科学家们在蒙古国一家博物馆的馆藏中发现了一个新的恐龙物种。他们表示这一发现或 “改写” 暴龙属的进化史。研究人员分析认为，他们研究的两具 8600 万年前的骨骼化石属于一个新物种，这一物种是目前发现的最接近于整个暴龙属祖先的物种。暴龙属都是掠食性恐龙，其中包括标志性的霸王龙。

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.

这个新物种被命名为 “蒙古汗库鲁龙”，意思是 “蒙古龙王子”。卡尔加里大学的科学家们表示，这一物种为我们打开了一扇了解暴龙属是如何进化成为强大捕食者的窗口，它们曾统治着北美和亚洲大陆直至恐龙时代结束。

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.

虽然最著名的暴龙属是巨大的霸王龙，但化石显示出暴龙超科中最早的成员实际上体型很小，它们是迅捷的猎手，会用轻快的步伐追捕老鼠大小的猎物。

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.

但这个新发现的、马匹大小的恐龙代表了生物进化中一次重要的转折。这具 8600 万年前的骨骼还显示了许多处于早期进化阶段的特征，这些特征是暴龙属作为顶级捕食者称霸的关键，其中包括修长的后肢和强有力的下颚。

词汇表

a window into 一个了解…的窗口
tyrannosaurus 暴龙属
predators 捕食性动物
reign 鼎盛时期
T. rex 霸王龙
fleet-footed 行动迅捷的
scampered 轻快地奔跑
evolutionary 进化的
domination 统治，主宰
apex predators 顶级捕食者
hind limbs 后肢

听力练习

一、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

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、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

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、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

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、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

1. b. The newly discovered species evolved into the T. rex.

二、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

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、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

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.