5．
阅读理解
The famous scientist and thinker, Charles
Darwin, was born on February 12, 1809.As a boy, Charles liked to go for walks
in the fields and forests. He enjoyed watching nature, and comparing what he
saw with everything he had read in science books. He also liked collecting very
much. He collected many things, such as birds, eggs, stones and leaves.
At sixteen Darwin was sent to the
University of Edinburgh to become a doctor. But he was interested in the
history of nature.
Then he was sent to study in the University
of Cambridge. There he studied until 1831.
Some time later he heard that the ship
Beagle was going on a trip to South America and wanted a scientist. His teacher
advised him to go. So when the Beagle left England in December, 1831, Darwin
was on it.
The trip lasted almost five years. Darwin
saw many new plants and animals. He collected all kinds of plants.
In 1842 Darwin went to live in Kent, and
there he continued his studies of change in nature. Darwin understood that
plants and animals are not always the same, and that they really change.
By 1859 Darwin had finished his famous book
The Origin of Species. It made a great hit in the world of science. He was
opposed(反对)by the church and even by some scientists. But later, more and more
scientists agreed with him.
In1871 Darwin wrote another important book.
Darwin continued his studies in science until he died in 1882.
