媒體英語
Was an extinct fox once man's best friend? 已滅絕的南美狐曾是人類的最好朋友？
早在家犬出現(xiàn)以前，我們的祖先可能已經(jīng)把狐貍當(dāng)做寵物喂養(yǎng)了。有考古證據(jù)表明，南美洲的古人類社會(huì)對狐貍尊愛有加，以至于主人會(huì)將它們葬于自己的身旁。
The fox was about the size of a German shepherd dog and lived across much of South America, only going extinct a few hundred years ago. A near-complete skeleton of the animal was found in a human grave dating back to 1,500 years ago.
這種狐貍和德國牧羊犬差不多大，曾生活在南美洲的大部分地區(qū)，直到幾百年前才滅絕?？脊湃藛T在一座距今 1500 年前的人類墳?zāi)怪邪l(fā)現(xiàn)了一副近乎完整的該動(dòng)物骨架。
The study, by researchers at the University of Oxford, shows the fox ate a similar diet to ancient hunter gatherers, suggesting it lived alongside them and might have been a highly valued pet or companion animal.
牛津大學(xué)的研究人員進(jìn)行的這項(xiàng)研究表明，這種狐貍的飲食跟古代狩獵采集者的相似。這說明該動(dòng)物曾跟人類一起居住，可能是一種受高度重視的寵物或伴侶動(dòng)物。
There have been other finds of fox teeth in the area, which adds to the evidence that foxes were highly revered by our ancestors and may have formed a strong bond with humans long before domestic dogs came along.
在這個(gè)地區(qū)還有其它有關(guān)狐貍牙齒的考古發(fā)現(xiàn)，這進(jìn)一步證明了狐貍在當(dāng)時(shí)受到我們祖先的高度尊重與喜愛，并且可能早在家犬出現(xiàn)以前就已經(jīng)與人類結(jié)成了牢固的紐帶。
詞匯表
German shepherd 德國牧羊犬
extinct 滅絕的，絕種的
dating back 追溯到，距今（時(shí)間）
hunter gatherers 狩獵采集者
highly valued 高度重視，認(rèn)為非常有價(jià)值的
finds 發(fā)現(xiàn)，考古發(fā)現(xiàn)
revered 受尊重的，可敬的
ancestors 祖先
strong bond 牢固的紐帶
domestic 家養(yǎng)的，家庭的
閱讀理解：請?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問題。
1. When did this South American fox go extinct?
2. True or False? The skeleton was almost whole when it was found.
3. Why is the fox likely to have been a pet?
4. Apart from the fox skeleton, what else has been found nearby?
答案
1. When did this South American fox go extinct?
The fox only went extinct a few hundred years ago.
2. True or False? The skeleton was almost whole when it was found.
True. The skeleton was 'near-complete'.
3. Why is the fox likely to have been a pet?
The fox is likely to have been a pet because the skeleton was found in a human grave and ate a similar diet to hunter gatherers.
4. Apart from the fox skeleton, what else has been found nearby?
Fox teeth have been found in the area.
