【英语时差8,16】还有小恐龙？

 

Yaël: Don, when I say "dinosaur¹" what do you picture?

 

Don: Huge reptile-like creatures like Tyrannosaurus rex or the long-necked brachiosaurus?

 

Y: Me too, but do you know there were also tiny dinosaurs²? In recent years, palaeontologists have unearthed³ some of the smallest dinosaurs known. In the late  1990s two tiny species of Theropods were discovered in China and Mongolia. The  Theropod group contains carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs, like T. rex and velociraptors. The newly discovered "tiny-osaurs" were both under two feet long  and probably weighed less than your Thanksgiving turkey.

 

     In 2002, the smallest North American dinosaur was uncovered in Alberta, Canada. This puny⁴ Theropod is also unique because it probably dined on insects. Most other Theropods were meat-eaters.

 

D: How do we know these aren't just fossils of baby dinosaurs?

 

Y: One way to tell is by examining the growth rings in bones. In some bone tissue, layers  are created as the bone grows, sort of like the rings of a tree. The bones of older animals grow more slowly, so the rings get closer together. This allows scientists to identify if the bones are from adults or juveniles⁵.

 

     Another way to tell is when several fossils are found together that include adults and   juveniles---like the discovery of the smallest Sauropod species in Germany in 2006.

 

     The Sauropod group contains the giant, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs that   walked on four legs---like the eighty-foot long brachiosaurus. But the new species    from Germany are much smaller---about twenty feet long as adults, and some   juveniles are only four feet long.

 

D: Well, now when I think "dinosaurs" I'll think "teenie-weenie."  

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 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》

3 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

4 puny   

adj.微不足道的，弱小的

参考例句：

• The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.中央银行掌握的资金实在太少了。
• Antonio was a puny lad,and not strong enough to work.安东尼奥是个瘦小的小家伙，身体还不壮，还不能干活。

5 juveniles   

n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人

参考例句：

• Do you think that punishment for violent crimes should be the same for juveniles and adults? 你对暴力犯罪的惩罚对于青少年和成人应一样吗？ 来自生活英语口语25天快训
• Juveniles Should we not exactly in need of such strength and conviction? 少年的我们难道不正是需要这种力量和信念吗？ 来自互联网