马铃薯竟源于西红柿！

近日，我国研究团队发现，马铃薯起源于900万年前番茄组与类马铃薯组的远古杂交。换句话说，马铃薯是番茄与类马铃薯的“混血儿”，二者遗传贡献比例约为4:6。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. The study published in Cell suggests that the ability to grow tubers in modern potatoes originated from:

A) A genetic mutation in wild tomatoes alone.

B) The natural hybridization of two ancient plant species.

C) Human domestication techniques developed 10,000 years ago.

D) A single ancestor plant that existed 14 million years ago.

无注释原文：

The modern potato evolved from a wild tomato fling 9 million years ago, scientists say

From: CNN

The humble modern-day potato, first domesticated about 10,000 years ago, got its start in the Andes mountains before becoming a key crop the world depends on. But because plants don't preserve well in the fossil record, its lineage has remained largely a mystery.

Now, a team of evolutionary biologists and genomic scientists has traced the origins of this starchy staple to a chance encounter millions of years ago involving an unlikely plant relative: the tomato.

The researchers analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated and wild potato species, and the genes revealed that an ancient wild tomato plant ancestor naturally bred with a potato-like plant called Etuberosum 9 million years ago — or interbred, as both plants had originally split off from a common ancestor plant about 14 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Cell.

While neither tomatoes or Etuberosums had the ability to grow tubers — the enlarged, edible part of domesticated plants such as potatoes, yams and taros that grow underground — the resulting hybrid plant did. Tubers evolved as an innovative way for the potato plant to store nutrients underground as the climate and environment in the Andes became colder — and once cultivated, resulted in a dietary mainstay for humans. There are now more than 100 wild potato species that also grow tubers, although not all are edible because some contain toxins.

“Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,” lead study author Sanwen Huang, president of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. “We've finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.”

The scientists have also decoded which genes were supplied by each plant to create tubers in the first place. Understanding how potatoes originated and evolved could ultimately help scientists breed more resilient potatoes that are resistant to disease and shifting climate conditions.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

The modern potato evolved from a wild tomato fling 9 million years ago, scientists say

From: CNN

The humble modern-day potato, first domesticated about 10,000 years ago, got its start in the Andes mountains before becoming a key crop the world depends on. But because plants don't preserve well in the fossil record, its lineage has remained largely a mystery.

看似不起眼的现代马铃薯，约在一万年前于安第斯山脉开启驯化历程，最终成为全球重要粮食作物。不过由于植物化石难以完整保存，其起源演化过程始终笼罩着神秘面纱。

domesticated /dəˈmes.tɪ.keɪ.tɪd/ 表示“（动物）驯化的；（植物）人工培养的”，英文解释为“(of animals or plants) brought under human control in order to provide food, power, or company”如：domesticated animals 驯化的动物。

preserve /prɪˈzɜːv/ 表示“保护，维护；保留；保养”，英文解释为“to keep something as it is, especially in order to prevent it from decaying or being damaged or destroyed”如：to preserve the environment 保护环境。

作名词，preserve /prɪˈzɜːv/ 同reserve， 表示“（尤指野生动物）保护区”

fossil record /ˌfɒs.əl ˈrek.ɔːd/ 表示“化石记录”，英文解释为“the fossils in a particular group of rocks that give information about how and when those rocks formed, or the set of all fossils together that can be used to tell the history of the earth”

lineage /ˈlɪn.i.ɪdʒ/ 表示“血统；世系”，英文解释为“the members of a person's family who are directly related to that person and who lived a long time before him or her”举个🌰：She's very proud of her ancient royal lineage. 她为自己拥有古老的皇室血统倍感自豪。

Now, a team of evolutionary biologists and genomic scientists has traced the origins of this starchy staple to a chance encounter millions of years ago involving an unlikely plant relative: the tomato.

