One of the most famous scientists to study adaptations (适应能力) was Charles Darwin (达尔文). He was born in England in 1809. He wasn't the best student in his school, but when he was 16, his father sent him to a medical school. Charles liked spending time outdoors observing (观察) nature more than attending medical classes and dropped out(辍学) without graduating.
Next, Charles' father sent him to school to become a minister (牧师). This time he made it to graduation. But he didn't want to do the work of a minister. His friends encouraged him to follow his interest in science.
After graduation, Charles was invited to sail on the Beagle as an unpaid scientist. He wasn't the first choice, but he was the lucky one to go. The Beagle was to travel to South America and then around the world. The crew's task was to make maps of the places they visited.
On December 27th, 1831 Charles Darwin sailed from England on the Beagle. The trip was planned to last two years. In fact, it lasted five. During this time, he saw many amazing things. He collected lots of plants and animals and took them back to England to study.
Twenty-three years later, Darwin published a scientific paper with another man named Wallace. Darwin described how some animals have adaptations that help them survive. They are passed on to offspring (后代). Darwin’s ideas about adaptations are still very important to the study of living things.
小题1:Darwin was very interested in _____.
A．attending medical classes
B．the work of a minister
C．sailing around the world
D．science小题2:The Beagle was a(an) _____.
A．ship
B．plane
C．plant
D．animal小题3:When Darwin published the scientific paper, he was _____ years old.
A．twenty-three
B．twenty-two
C．forty-five
D．fifty小题4:The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to (指的是) _____.
A．adaptations
B．Darwin and Wallace
C．animals
D．Darwin's ideas小题5:Which of the following is true?
A．Darwin graduated from a medical school.
B．Some animals have adaptations so that they can survive.
C．Darwin published a scientific paper by himself.
D．Darwin was first chosen to sail on the Beagle.
