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The Big, the Bad, and the Stupid: Dinosaurs Uncovered 《恐龙面对面》

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

In the grand scheme of things, humans are relative newcomers to Earth. Long before we existed, gigantic dinosaurs inhabited the planet. But to make it in this hostile environment, these creatures had to develop some advanced evolutionary defense mechanisms. Discovery’s show Dinosaurs Uncovered uses cutting edge technology to explore the lives of these primitive beasts and reveal their secrets to survival.

在广大的事物中，人类相较之下是晚出现在地球的生物。早在我们存在以前，巨大的恐龙就居住在这个星球。但要在如此险恶的环境下生存，这些生物必须发展出某些先进的进化防御机制。Discovery的新节目《恐龙面对面》运用尖端的科技探索这些史前野兽的生活并揭开牠们存活的秘密。

The most fearsome of all dinosaurs is undoubtedly the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The T. Rex could grow to be 18 feet tall and over 40 feet in length. Their enormous, sharp teeth allowed them to easily crush bones and rip through flesh. Their gigantic eyes, which were the size of softballs, could spot prey from up to four miles away. And, their acute sense of smell enabled them to detect animals in hiding. But few people realize that these beasts had a gentler side as well. In fact, the T. Rex was one of the most nurturing of all dinosaur parents, as they vigorously protected their hatchlings.

所有恐龙中最令人恐惧的非暴龙莫属。暴龙可以长到18英尺高，40几尺长。牠们极大且尖锐的牙齿使牠们可以轻易地咬碎骨头并撕裂血肉。牠们如垒球般的大眼，可以远从4公里处就发现猎物。牠们敏锐的嗅觉让牠们可以侦测到躲藏的动物。但很少人知道这些野兽也有较温柔的一面。事实上，暴龙是所有恐龙父母中最会育儿的其中一种，因为牠们会奋力保护牠们刚孵育的幼儿。

Sauroposeidons, on the other hand, adopted a different approach to ensuring the survival of their species. Although they were the tallest animal ever to walk the Earth, at 60 feet tall, they were also one of the stupidest. Their tiny brain didn’t provide them with enough sense to individually care for their young, so Sauroposeidons laid thousands of eggs instead. Most of these eggs would be eaten by predators. However a small percentage would make it to adulthood, enabling the species to survive for another generation.

另一种名为「波塞东龙」的恐龙，为了确保牠们族群的存活则采取不同的策略。虽然牠们是曾在地球爬行的动物中最高的动物──牠们有60英尺高──但牠们也是最笨的其中一种。因为牠们的小脑袋并没有给予牠们足够的能力去个别照顾幼儿，所以波塞东龙便产下数千颗蛋，这些蛋大多数会被掠食者吃掉。然而少数的幼儿会长到成龙，这些长大的波塞东龙可以让牠们再存活到下一代。

Vocabulary

单词发音 

scheme [skim] n. 系统，体制，结构

newcomer [ˋnjuˋkʌmɚ] n. 新近到达的移民

inhabit [ɪnˋhæbɪt]  v. 居住于；栖息于

hostile [ˋhɑstəl] adj. 怀敌意的；不友善的

cutting edge 最前线；尖端

primitive [ˋprɪmətɪv] adj. 原始的

fearsome [ˋfɪrsəm] adj. 可怕的

Tyrannosaurus [tə͵rænəˋsɔrəs] Rex 霸王龙〔一种大型食肉恐龙〕

crush [krʌʃ] v. 碾碎; 压碎

softball [ˋsɔft͵bɔl] n. 垒球

acute [əˋkjut] adj. 尖锐的；敏锐的

nurturing [ˋnɝtʃɚɪŋ] adj. 养育的  

vigorously [ˋvɪgərəslɪ] adv. 精神旺盛地

hatchling [ˋhætʃlɪŋ] n. 刚孵化出之鱼苗或小鸟

Sauroposeidon 波塞东龙

Idiom

in the grand/great scheme of things 在广大的事物中 if you say that in the grand scheme of things something is not important, you mean that it is not important when compared to much more serious things

make it 成功 Informal to achieve a goal; be successful

rip through 穿透....

walk the Earth 横行地球

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课文讲解

The most dangerous challenger to the T. Rex’s reign as king of the planet was the unruly Triceratops. With its stout build and large horns, some archeologists have compared it to a gigantic white rhinoceros on steroids. This fierce herbivore weighed approximately 6 tons and stood about 10 feet tall. On the offensive, the Triceratops was a powerful foe. Its 3-foot-long horn could puncture the cardiac chamber or lungs of whatever creature it was up against. The Triceratops also had a solid defense in battle, as their bodies were encased in a rock hard keratin shield.

