高中三年级英语(人教版)全一册 Unit 14 Reading 2

　　Scientists who study animals can often tell what an animal eats and how it hunts by looking at its body or bones. As the animals adapt, their bodies gradually change. The shape of an animal's head and other features provide clues to how and where the animal lives. There are still many questions, however, and the scientists can't explain some of the shapes and changes that they have found. For a long time, animal experts were puzzled by the fact that so many ancient reptiles had very long necks. A new archeological find in China may help scientists answer the question. Scientists found the bones of an ancient reptile that lived in Southeast China more than 230 million years ago. It looked a bit like a dinosaur, and it had a very long neck. The neck was about 1.7 metres long, twice as long as the creature's body, and the head was very small. Scientists now believe that the reptile used its long neck to hunt other animals. The neck made it possible for the reptile to hide in the depths of brown water and fool fish and other animals. An animal that saw the head "floating" on the surface would mistake it for a small harmless animal. When the prey got close enough to realise that the "animal" was in fact only the head of a large and dangerous creature, it would be too late. The ancient reptile could also change the shape of its neck in order to strike quickly and swallow its prey.