One of the greatest biologists the world has ever seen was Charles Darwin. Darwin was born to a middle-class family in Shrewsbury, England, in February, 1809. His father was the leading doctor of the town.
He loved to walk through the woods looking at plants and birds. At the proper age, he was admitted into Shrewsbury School. There he studied Latin, classical literature, and ancient history. Young Charles thought that these subjects were dull and useless. He would have preferred scientific studies. As a result, he did poorly.
In 1825, at the age of sixteen, Darwin was sent to Scotland to study medicine. He once wrote to his sister that his medical courses were completely stupid. By then, Darwin's father knew that his son would never become a doctor.
Darwin's father then sent him to Cambridge to become a clergyman（牧师）.During his Cambridge years, Darwin loved to collect beetles（甲壳虫）,but to him it was only a hobby. He didn't take it seriously.
That was Professor John Henslow, the head of the Botany Department. Somehow, Darwin managed to graduate from Cambridge in
1831. Upon graduation, Professor Henslow arranged for him to go with Captain Fitzroy on a survey trip around the world. During the voyage, Darwin collected rocks, bones, and insects. He took many notes on all that he observed.
The widely believed theory in those days was that God created each creature separately and individually. In it, he explained his theory of evolution by natural selection. The theory was instantly and very strongly attacked. Darwin was accused of destroying religion and insulting（侮辱）the human race. Today, however, Darwin's theory is considered to be one of the major discoveries of modem science.
A. One person at Cambridge, however, did.
B. As a boy, Darwin showed a great interest in living things.
C. He studied there for two years and continued to do poorly.
D. Shrewsbury was a busy market town surrounded by rich farmlands.
E. In 1859, Darwin published his famous book On the Origin of Species.
F. The thoughts that led to his theory of evolution were beginning to form.
G. By the time Darwin died in 1882, he was recognized as one of England's
greatest scientists.
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