Level 1 Reading 7B

Ch.14 Reading 7B

第14章 阅读7B

MYSTERY OF THE TERRIBLE HAND Whose hand is this? For 50 years, paleontologists searched for an answer to this question. In 1965, paleontologists discovered a pair of giant arms in Omnogovi, an area in Mongolia's Gobi Desert. The length of each arm was 2.4 meters. The claws were over 25 centimeters long. Paleontologists called the animal Deinocheirus (meaning "terrible hand"). What did the body of this animal look like? Paleontologists had different opinions, but no one knew for sure. They examined the area many times, but found only a few other fossils of the dinosaur. So scientists used Deinocheirus's arms to estimate its body size. Recently, however, a team of paleontologists dug up many more bones that tell us a lot about Deinocheirus's appearance. Deinocheirus was one of the ornithomimosaurs—a type of dinosaur that looked like a modern-day ostrich. It was 11 meters long and weighed 6,000 kilograms—almost as big as a T. rex! Deinocheirus was clearly very big, but it was not a predator. It couldn't move quickly, and, in fact, it had no teeth. Its head looked similar to a horse's head, and it had a long tail, perhaps with feathers at the end. Most surprisingly, though, Deinocheirus had a rounded hump or "sail" on its back. This dinosaur probably ate fish, small animals, and soft plants. Why did it need such long limbs? Paleontologists now believe that its long arms were used simply to dig for food or to pull down high branches. So the mystery of the terrible hand, it seems, has been solved. It is amazing to see what Deinocheirus actually looked like and to find out more about this giant dinosaur. But Darla Zelenitsky from the University of Calgary says it's "also sad in a way." Even scientists like a bit of mystery, and "that mystery is now gone."

可怕之手的奥秘 这是谁的手？ 50年来，古生物学家一直在寻找这个问题的答案。 1965年，古生物学家在蒙古戈壁沙漠的Omnogovi地区发现了一对巨大的手臂。 每条手臂的长度为2.4米。 爪子超过25厘米长。 古生物学家称这种动物为Deinocheirus（意为“可怕的手”）。 这种动物的身体是什么样子的？ 古生物学家有不同的看法，但没有人确切知道。 他们多次检查该地区，但只发现了其他几块恐龙化石。 因此，科学家们使用Deinocheirus的手臂来估计它的体型。 然而，最近，一个古生物学家团队挖掘出了更多的骨骼，这些骨骼告诉我们很多关于奇诺奇病毒外观的信息。 Deinocheirus是鸟臀目恐龙之一，这是一种看起来像现代鸵鸟的恐龙。 它长11米，重6000公斤，几乎和霸王龙一样大！ Deinochevirus显然很大，但它不是捕食者。 它不能快速移动，事实上，它没有牙齿。 它的头看起来像马的头，它有一条长长的尾巴，也许末端有羽毛。 然而，最令人惊讶的是，Deinocheirus的背部有一个圆形的驼峰或“帆”。 这种恐龙可能吃鱼、小动物和柔软的植物。 为什么它需要这么长的四肢？ 古生物学家现在认为，它的长臂只是用来挖掘食物或拉下高高的树枝。 所以，这只可怕的手的谜团似乎已经解开了。 看到Deinocheirus的真实样子，并了解更多关于这种巨型恐龙的信息，真是太神奇了。 但卡尔加里大学的Darla Zelenitsky表示，这“在某种程度上也令人难过” 即使是科学家也喜欢一点神秘感，“那个神秘感现在已经消失了。”

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