Why we love dinosaurs

精彩导读

电影《侏罗纪世界2》的热映再次掀起了一股恐龙热，多年来，影视剧中的恐龙主题经久不衰。那么，为什么我们会对这一灭绝已久的远古生物如此着迷呢？

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（续集）of the series.And in Jurassic World：Fallen Kingdom，which was released （发行）in Chinese mainland cinemas，these ancient beasts are taking over the modern world once again.

众所周知，孩子们都喜欢恐龙。许多孩子甚至经历了所谓的“恐龙时期”——在一段时间里，他们三句话不离恐龙，不听恐龙故事就睡不着觉，还要背上带有恐龙图案的背包。

成年人可能早已脱离了他们的“恐龙时期”，但不知何故，这种吸引力仍然存在。

1993年由史蒂文·斯皮伯格执导的电影《侏罗纪公园》以及后来的每一部续集都大获成功，就是最好的证明。在中国大陆影院上映的 《侏罗纪世界2：失落帝国》中，这些古老的野兽再次席卷了现代世界。

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（灭绝的）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（着迷的）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（来源于）our desire to know more about the prehistory we share，” he wrote.

“The dinosaur story is part of our own.”

《国家地理》对这种动物的流行有一个解释：恐龙处在“科学和想象的交汇处”，这可能是它们对于男女老少都极具吸引力的原因。

恐龙经常被比作龙，但人们觉得恐龙更酷，因为它们曾经真实存在。博物馆里的巨大骨骼证明了它们在数百万年前存在于我们现在生活的地球上。与此同时，世界各地都有了新的发现，为这些古老物种开辟了更广阔的图景。它们是如何灭绝的，也是科学研究的热门课题。

然而，我们似乎仍然对恐龙知之甚少，在面对诸如“它们如何生活？”“它们的叫声是什么样的”以及“它们能跑多快？”等问题上，我们不得不依靠我们的想象力。相比狮子和老虎等其他在现在的动物园里轻易可见的猛兽，正是这种神秘感增添了恐龙的吸引力。

但恐龙的吸引力远不止于此。

据卫报记者Brian Switek报道，人类对恐龙着迷的原因不仅仅是因为我们对恐龙的历史感兴趣，还因为我们试图更好地理解人类历史。

他写道：“恐龙可能是好莱坞的怪物、科幻魅力的主题或者居于两者之间，但究其根源，我们对恐龙的着迷源于想更多地了解关于我们与恐龙共享的史前时代。”

“恐龙的故事也是我们自己的故事的一部分。”

Language study

Vocabulary

1.meanwhile adv.同时

2.take over接任；接管

3.sth appeal to sb某物对某人有吸引力

4.rely on依靠；依赖

5.When it comes to...当提到 /谈到……

6.sense of mystery神秘感

7.add to增加

8.compare...to...把……比作……

9.according to根据

Difficult sentences

1.It's no secret that kids love dinosaurs.众所周知，孩子们都喜欢恐龙。

【点石成金】句子含有句型It's no secret that...表示“众所周知”，It是形式主语，真正主语是that引导的从句，此处that引导的是主语从句。

句式仿写

众所周知，动画片很受儿童欢迎。

2.Dinosaurs are “where science and imagination meet”， which is probably what makes them so appealing to kids and adults alike.恐龙处在“科学和想象的交汇处”，这可能是它们对于男女老少都极具吸引力的原因。

【点石成金】句子含有三个复合句，where引导的是表语从句；which引导的是非限制性定语从句，在定语从句中作主语；what引导表语从句，在从句中做主语，appealing是v-ing形式作make的宾语补足语，相当于形容词。

句式仿写

恐怖片 （horrible movie）就是我想要的，这与你的需求不一样。 （用上what引导的表语从句，which引导的非限制性定语从句）

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.相比狮子和老虎等其他在现在的动物园里轻易可见的猛兽，正是这种神秘感增添了恐龙的吸引力。

【点石成金】句子含有特殊句型——强调句：It is...that...，翻译成 “正是……”；that引导定语从句，修饰名词animals.

句式仿写

正是这种荣誉感使她比以往更努力学习。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.