最大恐龙化石亮相美国自然历史博物馆

 　　拉美兹卡病毒疫情扩大，美国发布旅游警告

　　Four years ago, a rancher in the Patagonia region of Argentina came upon an old bone sticking out of his desert property near La Flecha.

　　四年前，在阿根廷的巴塔哥尼亚地区，一名农场主在其位于拉弗莱什附近的沙漠农场里偶然发现了一块古老的骨头。

　　With recent news of exciting dinosaur¹ finds in that country in mind, he scratched around some more. Then he went to a local museum to ask paleontologists to come look for more fossils.

　　在那之前不久，传出了在该国发现了恐龙化石的消息。想到那些令人兴奋的消息，他又在四周扒拉了一番。之后，他去了当地的一家博物馆，请那里的古生物学专家去寻找更多化石。

　　Many important dinosaur discoveries are made by nonexperts in just this casual way. The rancher’s find soon led to the exposure of skeletal remains² of six of the biggest titanosaurs. These herbivores lived about 100 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous Period, on all continents, including Antarctica. They seemed especially plentiful³ in southern lands.

　　很多和恐龙有关的重要发现，都是非专业人士这么随意地发现的。这名农场主的发现很快便让六只硕大无朋的泰坦巨龙的骸骨出现在了世人面前。这些食草动物生活在大约1亿年前的白垩纪末期。包括南极洲在内的各大洲都有它们的身影，但它们似乎在南半球的大陆上尤其多。

　　Now, the most imposing⁴ one of these dinosaurs⁵ from the far south of South America, assembled from 84 fossil pieces excavated⁶ from the rancher’s land, is the newest eyeful of ancient life on display at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The hulking skeleton cast made its debut⁷ as a permanent attraction on Friday. Museum officials and scientists called it a must-see addition to the ranks of such popular icons⁸ as the institution’s great blue whale and the fierce Tyrannosaurus rex.

　　从那名农场主的土地上挖出的化石中的84块拼凑成了一整只恐龙。目前，这只来自南美洲最南端、颇能令人生畏的恐龙被陈列在曼哈顿的美国自然历史博物馆(American Museum of Natural History)里，是那里冲击人们眼眶的最新古代生物展品。上周五，这尊巨型骨架铸件作为永久性展品首次亮相。博物馆管理人员和科学家称，它是该馆备受欢迎的大蓝鲸和凶猛的霸王龙等标志性展品之外，又一必看展品。

　　“There’s nothing like finding a great new fossil, especially such a huge one,” said Michael J. Novacek, the museum’s senior vice⁹ president, provost of science and a curator of paleontology.

　　“什么都比不上新发现的大化石，特别是这么大的一个，”博物馆资深副馆长迈克尔·J·诺瓦采克(Michael J. Novacek)说。诺瓦采克还是科学事务负责人兼古生物展馆馆长。

　　The new research is expected to yield insights into the physiology¹⁰ of dinosaurs and how they were able to grow and function as such large creatures.

　　新研究预计会带来有关恐龙的生理机能，以及它们这么大的动物是怎么成长和活动的认识。

　　“Paleontology has become less geological and more biological in the last 20 years or so,” said Mark A. Norell, chairman of the paleontology division at the museum and a leading dinosaur researcher. He cited the field’s new “geochemical tools” for determining diet, growth patterns and locomotion¹¹. “All of us are simply biologists who work on fossils,” he added.

　　“过去大约20年里，古生物学和地质学的关系减少，和生物学的关系增强，”该博物馆古生物学部门负责人、知名恐龙研究人员马克·A·诺雷尔(Mark A. Norell)说。他用该领域新出现的“地球化学手段”确定恐龙的日常饮食、成长模式和运动力。“我们所有人都只是研究化石的生物学家，”他接着说。

　　The exhibit is not only a centerpiece for the museum’s fossil collections but also the start of a wide range of dinosaur programs for the year, including symposiums and another exhibition, “Dinosaurs Among Us,” opening March 21. It will highlight the signal developments in remarkable¹² research supporting a close relationship between dinosaurs and birds that are alive today.

　　这件展品不仅是该博物馆化石藏品中的明星，也是今年一系列广泛的恐龙项目的开端。相关项目包括多场专题研讨会和另一场将于3月21日开展的展览“我们当中的恐龙”(Dinosaurs Among Us)。它将突出展示一些非凡研究中的重大进展，表明恐龙和现今鸟类之间的密切关系。

　　The Patagonian skeleton was not an easy fit in its New York home. At 122 feet in length, it was a bit too long for the gallery. Part of its 39-foot-long neck extends through an opening in a wall toward the elevator banks, as if to welcome visitors to the fossil floors.