对地球之王暴龙最具威胁性的挑战者就是难以驾驭的三角龙。因为牠们粗壮的体形与巨大的角，有些考古学家将牠们比作巨大且强而有力的白犀牛。此类凶猛的食草动物重约6吨，并且有10英尺左右高。一旦发动攻势，三角龙可说是强劲的对手。长达三呎的角不论面临什么敌人都可以刺穿牠们的心腔或肺部。三角龙在战斗时也有很稳固的防守，因为牠们的身躯被十分坚硬的角质盾所覆盖。

The Ankylosaurus was another strong plant eater that was a force to be reckoned with. In fact, going up against an Ankylosaurus was like facing a tank. From head to tail, these beasts were covered by a natural shield of bone and cartilage, which was like a bulletproof vest. The Ankylosaurus also possessed what may have been the most powerful weapon of all: a bony tail club. One swift blow from its tail could shatter the legs of a T. Rex or any other creature dumb enough to mess with it.

甲龙则是另一种不可忽视的强壮草食性动物。事实上要与甲龙对抗就如同面对一台坦克车。这些野兽从头到尾都被由骨头跟软骨组成的天然盔甲所覆盖，如同一件防弹背心。甲龙可能也拥有最强大的武器：充满骨质的尾锤。牠们的尾巴只要快速的挥动便可以粉碎暴龙的双脚或是其他任何笨到敢招惹到牠的生物。

Although dinosaurs are long gone, scientists continue to learn a lot by studying the fossils they left behind. They lived for 165 million years, which is roughly 800 times longer than humans have been around. These fascinating and ferocious beasts had one function in their lives – to survive and reproduce. And no creature in history has done that better than dinosaurs.

恐龙虽然消失很久了，科学家藉由研究牠们留下的化石仍获益良多。牠们存活了165万年之久，大约是人类存在时间的800倍。这些迷人且凶猛的野兽生存只有一种目的──存活与繁衍，而历史上没有其他生物比恐龙做得好了。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音 

unruly [ʌnˋrulɪ] adj. 难驾驭的; 难以控制的

Triceratops  [traɪˋsɛrə͵tɑps] n. 三角恐龙

stout build 粗壮的; 厚的体型

stout [staʊt] adj. 粗壮的，厚的

archeologist [͵ɑrkɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n. 考古学家

rhinoceros [raɪˋnɑsərəs] n. 犀牛

herbivore [ˋhɝbə͵vɔr] n. 食草动物

foe [fo] n. 敌人，仇敌

puncture [ˋpʌŋktʃɚ] v. 刺穿

encase [ɪnˋkes] v. 包装；围绕

keratin [ˋkɛrətɪn] n. 角质

Ankylosaurus 甲龙

cartilage [ˋkɑrt!ɪdʒ]  n. 软骨原骨

bony tail club 骨质的尾锤

dumb [dʌm] adj. 愚笨的

fossil [ˋfɑs!] n. 化石

ferocious [fəˋroʃəs]  adj. 凶猛的；残忍的

Idiom

片语发音

compare...to..  将...比作  correlate to, mention in the same breath as, liken to

on steroids  强而有力  in a much more powerful or extreme form

on the offensive 采取攻势; 主动出击 actively attacking

up against 较量; 与...相对抗  in conflict with something

reckon with 认真考虑  someone or something that is important and powerful and must not be ignored

go up against  面临  to compete with someone; to face someone in competition

mess with 招惹; 卷入  to bother or interfere with someone or something

Reading Questions

1.    What is this passage mainly about?

(A)  A fictional television program about pre-historic dinosaurs.

(B)  The weapons and techniques that dinosaurs used to attack other creatures.

(C)  How a few types of dinosaurs were able to survive in a violent world.

(D)  The reason why dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the Earth.

2.    Which of the following statements about the T. Rex is NOT true?

(A)  It had an extremely powerful sense of smell.

(B)  Its excellent eyesight helped it to capture prey.

(C)  It often used its teeth to bite other dinosaurs.

(D)  It could not be harmed or injured by other dinosaurs.

3.    How is the Sauroposeidon different from other dinosaurs in the passage?

(A)  It was more intelligent than most other dinosaurs.

(B)  It used its height to hide from predators that attacked it.

(C)  It did not eat any meat whatsoever, unlike all other dinosaurs.

(D)  It did not provide any care for its offspring after birth.

4.    In the final paragraph, what does the writer suggest about dinosaurs?

(A)  They would have lived for much longer if they had been smarter.

(B)  Humans are likely to encounter dinosaurs again in the future.

(C)  Dinosaurs had an incredible talent for staying alive.

(D)  No creature in history will ever survive as long as dinosaurs.

wipe off:  擦掉, 去掉 remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing

Tyrannosaurus REX (Extreme Survivor)

1 T-Rex vs Triceratops

Answer