧了他們青少年晚期和二十歲出頭時的牙疼。
    These extra molars were probably used by our larger-jawed ancestors to grind up raw plant material. Now, these teeth are virtually useless, and their removal is one of the most common surgical precedes in the UK.
    這些多余的牙齒很可能是我們的大頜祖先用來磨碎生鮮植物的?，F(xiàn)在，這些牙齒幾乎失去了作用，而拔智齒在英國是最常見的外科手術(shù)之一。
    4) Darwin’s Point
    4)達爾文點
    Around a quarter of the population has a small bump on the upper edge of the ear, known as Darwin’s Point, after its description in naturalist Charles Darwin ’s book on evolution, The Descent of Man.
    約四分之一的人類在耳朵上邊緣都有一個小腫塊。人們在自然學家查爾斯達爾文關(guān)于進化的書《人類起源》中有所了解后，將其命名為達爾文點。
    Its position matches the location of more prominent points on the ears of many of our primate cousins, providing another sign of our common ancestry.
    它的位置與許多人類靈長類表親耳朵上的凸點位置相匹配，更加證明了我們具有共同的祖先。
    5) Ear wigglers
    5)耳動癥
    If you’ve ever seen someone wiggle their ears, then you’ve seen them use a set of vestigial muscles called the auriculares muscles.
    如果你曾經(jīng)看到有人會動耳朵，那么你肯定見證過他們動用一組叫做耳廓肌的遺跡肌。
    Cats, dogs and many other mammals use them to move their ears and focus hearing.
    貓、狗以及許多其他哺乳動物動用這組肌肉來轉(zhuǎn)動耳朵，使它們更能集中聽聲音。
    Our ancestors all but lost this ability, making the muscles good for little more than the occasional party trick.
    然而我們的祖先喪失了這項能力，使得這些肌肉的作用僅限于偶爾在聚會上的小特技。
    6) Another nose
    6)另一個鼻子
    Jacobson’s organ is an important smell sensor in many animals, from elephants to salamanders (the picture shows the mouth of a Mexican beaded lizard, which contains the organ).
    雅各布森器官(犁鼻器)在很多動物身上是個很重要的氣味傳感器，不論是大象還是蠑螈。(下圖展示了念珠蜥蜴的嘴巴，里面包含了這種器官)
    Some studies suggest humans have a remnant of this organ at the back of the nose, but as there are no nerves connecting it to the brain, it’s unlikely to play a role in our sense of smell.
    一些研究發(fā)現(xiàn)人類在鼻后有這種器官的殘留，但它上面沒有神經(jīng)與大腦相連，因此不太可能在我們的嗅覺中起到什么作用。
    7) Claw retractor
    7)爪牽縮肌
    About 85% of people have what is called a palmaris longus, a vestigial muscle running from the elbow to the heel of the hand.
    約85%的人類都有一種叫做掌長肌的肌肉，它是一種從肘部延伸到手掌根的遺跡肌。
    In some primates, this muscle assists climbing, while in cats and other predators, it retracts the claws. You can test if you have it by flexing your wrist and touching your fifth finger to your thumb - if it’s there, it will pop up.
    在某些靈長類動物中，這塊肌肉有助于攀爬，而對于貓和其他獵食者，它能幫助收縮爪子。想知道你是否有這塊肌肉，你可以彎曲手腕，并將小拇指和大拇指貼合-如果你有這塊肌肉，它會凸起。
    8) Baby animal grip
    8)嬰兒抓握反射
    Place an object in the hand of a baby under five months old, and the fingers will automatically close around it with a surprisingly strong grip. This reaction, known as the palmar grasp reflex, is a throwback to hairier times when babies of our predecessors would have clung to their mothers by gripping on to their body fur.
    將一個物體放在不到五個月的嬰兒手中，他們的手指會自動抓住該物體，并且力量驚人的強大。這種反射叫作手掌抓握反射，是一種返祖現(xiàn)象，人類還有體毛時，我們祖先的嬰兒會通過緊緊抓住媽媽的體毛而依附在母親身上。
    9) Goosebumps
    9)雞皮疙瘩
    They appear when you are frightened or a bit chilly, thanks to the tiny muscles called arrector pili surrounding the hair follicles in your skin.
    由于皮膚上毛囊附近的豎毛肌，當你恐懼或感到寒冷時，會出現(xiàn)雞皮疙瘩。
    When these muscles contract, your hairs stand up.
    當這些肌肉收縮時，你的毛發(fā)會豎起。
    In humans, such hair-raising has little effect, but it could have made our furrier ancestors appear larger when threatened, and would have provided insulation in cold weather by trapping a layer of air by the skin.
    對人類而言，毛發(fā)豎起的作用微乎其微，但對于我們毛茸茸的祖先來說，毛發(fā)豎起能讓他們在受到威脅時顯得更高大，在天氣寒冷時也會在皮膚附近通過形成一層空氣層而保溫。
    10) Branch grabber
    10)跖肌
    The plantaris is a small muscle that plays such a minor role in humans that about one in 10 people don’t have it at all.
    跖肌是一塊很小的肌肉，在人類身上只起到非常次要的作用，因而約有十分之一的人類根本就沒有這塊肌肉。
    Situated behind the knee, this muscle connects to the ankle via a long tendon that, in our more flexible primate relatives, can be used to make the foot grasp branches or pick up objects.
    跖肌位于膝蓋后方，通過一條長腱與腳踝相連，它可以幫助我們靈活的靈長類表親用腳抓樹枝或撿起物體。
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