Do fossilised eggs prove this dinosaur cared for its young?

The Independent

15 April 2007

By Steve Connor, Science Editor

A dinosaur has been found in China with two pineapple-sized eggs, their shells intact, in its pelvic cavity.

Scientists believe the discovery adds further weight to the theory that modern birds evolved from a group of feathered dinosaurs.

The eggs are nearly 7ins in diameter and are of roughly equal size, suggesting they would probably have been laid at the same time - unlike birds which lay single eggs at intervals. Finding a fossil with a pair of eggs ready for laying suggests that female reproduction in dinosaurs was at a stage somewhere between that of reptiles, such as crocodiles, which lay all their eggs at once, and birds.

Tamaki Sato of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, and her colleagues describe the fossil in the journal Science. They say it sheds fresh light on the mystery of how dinosaurs reared their young.

The pelvis belonged to a type of dinosaur called an oviraptor, which means “egg stealer” because, when it was first discovered, it was found near to a nest of eggs. Subsequent discoveries revealed that oviraptors were almost certainly guarding their own nests rather than raiding those of other dinosaurs.

Exercise 4. a) Give the Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations from the article:

two pineapple-sized eggs, to add further weight to smth, to evolve from smth, a group of feathered dinosaurs, to be of roughly equal size, unlike birds, at intervals, to shed fresh light on smth, to belong to a type of smth, which means, subsequent discoveries

b) Give the English equivalents to the following words and word combinations from the article:

были найдены, было обнаружено, более поздние находки, почти наверняка, воспитывать потомство, воспроизводство у динозавров, добавлять больший вес, находиться на стадии, примерно одного размера

Exercise 5. Read the sentences and say if they are True or False. Correct the false ones:

1. The pelvis belonged to a type of dinosaur called an oviraptor, which means “egg eater”.

2. The eggs are nearly 7ins in diameter and are of roughly equal size.

3. A dinosaur has been found in China with two pineapple-sized eggs in its nest .

4. They say it is a well known fact how dinosaurs reared their young.

5. Reproduction in dinosaurs was at a stage somewhere between the reptiles and birds.

Exercise 6. Answer the questions to the article:

1. What does the article read about?

2. Have you learned any new information from this article? Was it interesting for you?

3. What have been found in China?

4. What do the scientists say about this discovery?

5. What does this finding suggest?

6. What fresh light does this discovery shed on the theory of how the dinosaurs reared their young?

7. Is the name “oviraptor” for this type of dinosaurs correct after this discovery?

Exercise 7. Make the summary of the information from this article.

TEXT 6

Exercise 1. a) Look at the headline of the article below and say what you think it is going to be about.

b) Read the words and word combinations and translate them without a dictionary:

a grant, robots, a terrorist attack, zero, to zero, chemical, biological, to communicate, information, human, humans, a problem, a toxic chemical, a single robot, to be based on a theory, a design, to design experiment, technology, a project, a plan, to plan, system, demonstration, demos, military, the military

Exercise 2. Read and memorize the words from the article:

Develop, v	разрабатывать, конструировать, создавать
Hazard, n	источник опасности, опасность
Envision, v	предвидеть
Relay, v	отсылать
Respond, v	реагировать
Swarm, n	1)рой, стая; толпа 2) куча, масса
Trace, v	следить, выслеживать; преследовать (кого-л.)
Slack, n	дефицит, нехватка, недостача
ad hoc	для данного специального случая, для данной специальной цели | создаваемый в каждом отдельном случае
Approach, n	подход (к решению проблемы, задачи и т. п.)
Validate, v	делать действительным; придавать юридическую силу; признавать имеющим силу
Detect, v	замечать, открывать, обнаруживать
Implication, n	вовлечение, привлечение; включение

Exercise 3. Read and translate the article: