文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）
作者：Unknown
原文标题：Dinosaurs were big. Blue whales are bigger. Perucetus colossus might have been bigger still
原文发布时间：3 Aug. 2023
Dinosaurs were big. Blue whales are bigger. Perucetus colossus might have been bigger still
One reason dinosaurs are so popular with schoolchildren is that many of them are so extraordinarily big. Tyrannosaurus rex, a meat-eater, was up to 12 metres long—about half the length of a tennis court—and is thought to have weighed up to 7 tonnes. Some of the herbivorous dinosaurs were bigger still: Patagotitan mayorum, discovered in 2014, was 37m long and may have weighed 69 tonnes.
But the true giants do not live on land, where the pull of gravity imposes limits on how heavy an animal can grow. They live in the sea, where their enormous bodies can be supported by the water. The most massive animal to have ever lived is still swimming around today. The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, regularly tips the scales at over 100 tonnes. Some estimates have pegged individuals at 190 tonnes.
But now, it seems, the blue whale has a challenger. On August 2nd, in a paper published in Nature, Giovanni Bianucci, a palaeontologist at the University of Pisa, and his colleagues describe Perucetus colossus, an extinct marine mammal that swam the ocean shallows around 40m years ago. It may have weighed up to 340 tonnes, making it by far the most massive animal ever to have existed. Or at least, that is the upper estimate. Dr Bianucci and his team, working in the Ica Valley, an arid desert in southern Peru, were able to recover only an incomplete skeleton, consisting of 13 vertebrae and four ribs.
恐龙很大。蓝鲸更大。巨鲸可能更大
精听党背景导读
据美国福克斯新闻网报道，科学家称，世界上有史以来最重的动物可能是最近在秘鲁发现的一头古代巨鲸。科学家们一直在秘鲁的伊卡沙漠中挖掘这个“秘鲁巨鲸”的化石，在过去的十年里，这个地区一度被淹没在水下。科学家们将这一发现发表在了8月2日星期三出版的《自然》杂志上。在这篇题为《一头重量级的古代鲸鱼突破了脊椎动物形态的界限》的文章中，研究人员计算出这个古代鲸鱼的体重大概在94到375吨之间，它的身长大概有20多米。
文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）作者：Unknown原文标题：Dinosaurs were big. Blue whales are bigger. Perucetus colossus might have been bigger still原文发布时间：3 Aug. 2023关键词：巨型动物 海洋 灭绝
精听党带着问题听
1.“重力的作用”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解段二中的“tip the scales”？3. 文中说巨鲸可能重达多少吨？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
Dinosaurs were big. Blue whales are bigger. Perucetus colossus might have been bigger still
恐龙很大。蓝鲸更大。巨鲸可能更大
dinosaur n. 恐龙；
blue whale 蓝鲸；
Perucetus colossus 巨鲸；巨大的秘鲁鲸（来自秘鲁的巨鲸）；
still adv. （加强比较级）还要，更；1. Despite facing numerous challenges, she still pursued her dreams with unwavering determination. 尽管面临诸多挑战，她仍坚定地追求着自己的梦想。
段一
One reason dinosaurs are so popular with schoolchildren is that many of them are so extraordinarily big. Tyrannosaurus rex, a meat-eater, was up to 12 metres long—about half the length of a tennis court—and is thought to have weighed up to 7 tonnes. Some of the herbivorous dinosaurs were bigger still: Patagotitan mayorum, discovered in 2014, was 37m long and may have weighed 69 tonnes.
