2023-05-22 ‘Very rare’ 460-million-year-old fossils discovered 研究人员在威尔士发现距今4.6亿年的 “极罕见” 化石

据专家介绍，在英国威尔士中部发现了世界上最重要的化石沉积层之一。新发现的化石数量多，遗址位于波伊斯郡兰德林多德威尔斯附近。为了开展工作，研究人员不得不筹资购买显微镜设备。

Researchers at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales – found the fossils in rocks which were laid down under the sea more than 460 million years ago when mid Wales was covered by an ocean. They say more than 170 species were uncovered at a secret location on private land.

威尔士国家博物馆的研究人员们在4.6亿多年前威尔士中部被海洋覆盖时埋在海底的岩石中发现了这些化石。研究人员说，他们在私有土地上的一个秘密地点发现了170多个物种的化石。

The fossils include many soft-bodied creatures, where soft tissue and complete organisms have been preserved, rather than just shells and bones. That’s extremely rare. In fact, there’s only one other Ordovician site in the world which preserves close to this level of detail – in Morocco.

这些化石包括多种软躯体生物，化石中的软组织和完整有机体均得以保存，而不仅仅是生物的外壳和骨骼，这实属罕见。事实上，世界上只有一处奥陶纪遗址化石存留下了接近这种程度的细节，该遗址位于摩洛哥。

Researchers say the discovery is important as it gives a fresh insight into how life evolved during this period.

研究人员说这一发现的意义重大，因为它为研究这一时期的生命进化方式提供了新的见解。

词汇表

fossils 化石
soft-bodied 软躯体的
tissue （动植物的细胞）组织
organisms 有机体，生物
Ordovician 奥陶纪的
insight 了解，深刻见解

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. What covered this part of Wales 460 million years ago?

2. Where exactly were these fossils discovered?

3. Why is this discovery of fossils extremely rare?

4. What do researchers think this discovery tells us about life during this period?

答案

1. What covered this part of Wales 460 million years ago?

Mid Wales was covered by an ocean during this period.

2. Where exactly were these fossils discovered?

We don’t know. They were uncovered at a secret location on private land.

3. Why is this discovery of fossils extremely rare? 

This find is considered to be extremely rare because there are many soft-bodied creatures, where soft tissue and complete organisms have been preserved, rather than just shells and bones.

4. What do researchers think this discovery tells us about life during this period?

Researchers believe it gives a fresh insight into how life evolved during this period.