DAY1
1.have a pretty good idea of the Earth formed: it condensed浓缩, around 4.6 billion years ago, from the same cloud of dust and interstellar gas that gave birth to the sun and the rest of the solar system.
2.stromatolites叠层石—small, layered mounds produced by photosynthesising bacteria
3.the date of life’s debut初次登台 maybe pushed backeven further
4.intriguing ['ɪntriːgɪŋ]有趣的事
5.basalt ['bæsɔːlt; -(ə)lt], a type of rock formed when lava cools rapidly in seawater.
n. [岩] 玄武岩；黑陶器
6.jasper ['dʒæspə]碧玉, a type of quartz石英 formed from compressed volcanic ash, that contained odd-looking veins and nodules.
7.geological processes 地质作用
8.The team contends that these bear more than a passing resemblance相似 to the networks of bacteria that live in hydrothermal热液的 vents通风口—towering, crenellated锯齿形的 structures that form in the deep ocean above the boundaries between tectonic plates,where superheated mineral-laden water spurts up from beneath the seabed.
9.hydrothermal vents are seen as a plausible可信的 candidate for the cradle发源地 of life.
10.the suggestion that hydrothermal ventshave played host to life for so longis a strike in the theory’s favour.
11.face fierce scrutiny['skruːtɪn]监视 from
12.derive their energy from photosynthesis光合作用, the process by which plants and some microorganisms convert sunlight into sugar
13.no sunlight penetrates渗透 so deep into the oceans,
14.❤One of the biggest questions in science is whether life is an inevitable and common consequence of the laws of chemistry, or a lucky one-off confined to Earth alone.
Day2
1.The team contends that these bear more than a passing resemblance tothe networks of bacteria that live in hydrothermal vents热液喷口—towering高耸的, crenellated锯齿形的 structures that form in the deep ocean above the boundaries边界 between tectonic plates（地球）构造板块, where superheated mineral-laden装满的water spurts up喷出from beneath the seabed.
这个团队坚称这很像热液喷口中的细菌网络，所谓的热液喷口就是形成深海中的地球构造板块之间的高耸锯齿形的结构，滚烫的充满金属的水正是通过这些喷口从海床中喷涌而出。
笃师版：该团队认为,这些和生活在深海热泉的细菌群落极为相似----深海热泉指的是:深海中构造板块交界边缘上方高耸锯齿型的部分,富含矿物质的水从海底喷涌而出。
2.Such a find isdoubly intriguing because hydrothermal vents are seenasa plausible candidateforthe cradle of life.
这样的发现无疑很有趣，因为这些热液喷口很有可能就是地球上生命的发源之地。
笃师版：人们认为深海热泉很有可能是生命的摇篮，这就使得该发现显得更有意思。
plausible：
1.seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed 褒义
貌似真实（或可信）的
a plausible explanation/excuse貌似有理的解释／借口
2.A plausible person appears to be honest and telling the truth, even if they are not.
花言巧语的，巧舌如簧的
a plausible salesman能说会道的推销员
3.Although the sorts of bacteriaapparently found by Dr. Papineau and his colleagues are too complicated to reveal much about the very earliest organisms生命体, the suggestion that hydrothermal vents have played host to life for so long is a strike in the theory’s favor.
虽然Papineau和他的同事们发现的这种细菌还太复杂，不足以完全揭示最早期生命体的，这种热液喷口长久以来养育地球上的生命的假说有可能撼动现有的地球起源理论假说。
笃师版：尽管P教授和同事们发现的这类细菌太过复杂，无法更深入的揭示早期生命体的情况，但依然表明深海热泉养育生命的历史甚为悠久，这是支撑该理论的有力依据。
Day3
