Экзаменационный (типовой) материал ОГЭ / Английский / 13-19 задание / 77

         Lyme Regis is a small town on the coast of southern England. Its rocky cliffs hold so many fossils – bones and skeletons of pre-historic animals like dinosaurs – that it is known today as the Jurassic Coast. During the first half of the 19^th century, a new branch of science was growing – paleontology. Scientists were studying the history of life on Earth by studying fossils. One of the people who made most impressive discoveries in this field was a young woman from Lyme Regis called Mary Anning.
         Mary Anning was born in 1799 in Lyme Regis. When she was a little girl, her father Richard Anning taught her how to collect fossils. The Anning family sold these fossils to visitors who came to their seaside town. Richard Anning was a furniture maker, and the family was poor. When he died in 1810, the family became even poorer. Both Mary and her brother did their best to make some money. They continued collecting fossils and were often able to sell them to local collectors, as well as tourists. Later, Mary Anning took over the fossil business.
         One of the fossils that Mary is most well known for having discovered, with some help from her brother, is the fossilized skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus – an ancient animal that lived in the sea. It was not the first skeleton of this animal to be discovered, but it was the first complete skeleton. What makes it even more impressive is that Mary was only about 12 years old when she discovered this 5- meter long skeleton!
         When she grew up, Mary Anning continued working alone, except for the times she guided scientists who came to see her. Her work was dangerous, especially after storms – the heavy rocks were unstable and often fell off the cliffs. This was how one day Mary lost her most faithful friend – her dog Tray.
         In the 19^th century the Geological Society of London did not allow women to be members. Besides being a woman, Anning was young and poor - from the lower class. Few people believed that a woman like her could know much about science. But she kept on working. Anning taught herself geology and anatomy and read all the scientific literature on geology that she could find. She classified her discoveries and drew scientific pictures of them.
         In 1823, she discovered the first skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, which was probably her greatest contribution to science. This discovery gave Mary the respect of the scientific community. Even though they did not want to take her seriously at first, after Mary’s discovery of the Plesiosaurus, they had no choice but to admit that she was a serious fossilist. However, this didn’t give her any official status or help her financially, and she remained poor till the end of her life.
         Mary Anning died in 1847 at the age of 47. Many of the fossils that she discovered are now in museums or in private collections.
         Today Mary Anning is known as one of the most important women scientists in British history.

13. Mary Anning discovered bones and skeletons of prehistoric animals.