At a time when natural history was a valuable tool for discovery, Merian discovered facts about plants and Insects that were not previously known.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Before writing Metamorphosis, Merian spent decades documenting European plants and insects that she published in a series of books.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
In an 1801 drawing from his book, General Zoology Amphibia, George Shaw, an English botanist and zoologist, credited Merian for describing a frog in the account of her South American expedition, and named the young tree frog after her in his portrayal of
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
In the same plate, Merian depicted and described leaf-cutter ants for the first time.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
It may not have been ladylike to depict a giant spider devouring a hummingbird, but when Merian did it at the turn of the 18th century, surprisingly, nobody objected.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
It wouldn't be fair to give Merian all the credit.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
It's possible Merian used a magnifying glass to capture the detail of the split tongues of sphinx moths depicted in the painting.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Maria Sibylla Merian, like many European women of the 17th century, stayed busy managing a household and rearing children.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
But on top of that, Merian, a German-born woman who lived in the Netherlands, also managed a successful career as an artist, botanist, naturalist and entomologist.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Merian also made note of the help she received from the natives of Suriname, as well as Slaves or servants that assisted her.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Merian started raising insects at home, mostly butterflies and caterpillars.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Merian was correct about the giant bird-eating spiders, ants building bridges with their bodies and other details.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Some criticized this detail later, saying there was just one tongue, but Merian wasn't wrong.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B
Three hundred years after her death, Merian will be celebrated at an international symposium in Amsterdam this June.
2018年12月六级真题(第二套)阅读 Section B