離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》3 million year old "fossilised zoo" unearthed三百萬年之久的「化石動物園」出土
◎ 張其賢
Greek geologists have discovered a three million year old 'fossilised zoo' containing the remains of prehistoric rhinos, mastodons, gazelles and carnivorous mammals near the northwestern town of Grevena recently.
希臘地質學家最近在希臘西北部城鎮格雷弗納附近，發現了一處三百萬年之久的「化石動物園」，它包含了史前犀牛、乳齒象、瞪羚和肉食性哺乳動物的遺骸。
The finds included the 4.39-metre, mostly intact tusks of a mastodon, a species that predated modern elephants, which may well be the longest ever earthed, said assistant geology professor Evangelia Tsoukala from Aristotelio University in Thessaloniki.
這次的發現，包括了一頭乳齒象（一種在現代象之前的象種）的四點三九公尺長、大部份完整的象牙，這很可能是至今出土過的最長象牙，塞薩羅尼基的亞里斯多德大學的地質學助理教授依凡潔莉亞‧蘇卡拉說。
“All the evidence we examined suggested that these tusks are the longest found in Europe,” Tsoukala said. “We have contacted the Guinness Book of Records, and are expecting an answer by the end of summer. We are confident that the Grevena mastodon will occupy the place it deserves in the book of records,” she said.
「我們檢視過的所有證據都顯示，這些象牙是在歐洲發現過最長的」，蘇卡拉說。「我們已經和金氏紀錄連繫，目前期盼在夏季結束前得到答案。我們有信心，格雷弗納乳齒象將會在金氏紀錄中佔有它應得的位置」。
The Greek team also sought to compare their mastodon find with discoveries made on the American continent. The largest fossilised tusks ever discovered there are probably 3.9 metres long. According to the team, the Grevena mastodon was 4.5 metres tall and weighed at least 12 tonnes.
這支希臘團隊也設法將他們的乳齒象發現和那些在美洲大陸上的發現作比較。在那裡所發現過的最大的化石象牙，大約是三點九公尺長。根據該團隊的說法，格雷弗納乳齒象有四點五公尺高，體重至少十二噸。
新聞辭典
fossilise：動詞，變成化石。fossil是名詞，指「化石」。
remains：名詞，遺骸。例句：The remains of a US pilot killed in the Vietnam War have been returned to his family for burial.（一位在越戰中陣亡的美軍飛行員遺骸，已被送還給他的家人安葬。）
predate A：及物動詞，時間日期比A更早。例句：Some archaeologists believe that they have found in Peru an ancient city predating Mayan settlements in Mexico and Central America by centuries.（有些考古學家相信，他們已經在秘魯發現一個比馬雅人在墨西哥和中美洲定居還早許多世紀的古老城市。）
