纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（11）

Physically¹, Parasaurolophus' horn is useless as a weapon.

从身体构造上来说，副栉龙的角作为武器来说毫无用途。

It's hollow and fragile, and just 2 millimeters thick.

它空心而脆弱，只有两毫米厚。

But as a communication device, it's a remarkably² effective form of defense³,

但是作为一个通讯设备，它是个非常有效的防御工具，

able to send out complex messages warning of danger or distress⁴.

它可以发出警示危险或求救的复杂讯息。

Over more than 1,000 generations, this crest⁵ grows longer,

经过一千代的发展，这种冠会长得更长，

and the sounds it emits grow deeper...low frequencies able to travel long distances.

而且它发出的声音会更低，可以传播很远距离的低频率。

Highly developed communication skills become a significant evolutionary⁶ advantage.

高度发展的通讯技术变成一种进化的有利条件。

And soon enough, females only want to mate with a guy with a good set of pipes.

很快，雌性只愿意与长着一套性能优良头冠的家伙交配。

It's a sound-generating organ.

这是一个发声器官。

It can't help but generate unusual sounds by blowing air through this tube.

没什么用，但是通过吹动从管道里的空气可以产生不寻常的声音。

And because each species has its own distinct shape, each species would have its own distinct sound.

因为每个物种都有自己独特的形状，每个物种也都会有自己独特的声音。

But just how did evolution create a bony crest able to produce sounds that can travel for kilometers?

但是进化是怎样创造了一个能产生声音并传播数公里远的骨冠呢？

They simply got bigger.

其实只需要长得更大。

On the outside, the tubes appear to be only about 90 centimeters long,

从外面看，骨管似乎只有90厘米长，

but on the inside, chambers⁸ loop back and forth⁹ creating as much as 2.5 meters of resonance¹⁰ or nature amplification¹¹.

但是在内部管腔曲折往复形成了长达2.5米的共振腔，或者说天然放大器。

Parasaurolophus' general resonant¹² frequency as low as 40 hertz, a sound almost as deep as a foghorn¹³.

副栉龙的共振频率一般低达40赫兹，这种声音几乎和雾角一样低了。

We can know actually model the kind of sound that resonating chamber⁷ would make and turns out the deep sound, low frequency sound.

我们可以模拟出共振腔所发出的声音然后制造出低音，低频的声音。

Low frequency sound wave can transmit for kilometers, even through dense¹⁴ forest.

低频声波可以传送几公里，即使是穿过茂密的森林。

These calls warn of intruders, a significant defensive¹⁵ advantage.

这些叫声能通知入侵的消息是一个重要的防御优势。

And often as dinosaurs¹⁷ evolved over thousands of years,

伴随着恐龙上千年的进化，

their physical advantage just provided more than just one use.

这种生理优势常常有不止一个用途。

For a Parasaurolophus, the traits that make survival in a savage¹⁸ world possible very soon become the very same traits that attract a mate.

对于副栉龙来说，这种在野蛮世界中存活的特质可能很快成为了吸引配偶的完全相同的特质。

For a healthy male, a communication device doubles as the perfect tool for wooing the opposite sex.

对一头健康的雄性来说，通讯设备同样也是吸引异性最完美的工具。

This trombone-like structure growing out of the back of the head was used for making dinosaur¹⁶ music during courtship.

这个像长号一样的结构长在头的后面，是求偶期用来创造恐龙音乐的。

The males would be calling during the breeding season, attempting to influence multiple females.

雄性在求偶期将要发出叫声，试图吸引一些雌性。

And the females are calling to challenge the males to prove themselves.

雌性会回应雄性并让雄性证明它们自己。

'Cause the fundamental fact of courtship is that males lie and females are skeptical¹⁹,

因为求偶期最基本的事实就是雄性爱撒谎和雌性多疑，

so the skeptical females force the male to go through more and more hoops²⁰ and loops and hoops...to persuade the female to mate.

所以多疑的雌性会强迫雄性通过越来越多的考验，为了说服雌性与之交配。

It's called sexual selection.

这叫性选择。

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

3 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。

4 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

5 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

6 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

8 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

9 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

10 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

11 amplification   

n.扩大，发挥

参考例句：

• The voice of despair may be weak and need amplification.绝望的呼声可能很微弱，需要扩大。
• Some of them require further amplification.其中有些内容需进一步详细阐明。

12 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

13 foghorn   

n..雾号（浓雾信号）

参考例句：

• The foghorn boomed out its warning.雾角鸣声示警。
• The ship foghorn boomed out.船上的浓雾号角发出呜呜声。

14 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

15 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

16 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

17 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》

18 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

19 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

20 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）