英语听力精选进阶版 7342

古生物学家说，他们在阿根廷发现了迄今为止地球陆地上最大恐龙的骨骼化石。根据对其庞大的大腿骨做出的测量推算，这条恐龙体长 40米，身高 20米。

These creatures have yet to be given a name, but they belong to a group known as Titanosaurs. They had long necks and tails and are claimed by those who discovered them to have been the largest creatures ever to have walked the Earth. At full stretch they were the height of a seven-storey building and weighed more than ten full-grown elephants. Yet they were probably not fearsome, but mild-mannered vegetarians¹.

The giant dinosaurs³ lived 100 million years ago, in what is now Patagonia. Dr Bill Sellers, a palaeontologist at the University of Manchester, says it's a very exciting discovery:

"This is an amazing find because they’ve got so many dinosaurs there, I mean, this is seven individuals and these things are enormous! And actually it's really important because we don't know very much about these. We actually have very very few complete skeletons, and it looks like they've got quite a lot of bones here. So I think we'll be able to piece together what's a real animal rather than a sort of composite."

So far more than 200 bones have been found. The discovery should increase our understanding of how these magnificent creatures evolved.

Quiz 听力测验

1. How heavy was the dinosaur² whose bones were found?

According to palaeontologists, it weighed more than ten adult elephants.

2. What is the name of the place where the bones were found?

Patagonia.

3. Why is the finding important?

Because the scientists don't know much about these animals. The discovery of seven animals will allow them to piece together a complete skeleton and increase our understanding of how they evolved.

4. True or false? This species of dinosaur was a gentle creature, according to scientists.

True. The text says: 'they were probably not fearsome, but mild-mannered vegetarians.'

Glossary 词汇表

at full stretch 从头到尾、全部延伸

fearsome 令人恐惧的

mild mannered 温顺的

amazing 了不起的；令人惊奇的

skeletons 骨骼

composite 拼凑物

magnificent 壮观巨大的

1 vegetarians   

n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。

2 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。

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》