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.
没有飞行能力的渡渡鸟16世纪末在印度洋岛国毛里求斯被发现。不过，在被发现短短几十年后，这种鸟就彻底灭绝了。据说在人类到达这个岛国之前，渡渡鸟体形庞大，因为岛上有大量丰富的食物供它们享用，而且没有天敌与它们搏斗。
今日短语
如果说一个东西 as dead as dodo, 意思就是这个东西已经不再重要了，过时了。我们通常使用这个短语来谈论思想或潮流。
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.
请注意
我们用 dead duck 来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.