现在，一个由进化生物学家和基因组科学家组成的团队，将这种淀粉主食的起源追溯到数百万年前与看似毫不相干的“表亲”的意外结合：番茄。

genomic /dʒɪˈnoʊ.mɪk/ 表示“基因组的”，英文解释为“relating to the complete set of genetic material of a human, animal, plant, or other living thing”举个🌰：Human genomic DNA was analyzed. 对人类基因组DNA进行了分析。

trace /treɪs/ 作动词，1）表示“找到，查出，发现”，英文解释为“to find someone or something that was lost”举个🌰：The police are trying to trace the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned outside a hospital. 警察试图查出那位把新生婴儿抛弃在医院外面的母亲。

2）表示“（根据事物的发展方式）查明…的起因（或源头），追溯”，英文解释为“to discover the causes or origins of something by examining the way in which it has developed”举个🌰：The practice of giving eggs at Easter can be traced back to (= first happened in) festivals in ancient China. 复活节送彩蛋的习俗可追溯至中国古代的节庆活动。

作名词，1）表示“痕迹，踪迹”，英文解释为“a sign that something has happened or existed”举个🌰：He attempted to cover up all the traces of his crime. 他试图掩盖他犯罪的蛛丝马迹。

2）表示“微量，少许”，英文解释为“a very slight amount”举个🌰：Traces of drugs were found in his blood. 在他的血液中发现了少许毒品。

starchy /ˈstɑː.tʃi/ 1）表示“淀粉的”，英文解释为“containing a lot of starch”如：starchy foods 含淀粉的食物。

2）表示“刻板的，拘谨的”，英文解释为“behaving in a formal way and without humour”举个🌰：Museums are trying to shake off their starchy image. 博物馆正努力摆脱其或多或少有点刻板的形象。

staple表示“基本食物；主食；主要产品；某物的主要部分”（a basic type of food that is used a lot；a main product or part of something），如：a table-top staple 可以理解为饭桌上必备的食物，举个🌰：Aid workers helped distribute corn, milk and other staples. 救助人员协助分发谷物、牛奶及其他必需的食物。

encounter /ɪnˈkaʊn.tər/ 作名词，表示“偶然相遇，邂逅，不期而遇”，英文解释为“a meeting, especially one that happens by chance”举个🌰：I had an alarming encounter with a wild pig. 我曾经意外地碰到过一头野猪，真是惊险。

The researchers analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated and wild potato species, and the genes revealed that an ancient wild tomato plant ancestor naturally bred with a potato-like plant called Etuberosum 9 million years ago — or interbred, as both plants had originally split off from a common ancestor plant about 14 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Cell.

据周四发表在《细胞》杂志上的一项研究，研究人员分析了450个栽培种与野生种马铃薯基因组，发现900万年前古老的野生番茄祖先与名为Etuberosum的类马铃薯植物自然杂交。追溯更早的演化史，这两个物种其实在1400万年前本出同源。

genome /ˈdʒiː.noʊm/ 表示“基因组，染色体组”，英文解释为“the complete set of genetic material of a human, animal, plant, or other living thing”

interbreed /ˌɪn.təˈbriːd/ 表示“（使）杂交繁殖”，英文解释为“to breed or cause to breed with members of another breed or group”举个🌰：Some of the wolves had interbred with domestic dogs. 其中有些狼与驯养的狗杂交过。

While neither tomatoes or Etuberosums had the ability to grow tubers — the enlarged, edible part of domesticated plants such as potatoes, yams and taros that grow underground — the resulting hybrid plant did. Tubers evolved as an innovative way for the potato plant to store nutrients underground as the climate and environment in the Andes became colder — and once cultivated, resulted in a dietary mainstay for humans. There are now more than 100 wild potato species that also grow tubers, although not all are edible because some contain toxins.

