这篇文章主要讲的是雌性鲸鱼的长寿知识。文章从人的生育年龄之后可以活很长时间，而且雌性的鲸鱼也能在完成生育后活的时间很时间长这个对比引出话题，鲸鱼的寿命问题。雌性鲸鱼的寿命短是为了帮助整个群体的生存，而女人的寿命长是因为有助于社区。下面前程百利小编带大家一块看一下这篇托福听力背景材料中出现的生词和疑难句，正在备考托福听力的同学可以参考一下。
Women have a biological cap on their reproductive years. And from an evolutionary standpoint researchers have long wondered why human female longevity extends well past fertility. Other than humans, only short-finned pilot whales and killer whales live three or more decades after menopause, some even reaching their 90s. Male whales, which are far less likely to be followed by group-mates than are females, seldom survive past 50.
Now a study of killer whales offers some clues about why evolution may have selected for such long life: older females have accrued what the study authors call “repositories of ecological knowledge,” that can help their entire group survive.
The researchers examined more than 750 hours of killer whale video. They saw that older, wizened females were the individuals most likely to lead younger whales to salmon feeding grounds, especially during lean times. The study is in the journal Current Biology.
The work provides the first evidence that the advantage conferred via the knowledge held by elderly female whales may be behind the adaptation for their post-fertility longevity. In humans, an analogous explanation for post-menopausal longevity is part of what’s called “the grandmother effect,” the constellation of attributes that make older women especially valuable to the community. Whale grandmas appear to be highly valuable, too.
疑难词汇：
Standpoint 立场;观点
Fertility 多产的;肥沃的
pilot whales 领航鲸
menopause 更年期;活动终止期
accrued 积累;增值的
repositories 贮藏地;资源丰富区
wizened adj. 干瘪的;枯萎的;消瘦的v. 枯萎(wizen的过去式和过去分词)
长难句解析：
1. In humans, an analogous explanation for post-menopausal longevity is part of what’s called “the grandmother effect,” the constellation of attributes that make older women especially valuable to the community.
难句类型：
What引导的名词性从句;that引导定语从句
句子主干：
an analogous explanation is the constellation of attributes
难句拆分：
What引导的名词性从句作宾语;that引导定语从句修饰the constellation of attributes
2. The work provides the first evidence that the advantage conferred via the knowledge held by elderly female whales may be behind the adaptation for their post-fertility longevity.
难句类型：
That引导的定语从句
句子主干：
The work provides the first evidence
难句拆分：
That引导的定语从句修饰the first evidence
好了，以上就是前程百利小编为大家整理的托福听力背景材料中单词+疑难句之鲸鱼的寿命的内容，希望在备考的路上助大家一臂之力。最后，小编祝大家在托福考试中取得好成绩！
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