时差N小时 扰人的雄鸡打鸣(下)

Most people assume that roosters are programmed to crow at the first sign of sunlight to announce the dawning of a new day, or some such romantic notion.

大多数人都会认为每当第一缕阳光照耀大地，公鸡就会按规律打鸣表示崭新一天的开始。除此之外还有很多关于此浪漫的传说。

Like all birds, roosters call in a daily cycle determined¹ by circadian rhythms.

和其他鸟类一样，公鸡每天打鸣的习惯是由生理节律所决定。

That is, a rooster's internal clock allows it to anticipate the sunrise and prepare for another exciting day of looking for food.

公鸡的生物钟让它期待日出，以此为契机开始新一天的觅食。

扰人的雄鸡打鸣.jpgBut why must roosters crow as they prepare to start their day, and why do some roosters sound off before dawn?

但是，为什么公鸡会打鸣，而且这一时间点是在黎明前呢？

Roosters are territorial² creatures and don't much like other roosters trespassing³ on their land.

公鸡是具有领地意识的动物，决不许其它公鸡侵犯自己的领地。

They crow in order to establish their domain⁴ and warn other roosters to stay away or prepare to brawl⁵.

为了守护自己的地盘，警告其它公鸡远离进而避免争斗。

And because their internal clocks are sometimes set a bit early, some roosters begin crowing well before sunrise.

而且公鸡的生物钟有时候设置得早一些，所以有些公鸡是在日出前打鸣。

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

3 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

4 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

5 brawl   

n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂

参考例句：

• They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
• I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。