-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Don:Hey, Yale. Would you rather be bitten by a saber-toothed tiger or a modern day tiger?
唐:嘿,雅艾尔。你宁愿被剑齿虎咬还是被现代的老虎咬?
Yael:Neither, of course. But if I have to pick, I supposed I choose the modern tiger. Since the saber-toothed tiger massive fangs1.
雅艾尔:都不愿意。如果一定要选的话,我情愿选现代的老虎。因为剑齿虎长有巨大的獠牙。
13.jpg
Don:Well, you may be surprised to learn that paleontologists now think that despite their huge, fearsome looking canine2 teeth, the prehistoric3 American sabercat, Smilodon fatalis, had a bite force only about one-third as strong as modern big cats.
唐:不过,古生物学家认为除了巨大的、长相可怕的犬齿之外,美国史前剑齿虎 Smilodon fatalis 的咬合力只有现代大猫的三分之一,知道这一点你可能会觉得很惊讶。
Yael:How can they told that from fossilized bones?
雅艾尔:他们是如何根据骨头化石得知咬合力的?
Don:They used very fine CT scans of the skull4, jaw5 and neck bones to create a highly detailed6 3 D computer model. Then using careful analysis of the size and placement of muscle attachment7 points and mathematical modeling they were able to calculate the power of the jaw muscles and the bite force of the now extinct sabercats. This was the most detailed computer model ever created for a vertebrate.
唐:他们用精密的CT扫描仪扫描头骨,颚和颈椎骨,用来建立一个高度精确的3D电脑模型。然后仔细分析肌肉附着点的尺寸和位置,利用这些数据进行数学建模,这样他们才能够计算出目前已经灭绝的剑齿虎的颚肌的力量和咬合力。这是人们迄今建立的最精确的脊椎动物电脑模型。
Yael:Neat! So if they had such a wimpy8 bite, what's with the huge fangs?
雅艾尔:做得好!那么如果它们的咬合力小,那么这些獠牙还有何用?
Don:The function of the sabercat's eight inch teeth is one of the longest running debates in paleontology. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the sabercats brought down and subdued10 large prey11, like mammoths, with their strong forelimbs. Once the prey was safely restrained on the ground, sabercats used their large fangs to pierce through the thick hide on the neck of their quarry12. In contrast, modern day big cats use their more powerful jaws13 to bite the neck of their prey for an extended period to subdue9 them by asphyxiation14.
唐:剑齿虎的门牙有八英尺长,至于它的作用至今仍是古生物学届最持久的争议话题之一。这项研究的结果支持这种假说:剑齿虎使用强壮的前肢扑倒和制服像猛犸象这样的大型猎物。一旦猎物被彻底制服在地上,剑齿虎便用它那巨大的獠牙刺穿猎物脖子上的厚皮。相反,现代的大猫则利用更锋利的颚来长时间咬住猎物的脖子,直到它们窒息而亡。
Yael:Yikes!I think I'll pass on being bitten by either a sabercat or a modern day tiger.
雅艾尔:呀!我想在剑齿虎或者现代老虎咬我的时候,我就会不行了。
Don:Wise choice.
唐:明智的选择。
1 fangs | |
n.(尤指狗和狼的)长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 );(蛇的)毒牙;罐座 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 canine | |
adj.犬的,犬科的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 prehistoric | |
adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 jaw | |
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 detailed | |
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 attachment | |
n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 wimpy | |
adj.懦弱的,无用的,哭哭啼啼的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 subdue | |
vt.制服,使顺从,征服;抑制,克制 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 quarry | |
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 jaws | |
n.口部;嘴 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 asphyxiation | |
n. 窒息 | |
参考例句: |
|
|