考古學傢們在英格蘭多塞特郡侏羅紀海岸的懸崖上發現瞭一隻巨型海洋古生物的頭骨化石。
The two-metre-long skull of the pliosaur is exquisitely preserved. Its crocodile-like snout is filled with dozens of razor-sharp teeth, and huge holes in its jaws would have been packed out with muscle, giving it an incredibly powerful bite.
這隻上龍的頭骨化石長兩米，保存得極為完好。它形似鱷魚的口鼻上長滿瞭幾十顆鋒利的牙齒，頜骨間的大洞裡曾長滿瞭肌肉，這給瞭它極其強大的咬合力。
Growing to more than twelve metres, about the same length as a double decker bus, this Jurassic beast would have terrorised the oceans, even feasting on other pliosaurs.
身長超過12米，相當於一輛雙層巴士的長度，這隻侏羅紀野獸曾在海洋裡橫行霸道，甚至以其它上龍為食。
The fossil was unearthed from the dark clays of Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset. Its excavation from a crumbling cliff face was followed by a AYYBLOG team for a documentary with Sir David Attenborough.
這塊頭骨化石從英格蘭多塞特郡金默裡奇灣的深色黏土中被取出。與大衛·愛登堡爵士一起合作拍攝相關題材紀錄片的英國廣播公司攝制組記錄瞭這次在搖搖欲墜的懸崖表面上開展的挖掘工作。
But there may be more of this sea monster to come. The pliosaur’s body is still thought to be embedded in the rock. The hope is that in time the rest of its skeleton will also be recovered.
未來可能還會有更多這隻海洋怪獸的化石被人發現。因為人們認為這隻上龍的身體還埋在巖石中，所以希望它的其餘骨骼化石也能在不久的未來被找到。
詞匯表
exquisitely 極度地，精美完好地
snout （一些動物突出的）口鼻部
packed out 長滿瞭
terrorised （曾經）橫行霸道
unearthed 被取出
crumbling 搖搖欲墜的
embedded 嵌入…之中的
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。
1. Which other animal’s mouth and nose are similar to that of the pliosaur?
2. What would have made the pliosaur’s jaws so powerful?
3. What is one thing that the article says that pliosaurs ate?
4. True or False? Experts think they have found the whole skeleton.
答案
1. Which other animal’s mouth and nose are similar to that of the pliosaur?
A crocodile. The pliosaur had a crocodile-like snout.
2. What would have made the pliosaur’s jaws so powerful?
The pliosaur‘s jaws were packed with muscle.
3. What is one thing that the article says that pliosaurs ate?
The article says they even ate other pliosaurs.
4. True or False? Experts think they have found the whole skeleton.
False. The pliosaur‘s body is thought to be embedded in the rock.
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