schoolchild n. 小学生；学童；
extraordinarily adv. 非常地，异常地，出奇地；1. Her artistic talent was extraordinarily impressive, leaving everyone in awe. 她的艺术天赋非常令人印象深刻，让每个人都感到惊叹。2. The team worked extraordinarily hard to meet the tight deadline for the project. 为了在紧迫的最后期限前完成这个项目，这个团队工作非常努力。
Tyrannosaurus rex 雷克斯霸王龙（恐龙名称）；
weigh up to 达到（某重量）；重达；1. The cargo plane can weigh up to 150 tons when fully loaded. 货机装载满货物时可能达到150吨。
herbivorous adj. 食草的；
Patagotitan mayorum 巨型巴塔哥尼亚龙；梅氏巴塔哥巨龙；
参考译文
恐龙如此受小学生欢迎的原因之一是它们中的许多都非常大。雷克斯霸王龙是一种食肉动物，体长可达12米，大约是网球场长度的一半，据说体重可达7吨。一些食草恐龙的体型更大：2014年发现的巨型巴塔哥尼亚龙（Patagotitan mayorum）长37米，体重可能达到了69吨。
段二
But the true giants do not live on land, where the pull of gravity imposes limits on how heavy an animal can grow. They live in the sea, where their enormous bodies can be supported by the water. The most massive animal to have ever lived is still swimming around today. The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, regularly tips the scales at over 100 tonnes. Some estimates have pegged individuals at 190 tonnes.
pull of gravity 重力的作用；引力作用；1. The astronauts experienced a reduced pull of gravity in space, allowing them to float effortlessly. 宇航员在太空中感受到的地心引力减弱，使他们可以毫不费力地漂浮起来。
impose…on 将…强加于；1. The government decided to impose stricter regulations on pollution to protect the environment. 政府决定对污染实施更严格的规定以保护环境。2. The teacher can impose a penalty on students who violate the classroom rules. 老师可以对违反课堂规则的学生进行惩罚。
Balaenoptera musculus 蓝鲸；
参考译文
但真正的巨型生物并不生活在陆地上，因为陆地上的重力限制了动物生长的重量。它们生活在海洋中，巨大的身体可以由海水支撑。有史以来最巨大的动物至今仍在游动。蓝鲸（Balaenoptera musculus）的体重通常超过100吨。据估计，一些蓝鲸的体重达到190吨。
段三
But now, it seems, the blue whale has a challenger. On August 2nd, in a paper published in Nature, Giovanni Bianucci, a palaeontologist at the University of Pisa, and his colleagues describe Perucetus colossus, an extinct marine mammal that swam the ocean shallows around 40m years ago. It may have weighed up to 340 tonnes, making it by far the most massive animal ever to have existed. Or at least, that is the upper estimate. Dr Bianucci and his team, working in the Ica Valley, an arid desert in southern Peru, were able to recover only an incomplete skeleton, consisting of 13 vertebrae and four ribs.
challenger n. 挑战者；
palaeontologist n. 古生物学家；
extinct adj. 灭绝的；
marine adj. 海洋的，海生的；1. The marine ecosystem is incredibly diverse, ranging from coral reefs to deep-sea trenches.海洋生态系统非常多样化，从珊瑚礁到深海沟都有。
mammal n. 哺乳动物；1. Dolphins are highly intelligent and social mammals that inhabit oceans and interact with humans. 海豚是一种高智商的社会性哺乳动物，栖息在海洋中，与人类互动。
