Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
Upon his return to London Darwin conducted thorough research of his notes and specimens. Out of this study grew several related theories: one, evolution did occur; two, evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years; three, the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection; and four, the millions of species alive today arose from a single original life form through a branching process called «specialization.»
Darwin’s theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism’s ability to adapt to its environment. He set these theories forth in his book called, «On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life» (1859) or «The Origin of Species» for short. After publication of Origin of Species, Darwin continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology until his death in 1882. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin’s work had a tremendous impact on religious thought. Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with their religious convictions. Darwin avoided talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work, but other writers used his theories to support their own theories about society. Darwin was a reserved, thorough, hard working scholar who concerned himself with the feelings and emotions not only of his family, but friends and peers as well.
Darwin had not planned to be a scientist. He wanted to become a doctor. But he was interested in plants and animals.
A friend who knew about Darwin’s interest in nature invited him to take the trip. Charles was 22 when he left England for a five-year trip around the world.
This trip is a very important one in the history of science, for it led Darwin to write one of the worlds most famous books. The book is «The Origin of Species».
It gives Darwin’s ideas of how all the plants and animals of today have come from the very simple plants and animals that first lived on the Earth. Darwin was seasick for much of the voyage, but he came back with the notes for his great book.
He visited the Galapagos Islands, Australia, New Zealand. There he saw many strange plants and animals.
These were Darwin’s chief ideas: many more plants and animals are produced than can possibly live. There is no two plants and animals, even of the same kind, which would be exactly alike.
The idea that all the plants and animals of today came from the simple plants and animals of long ago is called «The theory of evolution»
Дарвин не собирался становиться ученым. Он хотел стать врачом. Но его интересовали растения и животные.
Один его друг, который знал об увлечении Дарвина природой, пригласил его в путешествие. Чарльзу было 22 года, когда он выехал из Англии в кругосветное путешествие на пять лет.
Это путешествие имеет большое значение для истории науки, потому что оно способствовало написанию одной из самых известных в мире книг. Это книга «Происхождение видов».
В ней высказывается теория Дарвина о том, что все современные растения и животные произошли от древних растений и животных, которые когда-то населяли Землю. Значительную часть путешествия Дарвин страдал от морской болезни, но это не помешало ему собрать заметки для своей большой книги.
Он побывал на Галапагосских островах, в Австралии и Новой Зеландии. Там он увидел много необычных растений и животных.
Вот основные идеи Дарвина: растения и животные появляются на свет в гораздо большем количестве, чем могут выжить. Не существует двух абсолютно одинаковых растений или животных даже в рамках одного вида.
Теория Дарвина о происхождении всех современных растений и животных называется «Теорией эволюции».
Использованная литература:
1. 100 тем английского устного (Каверина В., Бойко В., Жидких Н.) 2002
2. Английский язык для школьников и поступающих в ВУЗы. Устный экзамен. Топики. Тексты для чтения. Экзаменационные вопросы. (Цветкова И. В., Клепальченко И.А., Мыльцева Н.А.)
3. English, 120 Topics. Английский язык, 120 разговорных тем. (Сергеев С.П.)
Все топики по теме «Знаменитые люди»
Топик Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
Upon his return to London Darwin conducted thorough research of his notes and specimens. Out of this study grew several related theories: one, evolution did occur; two, evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years; three, the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection; and four, the millions of species alive today arose from a single original life form through a branching process called «specialization.»
Darwin’s theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism’s ability to adapt to its environment. He set these theories forth in his book called, «On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life» (1859) or «The Origin of Species» for short. After publication of Origin of Species, Darwin continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology until his death in 1882. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin’s work had a tremendous impact on religious thought. Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with their religious convictions. Darwin avoided talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work, but other writers used his theories to support their own theories about society. Darwin was a reserved, thorough, hard working scholar who concerned himself with the feelings and emotions not only of his family, but friends and peers as well.