纪录片《恐龙的战争》 顽强防御（7）

Small and low-slung, this vegetarian¹ can not only survive a T. Rex attack,

矮小的甲龙不仅能抵御雷克斯霸王龙的攻击，

but sometimes it can even defeat one.

有时还能干掉一两个。

Its first line of defense² is a tanklike body.

它的第一道防线，就是这个坦克一样的身躯。

Its primary form of defending itself might be hunkering down onto the ground,

它主要的自我防御手段也许就是将腹部紧贴地面，

letting its armored body protect from the teeth and the claws of the Tyrannosaurus.

用身上的护甲来抵御霸王龙的尖牙和利爪的攻击。

Ankylosaurus' specialized³ armor is designed to be strong and lightweight.

甲龙的这种特殊的护甲不但坚硬，而且还很轻巧。

Skeletal plates embedded⁴ in the skin are aligned⁵ in regular rows down the neck, back, and hips⁶.

嵌在皮肤下的骨骼板沿着颈部，背部，臀部一路排列地整整齐齐。

Spaces between the plates allow this balky creature to move freely.

骨板之间的都留有空隙，可以让这个迟缓的生物行动自如。

While similar to scales found on today's crocodiles or alligators⁷,

尽管在现在的鳄鱼身上也与之构造相类似的鳞片，

the way these plates are constructed makes them much tougher.

但是那些骨板的特殊构造使得甲龙更顽强。

Ankylosaurus has not one, not two, but three layers of armor.

甲龙的护甲不是一层，也不是两层而是三层。

And the head is so protected by thick bone that not even an adult female T. Rex could inflict⁸ a killing⁹ bite.

它的头部被厚重的骨骼保护得很好，就算是雌性的成年雷克斯霸王龙无法给其致命一咬。

The plates are totally unlike the bones of mammals.

其装甲与哺乳动物的骨骼截然不同。

They're made of crisscrossing layers of minerals and collagen

它们是由矿物质和胶原蛋白构成的交错网层，

fibers¹⁰ made of protein that strengthen bone the way steel rods reinforce concrete.

而胶原蛋白是一种蛋白质纤维，它能像钢筋强化混凝土一样强化骨质。

It's a design used today in bulletproof jackets.

这也是当今防弹衣的设计原理。

Interwoven layers can absorb the power of a plercing attack.

相互交织的层面能吸收强有力的攻击。

Ankylosaurus pretty much was not afraid of anything because it would be very difficult to kill this beast.

甲龙几乎无所畏惧，因为要想杀掉这头野兽可不容易。

1 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

4 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

5 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

6 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

8 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。