英文杂志文章

Series 113

每天进步一点

Scientists find fossil of dinosaur ‘killed on day of asteroid strike’

The Guradian (卫报)

2022年04月07日

Scientists believe they have been given an extraordinary view of the last day of the dinosaurs after they discovered the fossil of an animal they believe died that day. The perfectly preserved leg, which even includes remnants of the animal’s skin, can be accurately dated to the time the asteroid that brought about the dinosaurs’ extinction struck Earth 66m years ago, experts say, because of the presence of debris from the impact, which rained down only in its immediate aftermath.

“It’s absolutely bonkers ,” said Phillip Manning, a professor of natural history at the University of Manchester. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the thescelosaurus leg discovered at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota was the “ ultimate dinosaur drumstick ”. He said: “The time resolution we can achieve at this site is beyond our wildest dreams … This really should not exist and it’s absolutely gobsmackingly beautiful. I never dreamt in all my career that I would get to look at something a) so time-constrained; and b) so beautiful, and also tells such a wonderful story.”

The dig has been filmed for a BBC documentary Dinosaurs: The Final Day with Sir David Attenborough; during which the broadcaster will review the fossil finds. “When Sir David looked at ‘[the leg], he smiled and said ‘that is an impossible fossil’. And I agreed,” Manning said. He said the team had also discovered the remains of fish that had breathed in impact debris from the asteroid strike, which occurred 1,864 miles (3,000km) away in the Gulf of Mexico.

P-1

Scientists believe they have been given an extraordinary view of the last day of the dinosaurs after they discovered the fossil of an animal they believe died that day. The perfectly preserved leg, which even includes remnants of the animal’s skin, can be accurately dated to the time the asteroid that brought about the dinosaurs’ extinction struck Earth 66m years ago, experts say, because of the presence of debris from the impact, which rained down only in its immediate aftermath.

preserved作形容词表示保存的；Their music has been preserved for posterity. 他们的音乐已为后世保存起来。preserve 英 [prɪ'zɜːv]作动词表示保存；保护；维持，英文释义为: to keep safe from injury, harm, ordestruction : PROTECT作名词表示保护区；加工成的食品，英文释义为: fruit canned or made into jams or jellies or cooked whole or in large pieces in a syrup so as to keep its shape —often used in pluralThe park was created to preserve some of the forests upstate. 这个公园是为了保护该州最北部地区的一些森林而建的。remnant 英 ['remnənt]作名词表示残留物；残余部分，残迹；英文释义为: a usually small part, member, or trace remainingIt matters little where we pass the remnant of our days. 我们在什么地方度过我们的余年已经无关紧要。accurately 美 [ˈækjərətli]作副词表示精准地；准确地，英文释义为: in an accurate manner : without mistakes or errorsThe test can accurately predict what a bigger explosion would do. 该试验能准确地预测一次更大爆炸的威力。accurate 英 ['ækjʊrət]作形容词表示精准的；英文释义为: free from error especially as the result of careSchools were told their exam information had to be spot-on and accurate.各学校接到通知，要求考试信息必须准确无误。bring about 导致；引起；The only way they can bring about political change is by putting pressure on the country. 他们能引起政治变化的惟一办法就是向该国施加压力。extinction 英 [ɪk'stɪŋ(k)ʃ(ə)n; ek-]作名词表示灭绝；灭种；英文释义为: the act of making extinct or causing to be extinguished30 percent of reptiles, birds, and fish are currently threatened with extinction. 目前，30%的爬行动物、鸟类和鱼类面临灭绝的危险。rain down （通常指猛烈地）使大量降下，雨点般落下；Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. 耶和华对摩西说：“我要将粮食从天降给你们。aftermath 英 ['ɑːftəmæθ]作名词表示结果；（战争、风暴、事故的）后果，余波；英文释义为: the period immediately following a usually ruinous eventIn the aftermath of the hurricane, many people's homes were destroyed. 飓风的后果是许多人的房屋被毁。参考译文

科学家们认为，他们看到了恐龙灭绝前的场景，因为他们发现了在那一天死亡的动物的化石。专家们说，这条保存完好的腿，甚至包括动物皮肤的残留物，可以准确地追溯到6600万年前导致恐龙灭绝的小行星撞击地球的时间，因为存在着撞击产生的碎片，这些碎片只是在撞击后立即落下。

