阅读理解

　　People have long thought that dinosaurs were brown or gray in color．To examine is one important way to find out the answer．The word“examine”is to look at or consider something in detail in order to discover something about them．After examining the remains(遗骸)of a dinosaur, scientists say they have found evidence it had bright-coloured feathers．The findings were printed in Science magazine．

　　American and Chinese scientists did careful research and re-built the feathers of a flightless dinosaur．The small, two-legged creature(生物)lived about one hundred-fifty million years ago．It would have weighed only about one hundred ten grams．The dinosaur's remains were discovered in Liaoning Province in China．Researchers studied melanosomes(黑素体)in the feathers．These melanosomes are small, color-producing things, and they formed as the dinosaur was developing．The researchers compared them to the melanosomes that control the colour of feathers on modern birds．They were then able to make out the colors of the dinosaur feathers．The dinosaur appeared to have a dark gray or black body．The top of the creature was light brown in color．And, it had bright white wings．Each of the feathers had black on the end．

　　Richard Prum, a biologist at Yale University, says the melanosomes were in very good condition．He says the dinosaur would be a beautiful creature if it were still alive．

　　The discovery is useful to scientists in another way．It helps them better understand not only how dinosaurs looked but also how they lived in their daily life．Some researchers plan to use this way to study the colours of other feathered dinosaurs．