Why we love dinosaurs

精彩導讀

電影《侏羅紀世界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久不衰。那么，為什么我們會對這一滅絕已久的遠古生物如此著迷呢？

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（續集）of the series.And in Jurassic World：Fallen Kingdom，which was released （發行）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。許多孩子甚至經歷了所謂的“恐龍時期”——在一段時間里，他們三句話不離恐龍，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·斯皮伯格執導的電影《侏羅紀公園》以及后來的每一部續集都大獲成功，就是最好的證明。在中國大陸影院上映的 《侏羅紀世界2：失落帝國》中，這些古老的野獸再次席卷了現代世界。

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》對這種動物的流行有一個解釋：恐龍處在“科學和想象的交匯處”，這可能是它們對于男女老少都極具吸引力的原因。

恐龍經常被比作龍，但人們覺得恐龍更酷，因為它們曾經真實存在。博物館里的巨大骨骼證明了它們在數百萬年前存在于我們現在生活的地球上。與此同時，世界各地都有了新的發現，為這些古老物種開辟了更廣闊的圖景。它們是如何滅絕的，也是科學研究的熱門課題。

然而，我們似乎仍然對恐龍知之甚少，在面對諸如“它們如何生活？”“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在的動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。

但恐龍的吸引力遠不止于此。

據衛報記者Brian Switek報道，人類對恐龍著迷的原因不僅僅是因為我們對恐龍的歷史感興趣，還因為我們試圖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，我們對恐龍的著迷源于想更多地了解關于我們與恐龍共享的史前時代。”

“恐龍的故事也是我們自己的故事的一部分。”

Language study

Vocabulary

1.meanwhile adv.同時

2.take over接任；接管

3.sth appeal to sb某物對某人有吸引力

4.rely on依靠；依賴

5.When it comes to...當提到 /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

Difficult sentences

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

【點石成金】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引導的從句，此處that引導的是主語從句。

句式仿寫

眾所周知，動畫片很受兒童歡迎。

2.Dinosaurs are “where science and imagination meet”， which is probably what makes them so appealing to kids and adults alike.恐龍處在“科學和想象的交匯處”，這可能是它們對于男女老少都極具吸引力的原因。

【點石成金】句子含有三個復合句，where引導的是表語從句；which引導的是非限制性定語從句，在定語從句中作主語；what引導表語從句，在從句中做主語，appealing是v-ing形式作make的賓語補足語，相當于形容詞。

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引導的表語從句，which引導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在的動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。

【點石成金】句子含有特殊句型——強調句：It is...that...，翻譯成 “正是……”；that引導定語從句，修飾名詞animals.

句式仿寫

正是這種榮譽感使她比以往更努力學習。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.