　　在位于纽约的家里，巴塔哥尼亚恐龙骨架在安放的时候并不容易。122英尺（约合37米）的长度相对展厅来说太长了。通过墙上开的一个洞，39英尺的脖子部分伸向了电梯间，像是在欢迎参观者来到化石展区。

　　This titanosaur was a young adult, gender¹³ undetermined. Its appetite for all kinds of vegetation must have been prodigious¹⁴. Based on bone sizes, researchers estimated that this individual weighed 70 tons — as much as 10 African elephants, the heaviest land animals today. Think of its possible heft if it were fully¹⁵ grown. Think of it satisfying its huge appetite by stretching its long neck to graze far and wide. With only a few shifts in position, it might have mowed¹⁶ the equivalent of all the grass in Yankee Stadium in a morning.

　　这只泰坦巨龙是一只年轻的成年恐龙，性别尚未确定。它对各种蔬菜的胃口肯定颇为惊人。根据骨头的大小，研究人员估计这只恐龙重70吨，相当于10头非洲象的重量。非洲象是现今最重的陆地动物。想想它完全长大了后可能达到的重量。再想想它把长长的脖子舒展开，四处吃草，满足自己食欲的场景。只需变换几次姿势，它一早上便可能吃下相当于洋基体育场(Yankee Stadium)整个场地面积的土地上所有的草。

　　Weight was also a factor in preparing the skeleton cast for display, a task undertaken by Research Casting International in Canada. The actual mineralized fossils were too heavy to mount. Instead, all “bones” are made from lightweight fiberglass based on digital copies of the original fossils.

　　重量也是布置这尊骨架铸件时要考虑的一个因素。布展由加拿大研究铸件国际(Research Casting International)完成。因为已经矿物化，实际的化石太重，架不上去。因此，博物馆里的所有“化石”都是在化石原件的数字复制品的基础上，用轻质玻璃纤维制成的。

　　Much of the grueling excavation¹⁷ leading to the discovery was done by teams led by José Luis Carballido and Diego Pol, paleontologists at Paleontological Museum Egidio Feruglio in Argentina. They began excavating¹⁸ for months at a time after the rancher’s visit. Sometimes it took a week of digging to isolate¹⁹ a single femur or a forelimb. Thighs²⁰ and upper arms are critical to judging the size and weight of a dinosaur.

　　在这次发现中，大量令人筋疲力尽的发掘工作都是由阿根廷埃吉迪奥·费鲁利奥古生物学博物馆(Paleontological Museum Egidio Feruglio)的古生物学家若泽·路易斯·卡瓦利多(José Luis Carballido)和迭戈·布勒(Diego Pol)带领的团队完成的。在那名农场主去过后不久，他们就开始了挖掘。挖掘工作持续了数月。有时候，需要挖一周时间，才能从泥土中挖出一块股骨或一段前肢骨骼。大腿和上臂对判断恐龙的身形大小和重量至关重要。

　　Dr. Pol said the excavations²¹ revealed that at least six of these giant individuals, all young adults, had died at the site of what had been a flood plain near a river. Their deaths had happened at three distinct times, anywhere from a few years to centuries apart. Like many herding²² animals, they may have become isolated²³ from the group and died of stress and hunger near their watering hole.

　　布勒博士表示，他们发掘出土了至少六只身形庞大的恐龙，都是年轻的成年恐龙。它们死亡时所在的地方，原本是一片临河的冲积平原。它们是分三批死亡的，每次相隔几年到几个世纪。和很多群居动物一样，它们可能和群体隔绝开了，后在饮水地附近死于压力和饥饿。

　　“That’s when we realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” Dr. Pol said. Dinosaurs are the big game to fossil hunters, and these were some of the biggest plant-eating dinosaurs ever found.

　　“这时，我们意识到这是一个千年难遇的发现，”布勒博士说。对寻找化石的人来说，恐龙是终极猎物。而这些恐龙又是迄今为止发现的最大的食草恐龙。

　　The size and distinctive²⁴ shape of an eight-foot femur of one specimen²⁵ astonished scientists. This appeared to be a previously²⁶ unknown titanosaur species, yet unnamed. Dr. Pol said a report that is being prepared may soon propose a formal species name.

