BBC Learning English
Words in the News
16th November 2011

Whale graveyard unearthed

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 1 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Transcript:

The fossilised bones of whales unearthed in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Palaeontologists have dug up a massive grave containing the seven million year-old

creatures.

Fossils from fifteen animals have so far been excavated, some of them complete skeletons.

The hoard also includes the remains of sharks, dolphins and seals.

The discovery is believed to have global importance and is crucial for research.

Vocabulary:

fossilised - the remains of animals or plants that have become hard and turned into rock

palaeontologists - people who study fossils

excavated - to have dug up something that has been buried for a very long time

hoard - a collection of food, money, or in this case valuable and rare fossils

crucial - something that is extremely important because it will affect other things

Watch this video online: Whale graveyard unearthed

http://bbc.in/uOpdjN

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 2 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from a BBC

news report.

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

fossilised/palaeontologists/excavated/hoard/crucial

1.

A team of archaeologists has started one of the largest investigations ever mounted on the

WWI battlefields. They have been given permission to _________ a large section of trenches

and tunnels close to the huge Lochnagar Crater.

2.

Being so slight and spindly, it is not really surprising that ancient harvestmen have a relatively

poor record. Only around 33 _____________ species have been discovered so far, and for

some of those the quality of preservation is not brilliant.

3.

A metal detector enthusiast has found a major ___________ of Viking silver in a field on the

Cumbria-Lancashire border.

4.

For 150 years, a species called Archaeopteryx has been regarded as the first true bird,

representing a major evolutionary step away from dinosaurs. But the new fossil suggests this

creature was just another feathery dinosaur and not the significant link that

__________________ had believed.

5.

The prime minister believes stability and an end to the debt crisis is ___________ for any

chance of a recovery in the UK economy.

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 3 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Answers:

1.

A team of archaeologists has started one of the largest investigations ever mounted on the

WWI battlefields. They have been given permission to excavate a large section of trenches

and tunnels close to the huge Lochnagar Crater.

Source: Secrets from inside a WWI trench

http://bbc.in/tSnz2l

2.

Being so slight and spindly, it is not really surprising that ancient harvestmen have a relatively

poor record. Only around 33 fossilised species have been discovered so far, and for some

of those the quality of preservation is not brilliant.

Source: X-rays extract 'virtual harvestmen' from French fossils

http://bbc.in/plUm5K

3.

A metal detector enthusiast has found a major hoard of Viking silver in a field on the

Cumbria-Lancashire border.

Source: Metal detector fan Darren Webster finds Viking hoard

http://bbc.in/sfZISZ

4.

For 150 years, a species called Archaeopteryx has been regarded as the first true bird,

representing a major evolutionary step away from dinosaurs. But the new fossil suggests this

creature was just another feathery dinosaur and not the significant link that

palaeontologists had believed.

Source: Feathers fly in first bird debate

http://bbc.in/rnEbc0

5.

The prime minister believes stability and an end to the debt crisis is crucial for any chance

of a recovery in the UK economy.

Source: Euro crisis 'opportunity for UK' to reclaim powers - PM

http://bbc.in/sA6epd