D I N OSAURS - T e r r i b l e L i z a r d s

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Have you seen Jurassic Park? Or some other films about dinosaurs? Or have WERE ALL OF THEM THE SAME?
Did you Of course not. Some were many meters long and some less than a meter long. Some were
you read any books about them? Why do you think they are so popular?
MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO
KNOW slow and some could run at more than 60 kmph. Some of them were hunters that attacked
and killed other animals. The typical example is Tyrannosaurus. Dinos like them had small arms
Today the world is very different from Before we start, try to do this test and see how ● … that the biggest with sharp, clawed7 fingers; powerful jaws8 with sharp teeth; long, muscular hind legs; and
flying creature clawed feet. Others were vegetarians. They had small heads, bulky9 bodies, and long necks
the world of dinosaurs. Their era started much you know about the popular dinos. Write and tails. A typical example is Diplodocus. Some of them, like Stegosaurus, had plates or
about 225 million years ago and they True, False, I don’t know that ever lived was
dominated the world for 160 million a dinosaur called spikes10 along their backs to protect them and to regulate body temperature. The water was full
years. So, when did their era end? T F I don’t know. Quetzalcoatlus
of life, too. In the water lived the biggest animals of all. The air swarmed11 with “flying lizards”.
They were big, too and many people wonder how they could keep themselves in the air. The
............ 1. A dinosaur is a long-legged crocodile. with a wingspan15
Today we live on our continents (how truth is, that their bones were
2. The word dinosaur means hungry monster. of 15.4 meters? hollow12 and very light.
many? Can you name them?). When
3. The first people hunted dinosaurs. ● … that in the Parents didn’t look after13 their
the dinosaur era started, there were no
continents like today. There was only one world’s museums young. The young dinosaurs
4. All dinosaurs were very big. were usually quite small and
giant supercontinent called Pangaea. you can see the
It then split1 into two landmasses – 5. All dinosaurs moved very slowly. remains of about weak14. Many of them were I. Correct the following statements.
Laurasia and Gondwanaland. They later 6. They were all vegetarians. 2,100 different killed by predators so only a
few survived and grew up.
● 1. The word „dinosaurs“ means big lizards.
separated even more and formed our 7. They lived only on land. dinosaur species? ● 2. They dominated the world for about 225
present day continents. The plants and ● … that mammals million years.
animals were different, too. But we THE MYSTERIOUS END
How many questions could you answer? Are you an expert? existed before Then about 65 million years ● 3. Originally there were two continents.
mustn’t think that during this period of
160 million years the plants and animals If not, this article will tell you more. Read it carefully and then try dinosaurs? ago something happened and ● 4. The vegetarian dinosaurs were very small.
stayed the same. Maybe you know that to find the correct answers. ● … that the dinosaurs disappeared at once. ● 5. All dinosaurs were good parents.
we can divide the era into three periods: fastest dinosaur, Maybe a massive volcano, or a ● 6. Dinosaurs have no descendants here today.
Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretacerous periods2. At first there were extremes in climate, there was rich vegetation around the Dromicaiomimus, terrible cosmic accident, such
lakes and on the coasts. The typical plants were ginkgos, conifers and ferns3. The Jurassic climate was warm and moist4 could run faster as a crash of the Earth with a
II. If you were a paleontologist, what would
so the plants were huge, and the first flowering plants appeared. In the last period the climate was warm and moist, too, giant asteroid which caused a
than 60 km/h? you study?
the seasons began. New mammals, insects, turtles, and fish evolved5. Still, the dinosaurs ruled6 and evolved. dramatic change of climate.
● … that birds are Many other animals became ● A, Ancient life on Earth.
the only true extinct. Some others adapted. ● B, Ancient life on other planets.
descendants16 But the “terrible lizards” ruled ● C, Ancient life in other galaxies.
S of dinosaurs? the world no more.
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EG 1 split – rozdelila sa/rozdělila se; 2 tra’æsik, džu ’ræsik, kri’teiš s pi ri d
e e e e
– geolog.triasové, jurské a kriedové obdobie/ t.,j. a křídové období;
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3 kouni’f r s ænd f :ns – ihličnany a papradě/ jehličnany a kapradí;

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4 moist – vlhký; 5 i’vo:lv – vyvíjali sa/vyvinuli se; 6 ru:lt – vládli; 7 klo: d
– s pazúrmi/pazoury; 8 džo: s – čeľuste; 9 balki – masívny, nemotorný;
10 pleits o: spaiks - ostne alebo/aneb hroty; 11 sw :md – víril/vířil;
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12 h l u – duté; 13 didn lu:k aft – nestarali sa/nepečovali;
ee e
14 wi:k – slabí; 15 wiηspa:n – rozpätie krídiel/ rozpětí křídel;
16 di’send nts – potomkovia/potomci
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