英语听力：探索发现 2012-06-06 恐龙是怎样的炼成的—8

 Back in Los Angeles, Luis’s team are working on the bones that were dug up in Utah. The next step in turning them into an exhibition is to work out exactly what they are. 

 

And this is where the fossil bones end up, and here the preparateurs continue the process of excavation¹, this time using delicate tools and cleaning away the last of the hard sediment², revealing the bone itself. It’s here in the dino lab that the dinosaurs⁴ really start to come back to life. 

 

So Luis, is this one of the specimens⁵ from Utah?

 

Yes, it is.

 

It looks like it’s taking ages to extract this from the stony⁶ matrix that these bones built around it. 

 

Well, Erica’s been working on this bone for several weeks. It will definitely take years for the entire skeleton to be prepared to be cleaned up. 

 

Do you have an idea at the moment what species of dinosaur³ this might be from?

 

Not entirely⁷ in terms of the species, but we know it’s a camarasaurus. 

 

Camarasaurus were a family of long-necked dinosaurs. We currently know 4 different species of them. But Luis is hopeful that he might have found a fifth. 

 

So what features will you be looking at as their bones are cleaned up to help you refine your identification?

 

Well, you’ll be looking at the shape of the centrum here, the configuration⁸ of the different processes, the structs, these pines of the vertebrate. They are in general very diagnostic. They’re very telling.

 

You must have to be an amazing anatomist. So you must have to know the anatomy⁹ of so many different dinosaurs to be able to work out what it is you’re looking at. 

 

Yes, but sometimes it’s difficult. For example, here, we have two bones of one dinosaur. Can you figure out what they are?

 

Well, I’m a human anatomist, so this is stretching my expertise¹⁰ so more as to identify dinosaur bones. 

 

And these ones are not very well preserved, I’m sorry. 

1 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

2 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

3 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。

4 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》

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 stony   

adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的

参考例句：

• The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
• He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 configuration   

n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置

参考例句：

• Geographers study the configuration of the mountains.地理学家研究山脉的地形轮廓。
• Prices range from $119 to $199,depending on the particular configuration.价格因具体配置而异，从119美元至199美元不等。

9 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

10 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。