Why we love dinosaurs

精彩導(dǎo)讀

電影《侏羅紀(jì)世界2》的熱映再次掀起了一股恐龍熱，多年來，影視劇中的恐龍主題經(jīng)久不衰。那么，為什么我們會(huì)對(duì)這一滅絕已久的遠(yuǎn)古生物如此著迷呢？

It's no secret that kids love dinosaurs.Many of them have even gone through what's called a“dinosaur phase”—a period of time when they can't stop talking about dinosaurs，can't sleep without hearing a dinosaur bedtime story，and use a backpack with a dinosaur pattern on it.

Adults may have long grown out of their“dinosaur phase”， but somehow the appeal is still there.

The proof is in the success of Steven Spieberg's 1993 film Jurassic Park，and every following installment（續(xù)集）of the series.And in Jurassic World：Fallen Kingdom，which was released （發(fā)行）in Chinese mainland cinemas，these ancient beasts are taking over the modern world once again.

眾所周知，孩子們都喜歡恐龍。許多孩子甚至經(jīng)歷了所謂的“恐龍時(shí)期”——在一段時(shí)間里，他們?nèi)湓挷浑x恐龍，不聽恐龍故事就睡不著覺，還要背上帶有恐龍圖案的背包。

成年人可能早已脫離了他們的“恐龍時(shí)期”，但不知何故，這種吸引力仍然存在。

1993年由史蒂文·斯皮伯格執(zhí)導(dǎo)的電影《侏羅紀(jì)公園》以及后來的每一部續(xù)集都大獲成功，就是最好的證明。在中國大陸影院上映的 《侏羅紀(jì)世界2：失落帝國》中，這些古老的野獸再次席卷了現(xiàn)代世界。

National Geographic has an explanation behind the animal's popularity：Dinosaurs are“where science and imagination meet”，which is probably what makes them so appealing to kids and adults alike.

Dinosaurs are often compared to dragons，but are seen as cooler because they're real.The huge skeletons（骨 骼 ）in museums prove their existence millions of years ago on the same Earth that we now live on.Meanwhile，new discoveries have been made in different parts of the world that open up a bigger picture of these ancient species.And how they went extinct（滅絕的）is also a popular subject of scientific studies.

However，we still seem to know so little about dinosaurs，and have torely onour imaginationwhen it comes toquestions like “How did they live？ ”， “What did their sound like？” and “How fast could they run？”.It's this sense of mystery that adds to dinosaurs'attraction compared to other fierce animals like lions and tigers—animals that can easily be seen in today's zoos.

But there's more to this dinosaur appeal.

According toGuardian reporter Brian Switek，humans are fascinated（著迷的）by dinosaurs not just because we're interested in their history，but also because we're trying to have a better understanding of human history.

“Dinosaurs can be Hollywood monsters （怪物），objects of scientific fascination and everything in between， but at the root of it， our fascination with them stems from（來源于）our desire to know more about the prehistory we share，” he wrote.

“The dinosaur story is part of our own.”

《國家地理》對(duì)這種動(dòng)物的流行有一個(gè)解釋：恐龍?zhí)幵凇翱茖W(xué)和想象的交匯處”，這可能是它們對(duì)于男女老少都極具吸引力的原因。

恐龍經(jīng)常被比作龍，但人們覺得恐龍更酷，因?yàn)樗鼈冊(cè)?jīng)真實(shí)存在。博物館里的巨大骨骼證明了它們?cè)跀?shù)百萬年前存在于我們現(xiàn)在生活的地球上。與此同時(shí)，世界各地都有了新的發(fā)現(xiàn)，為這些古老物種開辟了更廣闊的圖景。它們是如何滅絕的，也是科學(xué)研究的熱門課題。

然而，我們似乎仍然對(duì)恐龍知之甚少，在面對(duì)諸如“它們?nèi)绾紊?？”“它們的叫聲是什么樣的”以及“它們能跑多快？”等問題上，我們不得不依靠我們的想象力。相比獅子和老虎等其他在現(xiàn)在的動(dòng)物園里輕易可見的猛獸，正是這種神秘感增添了恐龍的吸引力。

但恐龍的吸引力遠(yuǎn)不止于此。

據(jù)衛(wèi)報(bào)記者Brian Switek報(bào)道，人類對(duì)恐龍著迷的原因不僅僅是因?yàn)槲覀儗?duì)恐龍的歷史感興趣，還因?yàn)槲覀冊(cè)噲D更好地理解人類歷史。

他寫道：“恐龍可能是好萊塢的怪物、科幻魅力的主題或者居于兩者之間，但究其根源，我們對(duì)恐龍的著迷源于想更多地了解關(guān)于我們與恐龍共享的史前時(shí)代?！?/p>

“恐龍的故事也是我們自己的故事的一部分?！?/p>

Language study

Vocabulary

1.meanwhile adv.同時(shí)

2.take over接任；接管

3.sth appeal to sb某物對(duì)某人有吸引力

4.rely on依靠；依賴

5.When it comes to...當(dāng)提到 /談到……

6.sense of mystery神秘感

7.add to增加

8.compare...to...把……比作……

9.according to根據(jù)

Difficult sentences

1.It's no secret that kids love dinosaurs.眾所周知，孩子們都喜歡恐龍。

【點(diǎn)石成金】句子含有句型It's no secret that...表示“眾所周知”，It是形式主語，真正主語是that引導(dǎo)的從句，此處that引導(dǎo)的是主語從句。

句式仿寫

眾所周知，動(dòng)畫片很受兒童歡迎。

2.Dinosaurs are “where science and imagination meet”， which is probably what makes them so appealing to kids and adults alike.恐龍?zhí)幵凇翱茖W(xué)和想象的交匯處”，這可能是它們對(duì)于男女老少都極具吸引力的原因。

【點(diǎn)石成金】句子含有三個(gè)復(fù)合句，where引導(dǎo)的是表語從句；which引導(dǎo)的是非限制性定語從句，在定語從句中作主語；what引導(dǎo)表語從句，在從句中做主語，appealing是v-ing形式作make的賓語補(bǔ)足語，相當(dāng)于形容詞。

句式仿寫

恐怖片 （horrible movie）就是我想要的，這與你的需求不一樣。 （用上what引導(dǎo)的表語從句，which引導(dǎo)的非限制性定語從句）

3.It's this sense of mystery that adds to dinosaurs'attraction compared to other fierce animals like lions and tigers—animals that can easily be seen in today's zoos.相比獅子和老虎等其他在現(xiàn)在的動(dòng)物園里輕易可見的猛獸，正是這種神秘感增添了恐龍的吸引力。

【點(diǎn)石成金】句子含有特殊句型——強(qiáng)調(diào)句：It is...that...，翻譯成 “正是……”；that引導(dǎo)定語從句，修飾名詞animals.

句式仿寫

正是這種榮譽(yù)感使她比以往更努力學(xué)習(xí)。Critical reading

In this passage，the author tells us some reasons why we love dinosaurs.What are they？What is your opinion of the reasons.Please share your opinion with your classmates.