1 Journey to the Jurassic

Chapter One JOURNEY TO THE JURASSIC Tamiko shuffled along the beach on her hands and knees. The sharp pebbles dug into her skin, but she hardly noticed. She was focused on her favourite thing – hunting for fossils! There were millions of them mixed in with the sand and seaweed of Nemuro beach, where she lived in Japan. But spotting them was hard, and you had to concentrate.

多美子用手和膝盖在沙滩上拖着脚步。 锋利的鹅卵石扎进了她的皮肤，但她几乎没有注意到。 她专注于她最喜欢的事情——寻找化石！在她居住的日本Nemuro海滩上，有数百万只海龟混杂在沙滩和海藻中。 但发现它们很难，你必须集中注意力。

Tamiko sifted through the sand with her fingers. The sharp edge of a stone caught her eye. "Ha!" she said. Tamiko lifted the stone from its sandy bed and brushed it clean. It was an ammonite fossil! She'd known as soon as she saw its spiral shell. Ammonites were sea creatures that had lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. They were related to the octopus and squid that swam in the seas today.

多美子用手指在沙子里筛着。 一块石头的锋利边缘引起了她的注意。 “哈！”她说。多美子把石头从沙床上拿起来，刷干净了。 这是一块鹦鹉螺化石！她一看到它螺旋形的外壳就知道了。 菊石是和恐龙生活在同一时期的海洋生物。 它们与今天在海里游泳的章鱼和鱿鱼有亲缘关系。

The ammonite nestled in Tamiko's hand had once been alive, but over millions of years its remains had turned into stone. Tamiko couldn't wait to study her new treasure. She put the ammonite in her pocket and strolled home, passing tourists who'd come to see the small beachside town. She paused outside her favourite shop and gazed through the large window. Inside was a glittering display of crystals and semi-precious stones. The shop had fossils for sale, too, which were kept in a case at the back. But something else caught her eye. On the shop door was a glowing compass symbol! A thrill ran through Tamiko. Her hand went to the matching compass badge

田子手里的鹦鹉螺曾经是活的，但经过数百万年的时间，它的残骸变成了石头。 多美子迫不及待地想研究她的新宝藏。 她把菊石放在口袋里，漫步回家，与前来参观这个海滨小镇的游客擦肩而过。 她在她最喜欢的商店外面停了下来，凝视着那扇大窗户。 里面陈列着闪闪发光的水晶和半宝石。 这家商店也有化石出售，它们被保存在后面的一个盒子里。 但另一件事引起了她的注意。 商店门上有一个发光的指南针符号！多美子一阵激动。 她的手伸向与之匹配的罗盘徽章

on her T-shirt. The compass was the symbol for the Secret Explorers. "Looks like we've got a new mission!" she said. Taking a deep breath, Tamiko opened the shop door. But instead of the usual glass cases full of crystals and fossils, Tamiko walked into a dazzling white light. A strong wind whipped her short black hair around her head. She felt as if she was flying – and then the light faded.

在她的t恤上。指南针是秘密探险者的标志。 “看来我们有新任务了！”她说。 多美子深吸了一口气，打开了店门。 但是，与通常装满水晶和化石的玻璃柜不同，多美子走进了一片耀眼的白光。 一阵强风把她乌黑的短发卷在头上。 她觉得自己好像在飞——然后那光就消失了。

Spots were dancing in her eyes and Tamiko blinked them away. She was back in the Exploration Station! She grinned with delight as she took in the familiar room. It had rows of humming computer screens set into the black stone walls. There were display cases here too, just like the ones in the Nemuro fossil shop. They were full of meteorites, shells and other finds from previous missions. The domed ceiling had a huge picture of the stars and planets of Milky Way, and on the floor was a huge map of the world. Tamiko was the first to arrive. "Tamiko – reporting for duty!" she said aloud to the Exploration Station, before settling down in one of the comfy chairs. It wasn't long before the

她的眼睛里有斑点，多美子眨着眼睛把它们赶走了。 她回到了探索站！当她走进熟悉的房间时，她高兴地笑了。 黑色的石墙上嵌着一排排嗡嗡作响的电脑屏幕。 这里也有展示柜，就像Nemuro化石店里的一样。 它们装满了陨石、贝壳和其他从以前的任务中发现的东西。 圆顶的天花板上有一幅巨大的银河系恒星和行星的图画，地板上是一幅巨大的世界地图。 多美子是第一个到达的。 “多美子，来报到了！”她大声对探测站说，然后在一张舒适的椅子上坐了下来。 没过多久