By Leo Sands
Fossilized remains from a giant flying reptile the size of a bus have been discovered in Argentina.
和一輛巴士大小的會飛的巨型爬行動物的化石殘骸在阿根廷被發現。
fossilized [ˈfɒsəlaɪzd] adj. 石化的
fossilize v. 石化，變成化石
reptile [ˈreptaɪl] n. 爬行動物The Dragon of Death, as scientists have dubbed the new species, hunted prey from Earth's skies around 86 million years ago.
科學家給這一新物種取名為「死亡之龍」，它生活在大約 8600 萬年前，從空中捕食獵物。
dub [dʌb] v. 把……稱為，給……起綽號
prey [preɪ] n. 獵物When fully extended, its wings measured a massive nine metres (30 ft) from one tip to the other.
當被完全展開時，它的翅膀從一端到另一端長達 9 米（30 英尺）。
measure [ˈmeʒə(r)] v. (長度、寬度、數量的) 數值為，量度為The sheer size of the predator paints a "terrifying vision", the scientist behind the find told the BBC.
獲得這一發現的科學家告訴 BBC，這隻捕食者的龐大體型讓人想到當時的「可怕景象」。
sheer [ʃɪə(r)] adj. （用於強調）純粹的，完全的；數量大的
predator [ˈpredətə(r)] n. [動]捕食者；食肉動物；掠奪者
terrifying adj. 嚇人的，令人害怕的"This species had a height similar to that of a giraffe," project leader Leonardo Ortiz said, with a wingspan that "defies the limits of our biological understanding".
「這個物種的高度與長頸鹿相似，」項目負責人萊昂納多·奧爾蒂斯說，其翼展「挑戰了我們對生物學理解的極限」。
giraffe [dʒəˈrɑːf] n. 長頸鹿
wingspan [ˈwɪŋspæn] n. 翼展
defy [dɪˈfaɪ] v. 違抗，不服從；挑戰 Its remains had been preserved in rocks in the Andes mountains for 86 million years, which means the flying creature lived alongside dinosaurs.
它的遺骸在安第斯山脈的岩石中保存了 8600 萬年，這意味著這種飛行生物與恐龍一起生活。
dinosaur [ˈdaɪnəsɔː(r)] n. 恐龍Prof Ortiz was one of the palaeontologists who originally discovered the reptile's fossils during an excavation in Argentina back in 2012.
奧爾蒂斯教授是古生物學家之一，他於 2012 年在阿根廷的一次挖掘中最初發現了這種爬行動物的化石。
palaeontologist [ˌpæliɒnˈtɒlədʒɪst] n. 古生物學者He chose the species' name - Thanatosdrakon amaru - because it combined the Greek words for death and dragon.
他給這個物種起名「Thanatosdrakon amaru阿瑪魯死神翼龍」 ，它結合了希臘詞中的死亡和龍。
"It seemed appropriate to name it that way," Prof Ortiz said in an earlier interview. "It's the dragon of death."
「這樣命名似乎很合適，」奧爾蒂斯教授在早些時候的一次採訪中說。 「它是死亡之龍。」
appropriate [əˈprəʊpriət] adj. 合適的，相稱的The reptile is believed to be one of the first predators to use their wings to hunt prey - flying through Earth's prehistoric skies before the evolution of birds.
這種爬行動物被認為是最早使用翅膀捕獵的捕食者之一，在鳥類進化之前它們就已在史前地球的天空中翱翔了。
prehistoric [ˌpriːhɪˈstɒrɪk] adj. 史前的，有文字記載以前的Despite that, Prof Ortiz told the BBC that this hunter likely spent most of its time on the ground.
儘管如此，奧爾蒂斯教授告訴 BBC，這種獵手可能大部分時間都在地面上度過。
Details of the creature's prehistoric lifestyle are scant - but he added that the fact a pair of differently sized specimen were discovered together is evidence that the predator lived in groups.
關於這種生物史前生活方式的細節很少，但他補充說，同時發現的一對不同大小的標本證明這種捕食者是群居的。
scant [skænt] adj. 不足的，缺乏的
specimen [ˈspesɪmən] n. 樣品，標本The fearsome reptile lived some 20 million years before an asteroid hit the earth in a catastrophic extinction event, wiping out three-quarters of animal and plant life and marking the end of the Cretaceous Period.
這種可怕的爬行動物在小行星撞擊地球造成災難性滅絕事件之前生活了大約 2000 萬年，那次撞擊事件使地球上四分之三的動植物生命滅絕，標誌著白堊紀的結束。
fearsome [ˈfɪəsəm] adj. 可怕的
asteroid [ˈæstərɔɪd] n. 小行星
catastrophic [ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk] adj. 災難性的
extinction [ɪkˈstɪŋkʃn] n. 滅絕，消亡
wipe out 消滅，徹底摧毀，使滅絕
Cretaceous （[krɪˈteɪʃəs]）Period 白堊紀 定期推出BBC文章精讀
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