P-2

“It’s absolutely bonkers ,” said Phillip Manning, a professor of natural history at the University of Manchester. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the thescelosaurus leg discovered at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota was the “ ultimate dinosaur drumstick ”. He said: “The time resolution we can achieve at this site is beyond our wildest dreams … This really should not exist and it’s absolutely gobsmackingly beautiful. I never dreamt in all my career that I would get to look at something a) so time-constrained; and b) so beautiful, and also tells such a wonderful story.”

bonkers 英 ['bɒŋkəz]作形容词表示疯狂的；精神不正常的，: CRAZY, MAD: such as，: very fond, enthusiastic, or excitedThe man must be bonkers to take such a risk. 这人一定是疯了，居然去冒这种风险。When I told her I'd crashed her car, she went stark raving bonkers. 我告诉她我把她的车撞坏了时, 她暴跳如雷。thescelosaurus n.奇异龙；ultimate 英 ['ʌltɪmət]作形容词表示终极的；最根本的，最基础的； 英文释义为: last in a progression or series : FINALCaviar and oysters on ice are generally considered the ultimate luxury foods. 一般认为，鱼子酱和冰镇牡蛎是顶级美味。drumstick 英 ['drʌmstɪk]作名词表示小腿；家禽腿，英文释义为: the segment of a fowl's leg between the thigh and tarsusShe offered Molly tidbits: a chicken drumstick, some cheese. 她给了莫莉一些吃的：一根鸡腿下段和一些奶酪。resolution 英 [rezə'luːʃ(ə)n]作名词表示精准度； 英文释义为1: the act or process of resolvingShe made a New Year's resolution to get fit. 她的新年决心是要保持身材健美。gobsmackingly作副词表示令人惊愕地；Dr Phil Manning, a palaeontologist at the University of Manchester, describes the find as ‘gobsmackingly amazing’ and also ‘bloody useful’. 菲尔·曼尼博士，一位曼彻斯特大学的古生物学家，将这个发现描述为“相当震惊”和“极其有用”。参考译文

曼彻斯特大学自然历史学教授菲利普·曼宁说：“这绝对是疯狂（震撼）的”。他告诉英国广播公司BBC第四台的《今日》节目，在北达科他州Tanis挖掘现场发现的奇异龙腿是“封顶恐龙腿”。他说：“我们在这个地点所能达到的时间精准度超出了我们最疯狂的梦想…这真的不应该存在，它绝对是令人瞠目结舌的美丽。在我所有的职业生涯中，我从未梦想过我能看到这样的东西：a）精准时间；b）如此美丽，还讲述了一个如此美妙的故事。”

P-3

The dig has been filmed for a BBC documentary Dinosaurs: The Final Day with Sir David Attenborough; during which the broadcaster will review the fossil finds. “When Sir David looked at ‘[the leg], he smiled and said ‘that is an impossible fossil’. And I agreed,” Manning said. He said the team had also discovered the remains of fish that had breathed in impact debris from the asteroid strike, which occurred 1,864 miles (3,000km) away in the Gulf of Mexico.

dig 英 [dɪg]作名词表示挖掘；挖苦，英文释义为: THRUST, POKE作动词表示挖，掘；探究，英文释义为: to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implementDig a largish hole and bang the stake in first. 挖一个大点儿的洞，先把木桩敲进去。documentary 英 [dɒkjʊ'ment(ə)rɪ]作形容词表示记录的；文件的；记实的，英文释义为: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writingThe documentary left me in a state of shock. 那部纪录片使我大为震惊。broadcaster 英 ['brɔːd,kɑːstə]作名词表示广播公司；广播员，英文释义为: to scatter or sow (seed or something similar) over a broad areaA well – known broadcaster has been asked to commentate on the opening ceremony of the national games. 一位著名的播音员已被请去实况报道全运会的开幕式。参考译文

这次挖掘已经被拍成了BBC纪录片《恐龙：最后的一天》，主持人将回顾这些化石的发现。“当大卫爵士看着‘这条腿’时，他笑着说，‘这是一块不可能的化石’。我也同意。”曼宁说。他表示，研究小组还发现了鱼的遗骸，这些鱼吸入了小行星撞击产生的碎片，它（小行星撞击）发生在1,864英里（3,000公里）之外的墨西哥湾。

学完留言打个卡

放弃不难，但坚持一定很酷

素材来自网络，版权归原创作者