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史前“魔鬼蛙” 专吃小恐龙
添加时间:2014-07-24 09:29:55 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Most frogs prefer a diet of flies, snails1 and - if they're feeling adventurous2 - an occasional minnow.

    But if you weigh 10lb and resemble a squashed beach ball, it's not surprising if your appetite stretches to something more filling.

    According to fossil experts, the Beelzebufo frog, newly-discovered on the island of Madagascar, dined on baby dinosaurs3.

    Beelzebufo - or "frog from hell" - terrorised prehistoric4 Earth during the dying days of the dinosaurs more than 70 million years ago.

    At 16in long, it was twice the size of the largest frogs alive today and one of the largest ever discovered.

    Professor Susan Evans, of University College London, who identified it, said: "This frog is a relative of today's horned toads5.

    "If it shared their aggressive temperament6, it would have been a formidable predator7 on small animals. It might even have eaten hatchling or juvenile8 dinosaurs."

    The discovery of the frog, reported Tuesday in the journal Proceedings9 of the National Academy of Science, is forcing fossil experts to think again about how the continents used to be connected.

    Madagascar split from Africa around 160 million years ago but remained connected to India, South America, Antarctica and Australia.

    It was thought that Madagascar and India broke away from the other continents around 120 million years ago, while Madagascar went its own way around 88 million years ago.

    However, the giant frog finding suggests that a land bridge between Madagascar and South America remained until late into the dinosaur age

     11级    英文科普 


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    1 snails [sneɪls] 23436a8a3f6bf9f3c4a9f6db000bb173   第8级
    n.蜗牛;迟钝的人;蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    2 adventurous [ədˈventʃərəs] LKryn   第9级
    adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 
    参考例句:
    • I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle. 我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
    • He was predestined to lead an adventurous life. 他注定要过冒险的生活。
    3 dinosaurs ['daɪnəsɔ:z] 87f9c39b9e3f358174d58a584c2727b4   第7级
    n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 );守旧落伍的人,过时落后的东西
    参考例句:
    • The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    4 prehistoric [ˌpri:hɪˈstɒrɪk] sPVxQ   第8级
    adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的
    参考例句:
    • They have found prehistoric remains. 他们发现了史前遗迹。
    • It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. 这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。
    5 toads [təudz] 848d4ebf1875eac88fe0765c59ce57d1   第8级
    n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • All toads blink when they swallow. 所有的癞蛤蟆吞食东西时都会眨眼皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Toads have shorter legs and are generally more clumsy than frogs. 蟾蜍比青蛙脚短,一般说来没有青蛙灵活。 来自辞典例句
    6 temperament [ˈtemprəmənt] 7INzf   第7级
    n.气质,性格,性情
    参考例句:
    • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital. 分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
    • Success often depends on temperament. 成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
    7 predator [ˈpredətə(r)] 11vza   第9级
    n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者
    参考例句:
    • The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species. 本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
    • Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator. 科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴,它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。
    8 juvenile [ˈdʒu:vənaɪl] OkEy2   第8级
    n.青少年,少年读物;adj.青少年的,幼稚的
    参考例句:
    • For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner. 身为成年人,他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
    • Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate. 青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。
    9 proceedings [prə'si:diŋz] Wk2zvX   第7级
    n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
    参考例句:
    • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
    • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

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