科學傢們在蒙古國一傢博物館的館藏中發現瞭一個新的恐龍物種。他們表示這一發現或 “改寫” 暴龍屬的進化史。研究人員分析認為，他們研究的兩具 8600 萬年前的骨骼化石屬於一個新物種，這一物種是目前發現的最接近於整個暴龍屬祖先的物種。暴龍屬都是掠食性恐龍，其中包括標志性的霸王龍。
It’s been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which means ‘Dragon Prince of Mongolia’, and the University of Calgary scientists say that this species is a window into how tyrannosaurus evolved to become the powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.
這個新物種被命名為 “蒙古汗庫魯龍”，意思是 “蒙古龍王子”。卡爾加裡大學的科學傢們表示，這一物種為我們打開瞭一扇瞭解暴龍屬是如何進化成為強大捕食者的窗口，它們曾統治著北美和亞洲大陸直至恐龍時代結束。
While the most famous tyrannosaur is the giant T. rex, fossils show that the earliest animals in this superfamily of dinosaurs were actually very small – fleet–footed hunters that scampered after rat-sized prey.
雖然最著名的暴龍屬是巨大的霸王龍，但化石顯示出暴龍超科中最早的成員實際上體型很小，它們是迅捷的獵手，會用輕快的步伐追捕老鼠大小的獵物。
But this newly identified horse-sized dinosaur represents an important evolutionary shift. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators, including long hind limbs and powerful jaws.
但這個新發現的、馬匹大小的恐龍代表瞭生物進化中一次重要的轉折。這具 8600 萬年前的骨骼還顯示瞭許多處於早期進化階段的特征，這些特征是暴龍屬作為頂級捕食者稱霸的關鍵，其中包括修長的後肢和強有力的下顎。
詞匯表
a window into 一個瞭解…的窗口
tyrannosaurus 暴龍屬
predators 捕食性動物
reign 鼎盛時期
T. rex 霸王龍
fleet-footed 行動迅捷的
scampered 輕快地奔跑
evolutionary 進化的
domination 統治，主宰
apex predators 頂級捕食者
hind limbs 後肢
聽力練習
一、聽第一遍音頻，回答問題。
1. The newly discovered species…
a. evolved after the extinction of T. rex.
b. evolved into the T. rex.
c. lived alongside the T. rex.
二、用一分鐘閱讀下列問題，然後聽第二遍音頻並回答問題。
1. Scientists can now learn more about…
a. the evolution of the tyrannosaurus.
b. why the tyrannosaurus was such a powerful predator.
c. exactly where the tyrannosaurus lived.
2. The T. rex used to eat rat-sized prey.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
3. The Khankhuuluu mongoliensis was a similar size to a horse.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
4. The skeleton shows early evolutionary stages that…
a. were essential to the dinosaur’s domination.
b. may indicate why these dinosaurs were predators.
c. changed dramatically in a short space of time.
三、聽第三遍音頻，將句子補充完整。（提示：可以反復聽，直到聽清楚每一個詞）
1. The earliest animals in this superfamily of dinosaurs _______________ very small.
2. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that _______________ tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators.
答案
一、聽第一遍音頻，回答問題。
1. b. The newly discovered species evolved into the T. rex.
二、用一分鐘閱讀下列問題，然後聽第二遍音頻並回答問題。
1. a. University of Calgary scientists say that this species is a window into how tyrannosaurus evolved.
2. c. Not given. The food a T. rex ate isn’t mentioned. Fossils show that the earliest animals in this super family of dinosaurs were actually very small – fleet-footed hunters that scampered after rat-sized prey.
3. a. True. But this newly identified horse-sized dinosaur represents an important evolutionary shift.
4. a. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators, including long hind limbs and powerful jaws.
三、聽第三遍音頻，將句子補充完整。（提示：可以反復聽，直到聽清楚每一個詞）
1. The earliest animals in this superfamily of dinosaurs were actually very small.
2. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators.
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