A Journey of Discovery
The captain of the ship，the Beagle，wanted someone [1]who would “profit by the opportunity of visiting distant① countries yet little known”．The person [2]who answered the call② was not the captain's first choice③.It was a young man who had left medical school without completing his degree.What's more④， he had recently received a letter from his father [3]predicting⑤ that he would be “a disgrace⑥ to yourself and all your family”．Despite all this, his adventures on this ship would lead to one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time⑦.
[1]who引导定语从句，修饰先行词someone。
[2]who引导定语从句，修饰先行词person。
[3]predicting ...为现在分词短语作状语。
The young man in question⑧，Charles Darwin, was a geologist⑨ and naturalist, [4]fascinated by rocks, plants and animals.He left England on the ship, the Beagle, in 1831.The journey gave him the chance [5]to study various living things in their natural environments. After Darwin had spent some time in South America, his room on the ship was crowded with⑩ samples?of the plants and animals he had collected.[6]As he studied these，he asked himself the question：how did different species come to exist?？
[4]过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰geologist and naturalist。
[5]动词不定式短语作后置定语，修饰名词chance。
[6]As引导时间状语从句，意为“当……的时候”。
At that time, people believed that all species had appeared on Earth at the same time?， and had not changed since.But Darwin began to think differently.He noticed that some species of animals were very similar to?each other.Maybe animals evolved? [7]as they adapted to? their changing environments？It was just an idea, but enough to inspire Darwin to look for more evidence?.
[7]as引导时间状语从句，意为“当……的时候”。
When the Beagle reached the Galápagos Islands in 1835，Darwin saw a variety of ? new species, but [8]it was the birds that interested him the most.Darwin noticed that there was a difference between the finches? on each of the islands.It seemed their beaks? had evolved according to [9]what food was availableon that particular island.
[8]it was ...that...为强调句型，强调主语the birds。
[9]what引导宾语从句，作介词to的宾语。
