CNN 2010-09-22

Well, as you learn in life science and then later on in biology, different species¹ have different features. And if you were an expert -- and some of you will be one day -- you'll be able look at the different whales and know which one is which. But scientists in California don't know what kind of whale they have on their hands, because this one, they say, is three million years old! Now, that's what the scientists think. It's actually a whale fossil². A construction crew ran across this thing recently. The experts say the fossil seems to be in pretty good shape. The skull³ and other parts are completely intact⁴. Hopefully, that'll help them identify the specific species on this whale of a find.

It didn't completely surprise us that most of you strongly disagreed with this: a Massachusetts school district idea to charge between $400 and $500 for school bus service. It's only for kids who live within two miles of school, but many of you who commented on our blog ride the bus yourselves. That's the most popular way of getting to school, followed by a ride with your parents. And Tim seemed to speak for a lot of you. He said, "Making parents pay $400 per kid for bus transportation is outrageous⁵." Austin writes, "All Americans, if not all people, deserve the right to an education. This also includes the right to have transportation to an education." Sort of a different perspective from Elani, though, who told us that "walking would give you good exercise, decrease obesity⁶ and decrease pollution as well." And what do you think of this e-mail we got from Ms. Turner? She wrote us at CNNStudentNews.com, saying her district is allowing ads on the sides of busses to assist in cost, rather than charging the community more

1 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

2 fossil   

n.化石，食古不化的人，老顽固

参考例句：

• At this distance of time it is difficult to date the fossil.时间隔得这么久了，很难确定这化石的年代。
• The man is a fossil.那人是个老顽固。

3 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

4 intact   

adj.完整无缺的，未经触动的，未受损伤的

参考例句：

• The glasses remained intact after being dropped.眼镜坠地后依然完好无损。
• He can scarcely survive this scandal with his reputation intact.他经此丑闻名誉很难不受损。

5 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。