VOA慢速英语--华盛顿著名的博物馆迎来霸王龙

Famed Museum in Washington Welcomes T. Rex

The huge T.rex skeleton bends over a large triceratops lying on his side below. With its mouth open wide, the Tyrannosuarus rex looks ready to kill his prey¹ with a final massive bite to the triceratops’s neck.

The display can be found at the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Smithsonian system in Washington, D.C.

The museum has sought a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton for many years. Before, it used a model of one. But museum director Kirk Johnson says that was never good enough.

"It's been kind of deeply embarrassing to be the national museum and NOT have a T. rex," he said.

The T. rex display is now the centerpiece of the museum's newest show, the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils — Deep Time. It opens to the public June 8. For Johnson, it is almost impossible to overstate the power and appeal of dinosaurs³. Children are especially interested.

"Kids love dinosaurs in an almost pathological way," Johnson said, standing⁴ next to the remains⁵ of the top predator⁶ dinosaur².

The museum just missed out on buying a T. rex back in 1997, when an almost complete skeleton became available for sale. Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History won the purchase with a $7.6 million offer.

That T-rex is named Sue, after the fossil collector who found the bones in the American state of South Dakota. Officials at the Field Museum built a special area for the skeleton. It includes a gift store of all things Sue. The dinosaur even has her own Twitter account and a media presentation of her life story.

Kirk Johnson's team in Washington is clearly looking to build a similar image for their own T-rex.

The Smithsonian’s new dinosaur came from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. The skeleton is smaller and less complete than Sue.

The Army Corps⁷ of Engineers owned the bones, because they were discovered on land that the federal agency controls in Montana. In 2014, the Smithsonian negotiated a 50-year contract for control of the skeleton. The Smithsonian employed a team of experts in Canada to put the bones together.

The T. rex was 12 meters long and weighed at least 3,600 kilograms as an adult. Its remains now stand at the center of the new exhibition site, along with many other dinosaur skeletons. Among them are huge mastodons as well as prehistoric⁸ mammals the size of house cats.

The museum show seeks to tell the history of the planet and its wildlife. About three meters from the T. rex is a metal statue of the scientist Charles Darwin, looking thoughtful, with a bird on his shoulder.

In modern times, movies like "Jurassic Park" have helped grow dinosaur interest for a new generation of young fans. But such movies also represent the T. rex as a mostly huge, stupid and dangerous animal. Smaller velociraptors are presented as the true threat: quick, intelligent and vicious hunters in groups.

But the T. rex still holds power in the public imagination as the highest predator.

Johnson said scientists continue to learn new details about the lives and body systems of dinosaurs. Researchers recently found, for example, that the Tyrannosaurus rex had a second set of rib⁹ bones. They gave the animal a fuller appearance across the chest.

Johnson described the predator's body as "more like a boxer¹⁰ than a basketball player."

I’m Caty Weaver¹¹.

Words in This Story

prey - n.an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food?

display - n. an arrangement of objects intended to decorate, advertise, entertain, or inform people about something? an arrangement of objects intended to decorate, advertise, entertain, or inform people about something?

embarrassing - adj. a feeling of seeming foolish or ashamed

predator - n. an animal that lives by killing¹² and eating other animals : an animal that preys¹³ on other animals?

pathological - adj. extreme in a way that is not normal or that shows an illness or mental problem?

exhibition - n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at : a public show of something?

chest - n. the front part of the body between the neck and the stomach?

boxer - n. someone who participates in the sport of boxing

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

3 dinosaurs   

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 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 predator   

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。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 prehistoric   

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。

9 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

10 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

11 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 preys   

v.掠食( prey的第三人称单数 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• His misfortune preys upon his mind. 他的不幸使她心中苦恼。 来自辞典例句
• The owl preys on mice. 猫头鹰捕食老鼠。 来自辞典例句