It is animals and plants which lived in or near water whose remains are most likely to be preserved, for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is quick burial, and it is only in the seas and rivers, and sometimes lakes, where mud and silt have been continuously deposited, that bodies and the like can be rapidly covered over and preserved.

 it is / was … whose … ^{强调句(强调属格)  Emphatic sentence; emphasizing possessive}

The remains of animals and plants which lived in or near water are most likely to be preserved. ^不强调

• I lost uncle Bill’s address ⇒ It was uncle Bill whose address I lost. ^{whose 强调属格（xx的...）}

remains ^{n. [pl.]  残余物，遗址，废墟}

• The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C. 
• In his mouth were the remains of fir trees ― the last meal that he had before he fell into the crevasse and broke his back.  ^本课
• Archaeologists discovered ancient remains of a forgotten city. ^{考古学家发现了一座被遗忘的古城的遗址。}

be likely / unlikely to do sth. ^{可能/不可能做某事}

• This is a pity, because noise abatement really is a good cause, and it is likely to be discredited if it gets to be associated with bad science.
• As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. ^{碰巧，在欧洲安全的剃须刀不太可能电死美国人。}
• It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease, so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated.

It is refugees who live in or near Syria whose applications are most likely to be approved. ^{正是居住在叙利亚或其附近的难民，他们的申请最有可能获得批准。}

书面语正式表达（使用名词） ^{Formal written expression; use of nouns}

• 【不地道表达】for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is that they are quickly buried, …
• The timely arrival of the police prevented the situation from becoming worse. ^{警察的及时到来阻止了局面进一步恶化。}
• He sold the house without his wife's knowledge. ^{他在他妻子不知道的情况下卖掉了房子。}

silt ^{n.sand, mud, etc carried by flowing water and left at the mouth of a river, in a harbour, etc. 淤泥}

• Heavy rains caused river banks to overflow with silt. ^{大雨导致河岸淤泥泛滥。}
• The dredging operation removed a large amount of silt from the harbor. ^{疏浚作业清除了港口大量的淤泥。}
• The ancient city was buried under layers of mud and silt. ^{这座古城被埋在层层泥土和淤泥之下。}

continually ^{不断地；频繁地；（含贬义，不希望发生的事总是发生）}

• He is continually being late. ^{他老是迟到。}
• He is continually asking me for money. ^{他老是向我要钱。}
• They're continually arguing. ^{他们老是争吵。}
• Everything around him was full of her presence, continually reopening the wound. ^{他周围的一切都充满了她的身影，不断地揭开伤疤。}

deposit ^{v.to leave a layer of a substance on the surface of something, especially gradually 沉积}

• layers of sediment that were deposited on the ocean floor ^{沉积在海底的沉积物层}
• The river deposited fine sand along its banks. ^{河流沿岸沉积了细沙。}
• Minerals were deposited over millions of years to form rocks. ^{矿物质经过数百万年的沉积形成了岩石。}

and the like / and such like ^{and similar things 等等 ， 诸如此类 (不一一列举了)}

• Soldiers, policemen, and the like were all called in to help with the emergency. ^{士兵、警察等等都被召来帮助处理紧急情况。}
• tools, machines and what not ^{工具、机器等等 [infml.]}
• He enjoys reading novels, poetry, and so on. ^{他喜欢读小说、诗歌等等。}
• The grocery store sells fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and so forth. ^{杂货店出售水果、蔬菜、奶制品等等。[美式更多]}
• We discussed plans for the trip, accommodation, itinerary, etc. ^{我们讨论了旅行计划、住宿、行程等等。}