正文文本:

Archeologists have discovered something extraordinary and maybe a little gruesome in an ancient cave on the west coast of Italy. Among the bones of hyenas, elephants, horse and other animals, scientists say they found the remains of nine Neanderthals or neandertalls, a type of primitive human.

This according to the Italian Cultural Ministry which says the remains date back tens of thousands of years. Here's where this gets gross. Researchers say the Neanderthal bones showed signs of having been gnawed on, suggesting maybe that animals brought them back to the cave to eat them. Archeologists say two other Neanderthals skulls have been found here in the past.

Electric cars were some of the first cars on American roads back in the late 1800s'. Today though, they make up about one percent of all vehicles driven in the country. They're less polluted to drive than gas powered cars and they offer more design options without a big engine and transmission getting in the way but they're more expensive.

It takes a lot longer to charge a battery than to fill a gas tank. Those batteries lose their ability to hold a charge over time and environmentalists have concerns about endangering certain plants when the lithium for EV batteries is mined. Despite that, sales of electric cars are expected to rise in the years ahead.

参考译文:

考古学家在意大利西海岸的一个古老洞穴中有非凡的发现，也许还有点可怕。科学家表示，除鬣狗、大象、马和其他动物的骨头外，他们还发现了九具尼安德特人或穴居人——一种原始人类——的遗骸。

根据意大利文化部的说法，这些遗骸可以追溯到数万年前。以下是问题的关键所在。研究人员表示，尼安德特人的骨头显示出被啃咬的迹象，这表明可能是动物将他们带回洞穴并吃掉了他们。考古学家表示，过去这里还发现过另外两具尼安德特人的头骨。

电动汽车是19世纪末美国道路上最早出现的汽车之一。然而今天，电动汽车只占全美所有车辆的百分之一。与汽油动力汽车相比，电动汽车的污染更小，而且由于没有大型发动机和变速器的阻碍，它们提供了更多的设计选择，不过它们也更昂贵。

相比给油箱加满油，给电池充电要花更多时间。随着时间的推移，这些电池会失去充电能力，而且环保人士担心在开采电动车电池所用的锂时，会危害某些植物。尽管如此，电动汽车的销量预计在未来几年内还会上升。

重点讲解：

1. according to 据（…所说）；按（…所报道）；

According to observers, the plane exploded shortly after take-off.

据目击者说，飞机起飞后不久就爆炸了。

2. date back 追溯（到）；开始（于）；始造（或建）（于）；

Stonehenge is one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.

巨石阵是世界上最著名的史前遗迹之一，可以追溯到5000多年前。

3. make up 组成；构成；

Women make up 56% of the student numbers.

女生占学生人数的56%。

4. be expected to do sth. 预期；预料；

Economic growth is expected to average 2% next year.

明年经济增长预计平均可达2%。