　　其中一只恐龙的股骨长达八英尺。其大小和独特形状令科学家感到震惊。这似乎是一种以前不为人知的泰坦巨龙种类，因而现在尚未命名。布勒博士称，正在准备一份报告，报告可能很快便会提出正式的物种名称。

　　In a bravura²⁷ moment, Dr. Pol had his picture taken stretched out on the ground beside the femur, about the size of a living room couch. The photograph caught the attention of paleontologists at the natural history museum in New York, where Dr. Pol had done his Ph.D. research. “Maybe we can get that thing,” one said. “That would look great for a renovated²⁸ dinosaur gallery” another said.

　　布勒博士还躺在那块大小和客厅长沙发大致相当的股骨旁边的地上拍了张照，以示炫耀。在纽约的自然历史博物馆，这张照片引起了古生物学者的注意。布勒博士正是在该博物馆完成自己的博士研究的。“或许我们能够拿到那个东西，”一人说。“它应该和我们翻修过的恐龙展厅很搭，”另一人说。

　　Early last year, Dr. Novacek signed the deal with the Argentine museum to build the full-size skeleton cast for permanent display in New York.

　　去年年初，诺瓦采克博士同阿根廷那家博物馆签订了协议。协议的内容是制作一件和原物一样大小的骨架铸件，用于在纽约进行永久性展出。

　　On a visit a few days before the titanosaur’s unveiling, workers were applying finishing touches as Dr. Norell paused at the entrance, under the watchful²⁹ eye and toothy jaw³⁰ of the star attraction.

　　在离这只泰坦巨龙揭幕还剩几天时间时，笔者去了一趟博物馆。工人们正在进行最后的调制，诺雷尔博士停在入口处，那里正好位于这件明星展品警觉的眼睛和满是牙齿的下颌下方。

　　“I guarantee you are going to remember this first impression,” Dr. Norell said. “Seeing something like this, you don’t quite have anything to compare its size and aspect with.”

　　“我保证你会记住它给你的第一印象，”诺雷尔博士说。“看到像这样的东西时，人们没有太多的东西可以用来和它的大小及外表相比拟。”

　　He was right. The dinosaur was inexpressibly strange and big. Once again, we are reminded of what we know: Dinosaurs mostly were big, an engaging mystery and a challenge.

　　他说的没错。这只恐龙是个视觉奇观，庞大到无法形容。它再次让我们想起了所知道的情况：恐龙大多身形庞大，既是诱人的谜团，也是挑战。

　　The titanosaur’s arrival at the museum may inspire new understanding of these incredible creatures. It is exciting enough to walk a corridor to the fossil galleries in anticipation³¹ of meeting it, and spending some time with old friends of fond memory.

　　到达纽约的博物馆后，这只泰坦巨龙可能会激起对这些神奇动物新的了解。单是走在那条通向化石展厅的走廊里，知道会看到它，并会和有过美好回忆的”老友“共同度过一段时间就足够激动人心了。

　　Dr. Novacek is not bothered by some skepticism that the specimens³² are from the biggest dinosaur discovered so far, and that these may soon be eclipsed in size by new excavations.

　　有人怀疑这些恐龙不是迄今发现的最大恐龙，并称它们的大小可能很快便会被新发现的恐龙超过。但这并未给诺瓦采克带来困扰。

　　“Every time we find the biggest dinosaur,” he said, “we soon find a bigger one in the next dig.”

　　“每次发现最大的恐龙之后，”他说，“我们很快就会在下一次发掘中发现更大的。”

1 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

4 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

5 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

8 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

11 locomotion   

n.运动，移动

参考例句：

• By land,air or sea,birds are masters of locomotion.无论是通过陆地，飞越空中还是穿过海洋，鸟应算是运动能手了。
• Food sources also elicit oriented locomotion and recognition behavior patterns in most insects.食物源也引诱大多数昆虫定向迁移和识别行为。

12 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

13 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

14 prodigious   

adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
• He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

16 mowed   

v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草，然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句

17 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

18 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

19 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

20 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

22 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

23 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

24 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

25 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

26 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

27 bravura   

n.华美的乐曲；勇敢大胆的表现；adj.壮勇华丽的

参考例句：

• The music ends with a display of bravura.音乐以一段壮丽的乐章结束。
• This picture has a bravura of execution.这幅画作风大胆。

28 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

29 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

30 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

31 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

32 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》