纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（5）

Earning the right to reproduce means earning the right to impact the future of your species.

获得了繁殖的权利就代表获得了影响本物种未来的权利。

I suspect this whole dance had pretty much been choreographed¹ through their lives,

我猜这整套舞步是它们凭借自己的生活经验精心设计的，

where they came in and then locked horns and started pushing.

它们相互靠近，把角纠缠在一起 然后开始推撞。

And when bull meets bull, there could be, potentially, a long and prolonged fight, not just snorting...

当两头雄三角龙相遇时可能会爆发一场持久战，不只是怒吼着吓唬对方，

and they did snort...and pawing the ground, but thrusts and counterthrusts.

但它们的确会低吼然后脚扒着地，一场攻防战开始了。

Just kind of like an arm wrestle² using their horns.

就好比是它们在用角来进行着摔跤。

For males, with horns four feet long, six tons of muscle,and a shield made of solid bone, competing for a mate is full of risky³.

对头顶着一米长的犄角，体重达六吨并拥有密质骨盾牌的雄性三角龙来说，争夺配偶其实是生死之斗。

But for a female, creating the next generation, it means hard work and facing life-or-death choices.

但对雌性恐龙来说，传宗接代是项艰巨的任务，并要一直面对生死抉择。

Failure can mean bringing youngsters into a brutal⁴ world, a world where they simply don't stand a chance.

失败可能就意味着把幼崽带进了一个残酷的世界，一个对它们来说毫无生存机会的世界。

During the Cretaceous, dinosaurs⁵ evolved into the most physiologically⁶ advanced creatures in Earth's history.

在白垩纪时期，恐龙已进化成了地球上有史以来身体结构最先进的生物。

A Sauroposeidon can reach 18 meters tall, towering over its surroundings.

波塞东龙的身高可达十八米，足以睥睨周围的一切。

Quetzalcoatlus is a flying reptile⁷ as large as a giraffe.

披羽蛇翼龙是一种和长颈鹿一样大的会飞的爬行动物。

And Tyrannosaurus Rex is the most powerful carnivore to ever stalk the planet.

而雷克斯霸王龙则是地球上有史以来最强大的食肉动物。

All these traits are the result of evolution...adaptation over millions of generations.

所有这些特质都是经过数百万代的进化和适应的结果。

But evolution is harsh and ruthless, especially for males.

但进化是严酷无情的，尤其是对雄性恐龙来说。

One by one, natural selection and sexual selection leave the weak and the timid behind.

自然选择和性选择接二连三地淘汰了弱者和胆小鬼。

Most of the males are probably not going to be reproducing.

大部分雄性恐龙不可能会留下后代。

So if you're a male, the problem is making it into that small percentage that are actually going to be sending their genes⁸ to the next generation.

如果你是雄性恐龙，要挤进少数行列是一个难题，只有那样才能保证自己的基因会传给下一代。

Evolution doesn't like losers. It only works when the best genes are passed on to the next generation.

进化不喜欢失败者。只有当最优秀的基因被传承时生物才会进化。

It's the law of the jungle, and the spoils go to the victor.

这就是丛林法则战利品属于胜者。

The Darwinian calculuses⁹ of this...

达尔文得出了这样的结论，

if there's a large group of females there that you can control as one male, then you're gonna risk fighting another male.

如果你是一只雄性恐龙并控制着一大群雌性恐龙，那你就会有与其他雄性恐龙发生争斗的危险。

The payoff is so big. If you win, 20,30,40 cows. That's big.

但是回报很大。如果获胜就会妻妾成群，那很诱人。

The reward may be huge for the lucky male, but fatal accidents can and do happen.

对幸运的雄性恐龙来说，回报是巨大的，但致命事故也时常发生。

Trying to rule the pack can end very badly for a young novice¹⁰.

对年轻的新手来说，试图争做族群的首领，可能会死得很惨。

1 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句

2 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

5 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》

6 physiologically   

ad.生理上，在生理学上

参考例句：

• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder cannot be completely separated physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上不能完全分离。
• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder are closely related physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上紧密联系。

7 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

8 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

9 calculuses   

微积分（学）( calculus的名词复数 )； 结石，积石

参考例句：

• This external shock wave calculus breaking machine is for curing renal and biliary calculuses. 本发明是治疗人体肾结石和胆结石的体外冲击波碎石机。

10 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。