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  3. An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto l

An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto l

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问题     An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was. a crucial factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical features that make them surprisingly good runners. "We are very confident that strong selection for running — which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees — was instrumental in the origin of the modern human body form," says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah.
    Traditional thinking up to now has been that the distinctive, upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running, or sprinting, over short distances. Even an Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses, antelopes and greyhounds, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favourably with that of horses or dogs.
    Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament, a band of tissue that extends from a ridge on the base of the skull to the spine. When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads, held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates, although the fossil record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, which connect our calf muscles to our heel bones -- and which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to propel us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls, another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently. Add to this our light forearms, which swing out of phase with the movement of our legs to assist balance, and one begins to appreciate the point that Bramble and Lieberman are trying to make.
    But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One hypothesis is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today," says Lieberman.  
It appears that the nuchal ligament ______.
选项 A、is found only in modern primates
B、enables us to run with steady heads
C、prevents the head from moving
D、is a unique anatomical feature among all species
答案B
解析 这是一道细节认知题。难点在于本句中出现了一个生词“nuchal ligament”，考生在回答时，要先找出该词第一次出现的地方(往往是下定义的句子)，试着从上下文了解它的定义。“One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament，a band of tissue that extends from a ridge on the base of the skull to the spine．”(最有趣的是nuchal ligament，一组从枕外隆突一直延展到脊椎的一组弹力纤维膜。)那么，从这句中可以了解，nuchal ligament是一种韧带组织，然后才找到相关解题句，“When we run，it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side．Therefore，we are able to run with steady heads，held high．The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates …”(我们奔跑的时候，正是nuchal ligament防止我们的头前后左右摆动，使我们得以保持头部的稳定。这种组织是任何尚存的灵长目动物都不具备的……)C选项可能具有迷惑性，因为出现了moving，但是这个选项太过绝对，事实上nuchal ligament并不是防止头部转动，而是防止头部在奔跑的时候前后左右移动。故选B。(nuchal ligament：项韧带)
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