【轻松英文阅读】一种新的飞行生物

 A new species of flying squirrel has been discovered in the jungles of Laos (map).

 

When you hear of a new species being discoveredyou expect it to be small and hard to find. But as the name implies, the Laotian giant flying squirrel is not very tiny. In fact, its body is about half a meter long and it has an even longer tail of 62 cm. This makes it one of the largest species of flying squirrel.

 

Incidentally, the only specimen¹ of this new species was found on sale in a meat market in a small village in central Laos. Researchers believe it was caught by a local hunter in a nearby conservation area.

 

The new species is a close relative of another rare flying squirrel discovered in India in 1981. Only one specimen of that species has been found so far and it is feared to be close to extinction².

 

Click tab below for vocabulary list!

1 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。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。