ocean shallows 海洋浅滩，海洋浅水区；1. Many marine creatures inhabit the ocean shallows, where sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis. 许多海洋生物生活在海洋浅滩，在那里阳光可以穿透并支持光合作用。
by far 到目前为止；
massive animal 巨大的动物；1. The dinosaurs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago were also massive animals compared to most modern species. 与大多数现代物种相比，数百万年前漫游在地球上的恐龙也是巨大的动物。
upper estimate 上限估计，最大估计；
arid desert 干旱的沙漠；1. Many cacti and other drought-resistant plants thrive in arid deserts. 许多仙人掌和其他耐旱植物在干旱沙漠中繁荣生长。
recover vt. 恢复，康复，重新获得；1. The economy is expected to recover gradually after the recent recession. 经济预计在最近的经济衰退后逐渐恢复。
vertebra n. 脊椎骨；1. The human spine typically consists of 33 individual vertebrae. 人类脊柱通常由33块独立的脊椎骨组成。
rib n. 肋骨，肋条；1. The chef carefully seasoned and grilled the pork ribs until they were tender and flavorful. 厨师仔细地调味，把排骨烤得又嫩又香。
参考译文
但现在，蓝鲸似乎有了挑战者。8月2日，比萨大学的古生物学家乔瓦尼-比亚努奇和他的同事在《自然》杂志上发表了一篇论文，描述了一种已经灭绝的海洋哺乳动物—巨鲸（Perucetus colossus），大约生活在40万年前海洋浅水区。它可能重达340吨，是迄今为止最巨大的动物。或者说，至少这是上限估计。比亚努奇博士和他的团队在秘鲁南部的干旱沙漠——伊卡谷工作时，只能找到一具不完整的骨骼，包括13块脊椎骨和4块肋骨。
精听党每日单词
dinosaur
/ˈdaɪnəˌsɔr/ n. 恐龙；
blue whale
蓝鲸；
Perucetus colossus
巨鲸；巨大的秘鲁鲸（来自秘鲁的巨鲸）；
still
/stɪl/ adv. （加强比较级）还要，更；
schoolchild
/ˈskuːltʃaɪld/ n. 小学生；学童；
extraordinarily
/ɪkˌstrɔːrdəˈnerəli/ adv. 非常地，异常地，出奇地；
Tyrannosaurus rex
雷克斯霸王龙（恐龙名称）；
weigh up to
达到（某重量）；重达；
herbivorous
/ɜːrˈbɪvərəs/ adj. 食草的；
Patagotitan mayorum
巨型巴塔哥尼亚龙；梅氏巴塔哥巨龙；
pull of gravity
重力的作用；引力作用；
impose…on
将…强加于；
Balaenoptera musculus
蓝鲸；
challenger
/ˈtʃælɪndʒər/ n. 挑战者；
palaeontologist
/ˌpæliɒnˈtɒlədʒɪst/ n. 古生物学家；
extinct
/ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ adj. 灭绝的；
marine
/məˈriːn/ adj. 海洋的，海生的；
mammal
/ˈmæm(ə)l/ n. 哺乳动物；
ocean shallows
海洋浅滩，海洋浅水区；
by far
到目前为止；
massive animal
巨大的动物；
upper estimate
上限估计，最大估计；
arid desert
干旱的沙漠；
recover
/rɪˈkʌvər/ vt. 恢复，康复，重新获得；
vertebra
/ˈvɜːrtɪbrə/ n. 脊椎骨；
rib
/rɪb/ n. 肋骨，肋条；
精听党文化拓展
蓝鲸属于脊索动物门、哺乳纲、鲸偶蹄目、须鲸亚目、须鲸科的一员。身体形态特点是体型巨大，口中有数百根弹性鲸须，用于筛选海水中的小型动物。
蓝鲸的体型非常庞大，身体长度可以达到30米，重量超过180吨。它们的外表呈灰蓝色，有时也有浅蓝色或棕褐色。腹部颜色较浅，喉部有一块白色的斑块。蓝鲸的头部相对较小，口内有许多弹性的鲸须，可帮助它们筛选海水中的小型动物。它们的身体形状类似于一艘大船，尾巴部分宽大，形状扁平，呈V形。
蓝鲸是一种广泛分布的物种，它们主要生活在全球的寒冷海域和温带海域，包括北极、南极、北大西洋、南大西洋、北太平洋、南太平洋等海域。在夏季，它们会向北极和南极靠近，而在冬季则会迁徙到较温暖的海域。
蓝鲸是一种肉食性动物，主要以小型甲壳类动物（如磷虾）和小型鱼类为食。为了获取充足的食物，它们需要每天摄取数吨的食物。
蓝鲸是胎生动物，怀孕期为10-12个月。雌鲸每隔2-3年产一次仔，新生的幼鲸体长约7米，体重约2.5吨。幼鲸需要长时间的哺育和照顾才能生存。蓝鲸的寿命约为70-90年，但由于过度捕猎、水污染和气候变化等因素，蓝鲸的数量正在减少。
精听党每日美句
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
当你忙于制定其他计划时，生活就发生了。