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1、2014届高考英语一轮复习话题阅读素材42 AnswertotheMysteryofLifeIsFour Scientistshavefoundasimplemathematicalrelationshipthatconnectsthewholenature,fromthetiniestcelltothevastforestoftheAmazon.Theconnectionsareallbasedonthethreedimensionsofthephysicalworld--length,depthandwidth--plusone,makingthenumber4."Four
2、isthemagicnumberoflife,"saysDr.GeoffreyWestoftheSantaFeInstituteinNewMexico,akeynotespeakerattheNZInstituteofPhysicsannualconferencelastweek. Dr.West,aBritish-bornphysicist,andUSecologistsJamesBrownandBrianEnquisthavefoundmorethan50biologicalrelationships,suchasbetweenbodysizeandheartrate,whi
3、charebasedonnumberstakentothepowerof1/4. MuchofthetheoryisbasedonmathematicsthatcanconfusethemindofanyonewhostruggledthroughSchoolCertificatemaths.Sufficetosaythatitcentersonequationsinvolvingsquarerootsandnumberstothepowerof1/4.Insimplemaths,saysDr.West,"ifyouare16timesbiggerthanyourdog,your
4、heartrateishalfthedog'srate."Averagebodysizeandlifetimearealsorelatedinthesameratio.Soinprinciple,ifyouare16timesthesizeofyourdog,youwilllivetwiceaslong.Wedobetterthanthat,thankstomodernmedicine,buttheaveragelifetimeofpre-EuropeanMaoriwasaround30. Remarkably,combiningthesetworelationshipsmean
5、sthattheheartofeverymammalbeatsroughlythesamenumberoftimesinitsaveragelifetime--around1.5billiontimes--regardlessofwhetheritisadogorahuman,amouseoranelephant.Theimplicationisclear--wecan'tbeatnature."Thissaysthatthereisamaximumlifespanforagivensize,"Dr.Westsays. Heandhiscolleagueshavefoundtha
6、tsimilar"quarter-power"rulesgoverneverykindoflifeonEarth,fromtherateatwhichsingle-celledbacteriaabsorbenergytotheheightofthoseAmazontrees.Theybelievethisuniformityisbecauseeverylivingthingismadeupofdistributionnetworkscarryingblood,airandothernutrientsfirstthroughbigtubessuchastheaorticarterya
7、ndthenthroughasuccessionofsmallertubestothecapillaries,whichfinallydistributethenutrientstocells.Withineachclassofthelaststageofthechain,species,suchasmammals,thesizeofthecapillaries,isthesame.Soarethecellsthatweareallmadeof.Butastheorg
