Dodos became extinct in the 1600s. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/ Getty Images
The flightless dodo was first discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in the late 16th Century. Within a few decades they were extinct. Before the arrival of man, the dodo is thought to have evolved to such a large size because it had no natural predators and plentiful food.
沒有飛行能力的渡渡鳥16世紀(jì)末在印度洋島國毛里求斯被發(fā)現(xiàn)。不過，在被發(fā)現(xiàn)短短幾十年后，這種鳥就徹底滅絕了。據(jù)說在人類到達(dá)這個島國之前，渡渡鳥體形龐大，因為島上有大量豐富的食物供它們享用，而且沒有天敵與它們搏斗。
今日短語
如果說一個東西 as dead as dodo, 意思就是這個東西已經(jīng)不再重要了，過時了。我們通常使用這個短語來談?wù)撍枷牖虺绷鳌?/p>
例句
In the past people used to watch and record videos on VHS, but now that format is as dead as a dodo.
The perception that smoking is good for your health is now as dead as a dodo.
請注意
我們用 dead duck 來形容一件事情不怎么成功。
Frank's coffee shop business was a dead duck sadly. His coffee was just awful, and the shop was in a bad location.
