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1769年，在英格兰牛津郡的一个小镇上，一个有着普通名字的孩子威廉·史密斯出生在一个贫穷的乡下铁匠家庭。

In 1769 in a little town in Oxfordshire, England, a child with the very ordinary name of William Smith was born into the poor family of a village blacksmith.

他接受了乡村基本的教育，但大部分时间在他叔叔的农场里游荡，收集科茨伍德山岩中丰富的化石。

He received rudimentary village schooling, but mostly he roamed his uncle’s farm collecting the fossils that were so abundant in the rocks of the Cotswold hills.

长大后，威廉·史密斯用自己的一点积蓄买了书，自学测量学。18岁时，他成为当地教区测量师的学徒。

When he grew older, William Smith taught himself surveying from books he bought with his small savings, and at the age of eighteen he was apprenticed to a surveyor of the local parish.

然后他自学了地质学。24岁时，他到挖掘英格兰南部 “萨默塞特煤矿运河”的公司工作。

He then proceeded to teach himself geology, and when he was twenty-four, he went to work for the company that was excavating the Somerset Coal Canal in the south of England.

这是在蒸汽机车出现之前，运河的建造正在高峰时期。

This was before the steam locomotive, and canal building was at its height.

公司建造运河运输煤炭，需要测量师帮他们找到值得开采的煤矿，从而确定运河开凿路线的最佳方案。

The companies building the canals to transport coal needed surveyors to help them find the coal deposits worth mining as well as to determine the best courses for the canals.

这份工作给了史密斯一个机会，去研究新开凿运河所露出的岩石。

This job gave Smith an opportunity to study the fresh rock outcrops created by the newly dug canal.

他后来在英格兰各地做着相似的工作，研究新开发的地层，收集所有发现的化石。

He later worked on similar jobs across the length and breadth of England, all the while studying the newly revealed strata and collecting all the fossils he could find.

史密斯使用邮车旅行，每年多达一万英里。

Smith used mail coaches to travel as much as 10,000 miles per year.

在1815年，他出版了第一张现代地质图：“英格兰、威尔士及部分苏格兰地区地层图”。这幅地图经过了极其细致的研究，至今仍能使用。

In 1815 he published the first modern geological map, “A Map of the Strata of England and Wales with a Part of Scotland,” a map so meticulously researched that it can still be used today.

1831年，史密斯终于被伦敦地质学会认可为“英国地质学之父”。这不只是因为他的地图，而是因为更重要的东西。

In 1831 when Smith was finally recognized by the Geological Society of London as the “father of English geology,” it was not only for his maps but also for something even more important.

自从人们开始对某些特定露出的地层分类时，人们就一直希望这些地层能以某种方式被用来计算地质年代。

Ever since people had begun to catalog the strata in particular outcrops, there had been the hope that these could somehow be used to calculate geological time.

但当越来越多地方的地层积聚被分类，有一件事越来越清晰：岩石的序列有时会因地区而异，而且没有岩石类型会变成世界范围内可靠的时间标记。

But as more and more accumulations of strata were cataloged in more and more places, it became clear that the sequences of rocks sometimes differed from region to region and that no rock type was ever going to become a reliable time marker throughout the world.

即使没有地区差异的问题，岩石作为独特的时间标记也是有困难的。

Even without the problem of regional differences, rocks present a difficulty as unique time markers.

石英就是石英，一种由四个氧离子围绕的硅离子。两百万年前的更新世石英和五亿年前的寒武纪石英没有任何区别。

Quartz is quartz—a silicon ion surrounded by four oxygen ions—there’s no difference at all between two-million-year-old Pleistocene quartz and Cambrian quartz created over 500 million years ago.

当史密斯在全英格兰的地层收集化石的时候，史密斯开始发现这些化石讲述了与岩石不同的故事。

As he collected fossils from strata throughout England, Smith began to see that the fossils told a different story from the rocks.

特别是在较为年轻的地层里，岩石之间极其相似，以致很难分清地层。但在分辨化石上，他从来都没遇到过问题。

Particularly in the younger strata, the rocks were often so similar that he had trouble distinguishing the strata, but he never had trouble telling the fossils apart.

两个同样地层中的岩石，可能在一个地方是页岩，另一个地方是砂岩。而页岩和砂岩中的化石总是一样的。

While rock between two consistent strata might in one place be shale and in another sandstone, the fossils in that shale or sandstone were always the same.

一些化石经过数百万年，出现在很多地层中，但另一些只出现在少数地层中。一些种类在一个特定地层中出现并灭绝。

Some fossils endured through so many millions of years that they appear in many strata, but others occur only in a few strata, and a few species had their births and extinctions within one particular stratum.

化石就是这样成为地球历史特定时期的识别标志的。

Fossils are thus identifying markers for particular periods in Earth’s history.

史密斯不只能根据岩层所含的化石来识别岩层，还能看到一种规律：特定的化石总是出现在更古老的沉积物中，而另一些在更近期的地层中出现。

Not only could Smith identify rock strata by the fossils they contained, he could also see a pattern emerging: certain fossils always appear in more ancient sediments, while others begin to be seen as the strata become more recent.

