英语听力文摘 English Digest 685 科学家深度研究恐龙巢穴

 

Scientists Are Learning So Much About Dinosaur¹ Nests

科学家深度研究恐龙巢穴

Tons of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed² over the last hundred years. These long-buried bones tell us about the physical build and eating habits of dinosaurs³. But to tell how dinosaurs lived and behaved, you often need more than bones. That’s why the earliest dinosaur nests found to date are giving up secrets about dinosaurs that lived one hundred ninety million years ago.

3 Hundred Pound Dino

Massospondylus, whose name means “longer vertebrae,” was a two legged, omnivore that was from thirteen to twenty feet long and weighed three hundred pounds. Its small head was perched on a long neck and its forelimbs were armed with sharp thumb claws.

An archeological site at Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa has been a treasure trove⁴ of information for scientists. Ten nests have been unearthed at several levels of the site. Each contains up to thirty four round eggs tightly clustered. Both eggs and dinosaur embryos⁵ have been examined.

Nest Building

The site not only gives us physical information, it shines some light on the behavior of these early dinosaurs. It confirms that even early dinosaurs built nests in groups, similar to colonial birds nesting today. Despite their menacing claws, Massospondylus mothers kept highly organized nests, suggesting that they may have arranged the eggs in their nest after laying them.

Nest locations within the strata⁶ indicate that the dinosaurs returned to the site year after year. This behavior is known as nesting fidelity⁷. Footprints around the nest are also giving us an idea about young dinosaur behavior. Hatchlings didn’t leave the nest site immediately, but stayed in the area until they were at least double their hatching size.

在过去的一百年里，人们发现了成吨的恐龙化石。这些埋藏已久的骨骼告诉我们恐龙的体格和饮食习惯。但要了解恐龙的生活和行为，你通常需要的不仅仅是骨骼。这就是为什么迄今为止发现的最早的恐龙巢穴放弃了九亿年前恐龙的秘密。

300磅恐龙

Massospondylus，其名字的意思是“更长的椎骨”，是一种四足杂食动物，身长13至20英尺，体重300磅。它的小脑袋栖息在长长的脖子上，前肢有锋利的拇指爪。

南非金门高地国家公园的一处考古遗址一直是科学家们的信息宝库。在该遗址的几个层面上发现了十个巢穴。每颗都含有多达34个紧密聚集的圆形蛋。鸡蛋和恐龙胚胎都被检查过。

鸟巢建筑

该网站不仅为我们提供了物理信息，还揭示了这些早期恐龙的行为。它证实，即使是早期的恐龙也会成群筑巢，类似于今天的殖民地鸟类筑巢。尽管它们的爪子很吓人，但大孢子虫的妈妈们仍保持着高度有序的巢，这表明它们可能是在产卵后将卵排在了巢中。

地层中的巢穴位置表明，恐龙年复一年地回到了这里。这种行为称为嵌套保真度。鸟巢周围的足迹也让我们了解了年轻恐龙的行为。雏鸟并没有立即离开巢址，而是一直呆在该区域，直到它们的孵化尺寸至少是它们的两倍。

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 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。

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》

4 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

5 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

6 strata   

n.地层（复数）；社会阶层

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。

7 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。