題目: 買英文測驗書來測驗自己       作者：廖友廷

      從小出生在鄉下的家庭，在周遭完全沒有英文環境的能力之下，該如何提升英文能力呢?

      在面對國中的基測考試、高中的學冊以及指考壓力中，我不得不想出一個方法提升自己的能力，當時我聽同學們選擇去補習班補英文，補完後來都沒有複習，覺得英文程度並沒有想像中的進步。後來參考了許多如何增進英文能力的書籍後，發現想要擁有好的英文能力，要每天持續學習並且改進善用。

      從國中開始，我買英文雜誌來閱讀，一開始是閱讀大家說英語初級，每天固定讀一篇，然後再把英文單字背誦起來造句，造句我個人認為蠻重要的，因為可以讓自己了解到如何運用單字，慢慢累積之後，可以開始讀英文的文法，買題目來做，遇到不會的文法類型就用另外的筆記本記錄下來，時時刻刻提醒自己的錯誤，當累積一定程度之後，可以開始買空中英語中級，之前的習慣也要一直貫徹下去，接著可以去買本字彙量4000的單字本來背誦，每天定時背誦30字，在測驗自己對單字的理解程度，這邊想必很多人覺得要一天背30個新單字還能不忘記很難吧，我自己會準備一個小筆記本可以隨身攜帶用的，把不太熟悉的單字抄進去，平常無聊就把它放在口袋中，有空閒的時候就可以拿出來背誦，這些瑣屑時間包括上廁所、洗澡、睡前、等公車等等，很多時間可以背，所以幾乎不怕沒有多餘時間來背這些單字。當字彙量累積到一定程度之後，可以準備一本英文故事書來讀，把故事書當休閒來看，無聊就可以看一下，但是需要定一個日期要讀完，讀完之後大概了解他的大綱之後，可以寫個文章來描述這本書大概在講甚麼內容之類的，就可以順便增強自己的寫作能力。

      其實英文增強能力方法很多，但是這些方法的唯一需要就是恆心跟毅力，沒有這些元素就沒有堅強的實力，所以要建立這些習慣是學習英文必然的課題之一。

 

Scientists have given us a look at what they believe was the planet's first semi-aquatic dinosaur - or at least their idea of what the creature called Spinosaurus looked like.

科學家們將帶我們一窺地球上第一個半水棲恐龍的樣貌，至少這是科學家們對於棘龍這個生物的外貌的想像。

The dinosaur spent part of its life living and hunting in the waters that covered northern Africa 95 million years ago - a 15-meter-long, semi-aquatic giant even bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex.

The first Spinosaurus aegyptiacus fossils were found in Egypt more than a century ago. Using newly discovered fossils from the Sahara desert in Morocco, CT scans and digital reconstructions, an international team of researchers was able to create an anatomically precise, life-size, 3-D replica of its skeleton, revealing previously unknown aquatic adaptations.

Spinosaurus had small nostrils in the middle of its skull, which allowed it to breathe when part of its head was under water. Its long neck and short powerful hind legs made it agile in the water, but unlikely to walk upright on land like other predatory dinosaurs. The researchers propose it may have had webbed feet for walking on the soft mud of riverbanks.

埃及棘龍化石(fossil)在一百年前就在埃及被發現。國際研究團隊利用摩洛哥沙哈拉沙漠最新發現的化石、電腦斷層掃描(CT scan)與數位重建技術，創造出解剖學上(anatomically) 精確的、一比一大小的 (life-size) 3D骨架副本(replica)，顯示出棘龍之前不為人知，在有水環境的適應性的改變適應性改變 (adaptation)。

棘龍的頭蓋骨(skull)中有小的呼吸孔(nostril)，所以當棘龍頭部沉在水裡時仍能呼吸。棘龍的長頸和有力的後腿(hind leg)讓水中的動作很靈敏(agile)，但卻也可能無法像其他捕食性的(predatory)恐龍一樣，在陸地上直立(upright)行走。研究人員認為，也許棘龍的腳是有蹼的(webbed feet)，所以他們能夠在河岸(riverbank)的軟泥上行走。

Its back was topped with a sail-like structure of bony spines seven feet (two
meters) tall and connected by skin. It stuck out of the water as Spinosaurus waded and swam after prey like sharks, car-size fish and crocodilians.

"The animal is unlike any other predatory dinosaur. There's no blueprint for it. There's no modern-day equivalent for it. It's looking at a completely new kind of animal," said University of Chicago paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, who led the study published in the journal Science.

Spinosaurus terrorized a vast North African river system from Morocco to Egypt. It may not have been agile on land, Ibrahim said, but occasionally may have taken down other dinosaurs.

"Its snaggle-tooth snout, sickle-shaped claws and monstrous sail give this beast a bizarre profile, one that will be immediately recognized by every kid on our planet," added University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno, who also participated.

Spinosaurus, more than three meters longer than the largest known T. rex, is the second giant dinosaur announced this month. The fossilized remains of the 26-meter-long Dreadnoughtus were found in southern Argentina, and described last week by scientists from Drexel University.

棘龍稱霸橫行(terrorize)於摩洛哥到埃及一帶廣闊的北非水系。研究人員認為，也許棘龍在陸地上並不靈活，但可能偶爾還是能擒倒其他恐龍。(編按：terrorize是「威脅，讓人心生恐懼」的意思，常用結構是terrorize someone into doing something，意思是「迫使某人去做某件事」。從新聞中來看，棘龍在這個區域是處於食物鏈頂端，其存在威脅到其它的生物，別的物種在棘龍的活動區域中看到都要退避三舍，故此新聞中譯為「稱霸、橫行」。)

同樣參與研究的芝加哥大學的古生物學家(paleontologist)說：「棘龍牙齒外暴的(snaggle-tooth)口鼻(snout)、鐮刀型的(sickle-shaped)爪，還有龐大的帆型背脊，賦予這個猛獸一個奇異特殊的(bizarre)外型(profile)，地球上每一個小朋友一眼就能認得。」

棘龍身長比暴龍(T. rex; tyrannosaurus rex)多三公尺，是本月所公佈的第二大恐龍。在阿根廷南部發現的「無畏龍」 (Dreadnoughtus) 的石化骨骸(fossilized remains) 更達二十六公尺長，上週由卓克所大學的科學家描述其外貌。(編按：無畏龍的取名是源自二十世紀初的戰艦「無畏號」(dreadnought)。細看這名字的話可以發現是由 “dread” (害怕) 跟 “naught” (零，空無一物) 兩個字組成的，就是「什麼都不怕」的意思。)

Language Notes

anatomically (adv) 解剖學上；anatomy (n) 解剖學

replica (n) 複製品 

nostril  (n) 鼻孔

agile (adj) 輕快的、敏捷的

predatory (adj) 會捕獵的；predator (n) 食肉動物、掠奪者 

upright (adj) 挺直的、垂直

wade (v) 涉水而行

equivalent (n) 相同物

terrorize (v) 恐嚇、脅迫

sickle (n) 鐮刀

bizarre (adj) 奇怪的

profile (n) 形象、外觀

Check your vocabulary!

Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, select the text above to reveal the hidden answers.

Offspring are not exact replicas of their parents.

The river was full but we managed to wade across.

Predatory fish are often key components of lake ecosystems.

He had drunk the equivalent of 15 whiskies.

He was physically strong and mentally agile.

Street gangs have been terrorizing the neighborhood.