虽然番茄和Etuberosum都不具备生长块茎的能力（块茎是马铃薯、山药和芋头等驯化植物生长在地下膨大的可食用部分），但由此产生的杂交植物却有具有该能力。随着安第斯山脉的气候和环境转冷，块茎演变为马铃薯在地下储存养分的创新适应方式。经人类驯化后，更演变为重要主食。现在有100多种野生马铃薯也生长块茎，但并非所有都可食用，因为有些含有毒素。

tuber /ˈtʃuː.bər/ 表示“（马铃薯等植物的）块茎”，英文解释为“a swollen underground stem or root of a plant from which new plants can grow, as in the potato”

edible /ˈed.ə.bəl/ 表示“（无毒而）可以吃的；适宜食用的”，英文解释为“suitable or safe for eating”举个🌰：Only the leaves of the plant are edible. 这种植物仅叶子可食。

hybrid /ˈhaɪ.brɪd/ 1）表示“（两种完全不同的东西的）混合”，英文解释为“something that is a mixture of two very different things”举个🌰：His work is an interesting hybrid of popular and classical music. 他的作品是经典与流行音乐有趣的混合。

2）表示“（动物或植物的）杂交种，混合种”，英文解释为“a plant or animal that has been produced from two different types of plant or animal, especially to get better characteristics”举个🌰：The garden strawberry is a large-fruited hybrid. 人工栽培的草莓是一种果实较大的杂交品种。

toxin /ˈtɒk.sɪn/ 表示“（尤指致病细菌产生的）毒素”，英文解释为“a poisonous substance, especially one produced by bacteria, that causes disease”

"Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today," lead study author Sanwen Huang, president of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. "We've finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from."

“进化出块茎使马铃薯在恶劣环境中具有巨大优势，推动了新物种的爆发，并促成了我们今天看到和依赖的马铃薯的丰富多样性，”该研究的主要作者、中国热带农业科学院院长、中国农业科学院(深圳)农业基因组研究所教授黄三文在声明中说。“我们终于解开了马铃薯起源之谜。”

harsh /hɑːʃ/ 作形容词，1）表示“令人不快的；严酷的；（无端地）严厉的”，英文解释为“unpleasant, unkind, cruel, or more severe than is necessary”如：harsh criticism 严厉的批评。

2）表示“刺眼的；刺耳的；过于强烈的”，英文解释为“too strong, bright, loud, etc.”如：harsh lighting 刺眼的光线。

diversity /daɪˈvɜː.sə.ti/ 表示“多样性，多样化”，英文解释为“the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something; a range of different things or people”举个🌰：Does television adequately reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country? 电视节目能充分反映出这个国家民族和文化的多样性吗？

tropical /ˈtrɒp.ɪ.kəl/ 表示“热带的”，英文解释为“from or relating to the area between the two tropics”如：tropical fish 热带鱼。

The scientists have also decoded which genes were supplied by each plant to create tubers in the first place. Understanding how potatoes originated and evolved could ultimately help scientists breed more resilient potatoes that are resistant to disease and shifting climate conditions.

研究团队还破译了亲本双方贡献的关键块茎形成基因。这项关于马铃薯起源之谜的研究，将助力科学家培育出抗病性强、气候适应性更优的新品种。

decode /diːˈkəʊd/ 1）表示“解码，解读，解译”英文解释“if a computer decodes data , it receives it and changes it into a form that can be used by the computer or understood by a person.”举个🌰：Decoding the paintings is not difficult once you know what the component parts symbolize. 一旦明白了画中各部分的象征意义，也就不难搞清楚这幅画的含义了。

2）表示“正确理解（外语单词或短语）”，英文解释为“to understand the meaning of a word or phrase in a foreign language in the correct way”举个🌰：Grammatical information helps learners to decode sentences. 语法信息有助于学习者正确理解句子的含义。

resilient /rɪˈzɪl.jənt/ 表示“有弹性的；能复原的；有复原力的；适应性强的”，英文解释为“able to quickly return to a previous good condition”举个🌰：She's a resilient girl - she won't be unhappy for long. 她是个适应力很强的女孩儿——她不会长时间沉浸于悲伤之中的。

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