英语听力：探索发现 2012-12-14 冰河新新州 Ice Age Oasis—1

 This is Florida, a taste of the tropical, one of the world's most popular holiday destinations. Here mankind's unquenchable desire to explore and colonise reaches astronomical¹ proportions. 

 

Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Ignition. Lift off.

 

And yet we are relative newcomers here. While other creatures roamed this part of North America for hundreds of millennia², we only arrived at the end of the last great ice age, 13,000 years ago. For most of its existence, North America remained untouched by humans, its dramatic landscapes and wild life undisturbed. Then some time around 13,000 years ago, just as the ice started to relax its grip, hunters from the north set foot in Florida for the first time. Imagine if we could go back and join them as they explore this unknown land, encountering strange animals not seen before by human eyes.

1 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

2 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。