纪录片《侏罗纪之谜》 第18期 气候巨变

Judy's theory was that this would have transformed the world's climate.

Judy的观点是这将改变全球气候

Different climate zones would have created new ecosystems² and new ecosystems meant new life.

不同的气候带创造了新的生态系统，新的生态系统意味着新的生物

If Judy was right, this could have been the key to the dinosaurs³ transformation⁴ in the mid-Jurassic.

如果Judy是对的，那就意味着这就是开启中侏罗世恐龙盛世的钥匙

Seems likely that some kind of major climate change,

非常有可能的是，这类气候巨变

or some major climate system has to have some sort of effect on the evolution of life including that of the dinosaurs,

或者说是气候系统巨变影响到了生物的进化，包括恐龙在内

so it's really interesting to try to figure out whether those animals evolved in response to any kind of climate change.

所以找出动物进化是否反映了气候变化是一件很有趣的事

So was climate change the evolutionary⁵ master key that transformed the dinosaurs?

那么，气候是否改变了进化密钥，从而使恐龙发生剧变呢

Until Argentina, there was no way of knowing.

直到阿根廷这次发现之前，人们都无从得知

This is where the richness of the Argentinean site came into its own.

这也使得阿根廷这片富饶的化石场成了世人关注的焦点

Look at that, that's really extraordinary.

瞧这儿，它非常特别

We have like there a rib⁶, a rib there, a rib there, a rib there, a rib there...

看上去像是肋骨、肋骨、肋骨、肋骨、肋骨……

Because they had found such a complete ecosystem¹, they could search for climatic clues amongst the fossils

由于他们发现了整个生态系统，他们便能从化石中找出气候线索

and since the site covered millions of years, they'd be able to see how the climate had changed over time

这个地方已在地下埋藏了亿万年，使他们得以了解气候如何随着时间发生变化

and the first clues came not from the dinosaurs, but from the lake where the fossil fishes had been found.

第一条线索并非来自恐龙，而是来自发现鱼类化石的湖泊。

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

3 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》

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

6 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。