Olinguito: The New Mammal Found in South America 南美发现新物种－小型犬浣熊
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2013年11月09日
- 最后更新于 2023年12月18日
- 发布于 2013年11月09日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：408
课文朗读
It’s a bear! No, it’s a monkey! Actually, it’s the olinguito, the newest mammal to be discovered. These carnivorous creatures live in the forests of the Andes Mountains in Colombia and Ecuador, and are the first new mammal predator to be found in the Americas in 35 years.
牠是一只熊！不，牠是一只猴子！事实上，牠是最新发现的哺乳类动物－小型犬浣熊。这些肉食性动物生活在哥伦比亚与厄瓜多尔的安地斯山脉森林中，是美洲35年来最新发现的肉食性哺乳类动物。
On average, mature olinguitos are about 35 centimeters long and weigh almost one kilogram. Olinguitos are rarely seen because they’re solitary, nocturnal, and spend their entire lives high up in the trees. The olinguito might be new to science, but some mislabeled olinguito furs already existed in the Chicago Field Museum. It was here that animal expert Kristofer Helgen found some olinguito skins in 2003.
成年的小型犬浣熊平均有35公分长以及一公斤重。小型犬浣熊很难被发现是因为牠们是独居且夜行性的，加上牠们一生都活在树木的高处。对自然科学来说，小型犬浣熊可能是全新的物种，不过有些被贴错标签的小型犬浣熊皮毛早已存在芝加哥菲尔德自然史博物馆。动物专家克里斯图佛．海吉在2003年就发现了一些小型犬浣熊的皮毛。
Helgen, a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, thought that the furs looked out of place. He continued to examine olinguito specimens in other museums until deciding to visit South America to uncover the origin of these mysterious furs. Over the next few years, Helgen studied the creatures in person, until he finally announced details of the species to the public this year.
史密森尼博物馆馆长海吉认为：这些皮毛看起来像是被误认为其他物种。他继续在其他博物馆中观察小型犬浣熊标本，直到他决定前往南美洲去揭晓这些神秘皮毛的真正由来。在接下来几年间，海吉独自研究这个动物，直到今年终于对外宣布关于这个物种的详细资料。
－by Bryan Shettig
Vocabulary
olinguito 小型犬浣熊
mammal [ˋmæm!] n. 哺乳动物
carnivorous [kɑrˋnɪvərəs] adj. 肉食性的
predator [ˋprɛdətɚ] n. 食肉动物
solitary [ˋsɑlə͵tɛrɪ] adj. 隐居的；孤独的
nocturnal [nɑkˋtɝn!] adj. 夜间活动的
mislabel [mɪsˋleb!] v. 贴错……的标签
curator [kjʊˋretɚ] n. 博物馆馆长
out of place 不在正确的位置; 不合适
specimen [ˋspɛsəmən] n. 标本
uncover [ʌnˋkʌvɚ] v. 揭露
Reading Comprehension
1. What happened to olinguito furs in the Chicago Field Museum?
(A) Someone lost them by accident.
(B) They were stolen by zoo staff.
(C) Someone hid them in the museum.
(D) They were incorrectly identified.
2. Where did Helgen find living olinguitos?
(A) In a Chicago museum.
(B) At the Smithsonia.
(C) In South America.
(D) West of the Equator.
3. Which of the following is NOT discussed in this passage?
(A) How long olinguito can live.
(B) When Helgen found the furs.
(C) Why olinguitos are rarely seen.
(D) When Helgen revealed the news.
Answer
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1. ( D ) |
2. ( C ) |
3. ( A ) |
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