跟随这些化石，史密斯可以把英格兰土地的所有地层都分出相对的时间顺序。

By following the fossils, Smith was able to put all the strata of England’s earth into relative temporal sequence.

大概在同一时期，乔治·库维尔在研究巴黎的岩层时也有相同的发现。

About the same time, Georges Cuvier made the same discovery while studying the rocks around Paris.

很快人们意识到，这种生物层序律不仅在英国或法国有效，而且在任何地方都有效。

Soon it was realized that this principle of faunal (animal) succession was valid not only in England or France but virtually everywhere.

它其实也是一种植物层序律，因为植物群与动物群在时间上显露出的变化是一致的。

It was actually a principle of floral succession as well, because plants showed the same transformation through time as did fauna.

石灰岩可能在寒武纪或是3亿年后的侏罗纪地层中被发现，但三叶虫，一种广泛存在于寒武纪地层的海洋节肢动物，则永远不会在侏罗纪地层中被发现，恐龙也不会在寒武纪中被发现。

Limestone may be found in the Cambrian or—300 million years later—in the Jurassic strata, but a trilobite—the ubiquitous marine arthropod that had its birth in the Cambrian—will never be found in Jurassic strata, nor a dinosaur in the Cambrian.

According to paragraph 1, which of the following statements about William Smith is NOT true?

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about canal building?

According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true of the map published by William Smith?

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

Why does the author use the phrase “Quartz is quartz”?

According to paragraph 4, it was difficult for Smith to distinguish rock strata because

Select the TWO answer choices that are true statements based upon the discussion of the principle of faunal succession in paragraph 5. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.

In mentioning “trilobite”, the author is making which of the following points?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. The findings of these geologists inspired others to examine the rock and fossil records in different parts of the world.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

William Smith In 1769 in a little town in Oxfordshire, England, a child with the very ordinary name of William Smith was born into the poor family of a village blacksmith. He received rudimentary village schooling, but mostly he roamed his uncle’s farm collecting the fossils that were so abundant in the rocks of the Cotswold hills. When he grew older, William Smith taught himself surveying from books he bought with his small savings, and at the age of eighteen he was apprenticed to a surveyor of the local parish. He then proceeded to teach himself geology, and when he was twenty-four, he went to work for the company that was excavating the Somerset Coal Canal in the south of England. This was before the steam locomotive, and canal building was at its height. The companies building the canals to transport coal needed surveyors to help them find the coal deposits worth mining as well as to determine the best courses for the canals. This job gave Smith an opportunity to study the fresh rock outcrops created by the newly dug canal. He later worked on similar jobs across the length and breadth of England, all the while studying the newly revealed strata and collecting all the fossils he could find. Smith used mail coaches to travel as much as 10,000 miles per year. In 1815 he published the first modern geological map, “A Map of the Strata of England and Wales with a Part of Scotland,” a map so meticulously researched that it can still be used today. In 1831 when Smith was finally recognized by the Geological Society of London as the “father of English geology,” it was not only for his maps but also for something even more important. Ever since people had begun to catalog the strata in particular outcrops, there had been the hope that these could somehow be used to calculate geological time. But as more and more accumulations of strata were cataloged in more and more places, it became clear that the sequences of rocks sometimes differed from region to region and that no rock type was ever going to become a reliable time marker throughout the world. Even without the problem of regional differences, rocks present a difficulty as unique time markers. Quartz is quartz—a silicon ion surrounded by four oxygen ions—there’s no difference at all between two-million-year-old Pleistocene quartz and Cambrian quartz created over 500 million years ago. As he collected fossils from strata throughout England, Smith began to see that the fossils told a different story from the rocks. Particularly in the younger strata, the rocks were often so similar that he had trouble distinguishing the strata, but he never had trouble telling the fossils apart. While rock between two consistent strata might in one place be shale and in another sandstone, the fossils in that shale or sandstone were always the same. Some fossils endured through so many millions of years that they appear in many strata, but others occur only in a few strata, and a few species had their births and extinctions within one particular stratum. Fossils are thus identifying markers for particular periods in Earth’s history. Not only could Smith identify rock strata by the fossils they contained, he could also see a pattern emerging: certain fossils always appear in more ancient sediments, while others begin to be seen as the strata become more recent.  By following the fossils, Smith was able to put all the strata of England’s earth into relative temporal sequence.  About the same time, Georges Cuvier made the same discovery while studying the rocks around Paris.  Soon it was realized that this principle of faunal (animal) succession was valid not only in England or France but virtually everywhere.  It was actually a principle of floral succession as well, because plants showed the same transformation through time as did fauna. Limestone may be found in the Cambrian or—300 million years later—in the Jurassic strata, but a trilobite—the ubiquitous marine arthropod that had its birth in the Cambrian—will never be found in Jurassic strata, nor a dinosaur in the Cambrian.