111115160721 vwitn whale fossil Nieznany


BBC Learning English

Words in the News

16th November 2011

Whale graveyard unearthed



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 1 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 2 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





Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011



Page 3 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com







Wyszukiwarka