You’veheardofCharlesDarwin,right?Thefamousscientistwhop...

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You’ve heard of Charles Darwin, right? The famous scientist who put forward a theory of evolution. You might have just also heard of Alfred Russel Wallace, who worked together with Darwin on the revolutionary work On the Origin of Species^ published in 1859. But what about Patrick Matthew? “Patrick who?” you might ask. Well, Darwin and Wallace got the fame but Matthew did the legwork too.

This British horticulturalist (园艺种植家）actually thought about evolution first, as Dr. Mike Weale, geneticist at King’s College London, explains. He says: “Matthew published a brief outline of the idea of species being able to change into other species through natural selection. And he did that 27 years before Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. And they recognized that he did so but other people since have simplified the story and tended to concentrate just on Darwin.”

So Patrick Matthew’s relative obscurity (默默无名）may simply be down to us — the general public— wanting to simplify things. But Dr. Patricia Fara, senior tutor at Clare College Cambridge, points out that Darwin’s work might have received more attention because he had powerful friends.

Dr. Patricia Fara explains that "Darwin had the most famous, most outstanding members of the scientific society in Victorian times, who were pushing on his behalf. Having a scientific theory being accepted is not just a matter of whether the theory’s right.”

Maybe it is time for us to remember Patrick Matthew, a pioneer of the story of survival through adaptation that is at the heart of evolution.

12. What makes Darwin and Wallace famous?

A. Their great relationship.                 B. Their work with Matthew.

C. Their extraordinary theory.             D. Matthew’s legwork.

13. What did Matthew do before the book On the Origin of Species was published?

A. He worked with a horticulturalist.        B. He published the idea of evolution.

C. He simplified a story.                            D. He concentrated on Darwin.

14. According to Dr. Patricia Fara, Matthew’s obscurity was the result of .

A. his lack of powerful friends          B. his lack of people’s attention

C. his special characteristics              D. people’s tendency of simplification

15. What does the underlined sentence suggest?

A. Friends help Darwin’s theory get accepted.

B. A theory will be accepted if ifs right.

C. People know very little about Matthew.

D. We should try to remember Matthew.

【回答】

CBAAA

知识点：人物传记 故事类阅读

题型：阅读理解