纪录片《南太平洋》 第36期 四海为家（04）

Although somewhat precariously¹!

这样居住或许太过冒险

Did any of these animals ever travel east to other islands?

是否有动物向东迁徒到其它岛屿仍不得而知

Around 300 species of reptile² thrive within this hot house, including the ubiquitous mourning gecko.

近300种爬行动物在这里繁衍生息，包括无处不在的鳞趾壁虎

It is a highly-adaptable creature

它有着极高的生存能力

but did it have the tools, stamina³ and luck to survive being a castaway?

然而成功的漂流需要工具，体力还有运气

One animal certainly did. Humans.

有一种动物无疑能做到这些。那就是人类。

Despite only arriving in New Guinea 40,000 years ago,

尽管在4万年前才到达新几内亚

humans were soon established throughout the island's maze⁴ of hidden valleys.

但人类很快在这里站稳了脚跟

Today, these people are known as Papuans

这就是众所周知的巴布亚人

and together speak over 700 different languages - more than any other island on Earth.

当地流通的700多种语言令他们成为世界上拥有最多语言种类的岛民

Yet, despite their mastery of the island,

尽管巴布亚人熟识全岛

there was one creature they lived in awe⁵ of - the giant man-eating crocodile.

他们却十分敬畏岛上的一种动物，巨型食人鳄

Even today, young men must endure a brutal⁶ initiation⁷ ceremony,

即使在今天，岛内的年轻人也必须要接受野蛮的成人仪式

in the beliefe that they will acquire the strength and guile⁸ of these giant reptiles⁹.

他们相信可以此获得这些巨型爬行动物的力量和狡诈。

1 precariously   

adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地

参考例句：

• The hotel was perched precariously on a steep hillside. 旅馆危险地坐落在陡峭的山坡上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The phone was perched precariously on the window ledge. 电话放在窗台上，摇摇欲坠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

4 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

5 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

6 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。

7 initiation   

n.开始

参考例句：

• her initiation into the world of marketing 她的初次涉足营销界
• It was my initiation into the world of high fashion. 这是我初次涉足高级时装界。

8 guile   

n.诈术

参考例句：

• He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
• A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术；强盗用武力。

9 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》