纪录片《恐龙的战争》 完美捕食（4）

Tyrannosaurus Rex is a carnivorous monster that uses sheer force to overpower well-defended prey¹.

雷克斯霸王龙这种食肉巨兽完全凭力量征服防御良好的猎物。

It's unlike any other creature that has walked the planet. T. Rex is different.

它和地球上任何一种生物都不一样。雷克斯霸王龙很特别。

Something about Tyrannosaurs and Tyrannosaurus Rex itself is different than other predatory dinosaurs².

霸王龙和雷克斯霸王龙身上有种和其它肉食恐龙完全不同的地方。

But for such a celebrated³ killer⁴, able to take on the toughest creatures of the Cretaceous,

但对这个让人闻风丧胆能拿下白垩纪最坚韧的生物的杀戮者而言，

some things just don't add up. It's slow.

有一点很不相称。它行动缓慢。

With a top speed, not much more than 25 kilometres per hour, A T. Rex couldn't even outrun a fit human.

如果以最快速度25公里每小时奔跑，雷克斯霸王龙甚至跑不过一个健壮的人类。

It's also unwieldy, requiring a full two seconds to make a 45-degree turn.

它还很笨拙，转身四十五度需要花整整两秒钟。

If a T. Rex were to fall over while chasing a prey item, it might seriously wound itself.

如果雷克斯霸王龙追捕猎物时摔倒可能会伤到自己。

And its hands, with only two fingers are completely useless for gripping prey.

它的前爪只有两根手指，根本无法抓住猎物。

After its giant size and its huge teeth,

除了庞大身型和巨大牙齿外，

the thing we most notice about T. Rex are its dinky, little arms, these tiny,

雷克斯霸王龙最能引起我们注意的是它短小的手臂，

little arms that can't even reach its mouth.

这些小小的胳膊连自己嘴巴都够不着。

The giant T. Rex is a baffling creature. There has to be more to this killer.

庞大的雷克斯霸王龙是种令人费解的生物。对这位杀戮者来说，还有许多未解之谜。

How did this giant mouth on legs become the dreaded⁵ butcher of the Cretaceous?

这张会行走的血盆大口如何成为白垩纪时期可怕的屠夫？

Was it raw power, its shark-like jaws⁶, or something else entirely⁷?

是它生来就有如此大力是因为它鲨鱼样的颌骨，还是另有它解？

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

5 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

6 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。