侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第53期:有屋顶的蜥蜴

 There's nothing in the world today that looks like a Stegosaurus.

如今地球上没有什么动物长得和剑龙相似。

And it just was so peculiar¹ with that long cone²-shaped head and this big curved back and these short front legs and long back legs, those plates on the back and the spikes³ on the tail.

它那长锥形头部、又大又弯的背部短小的前腿长长的后腿、背部的骨板还有尾巴上的尖刺都非常特别。

It was just so different from anything known past or present that it's sort of an icon⁴ of the Jurassic.

它同过去和如今的任何生物都大为不同它可算是侏罗纪的标志。

Its name means roof lizard⁵ after the seventeen plates arranged in a double row along its back.

其名字意为有屋顶的蜥蜴，因其背上两排十七块骨板而得名。

These plates ranged in height from ten centimeters to almost a meter and gave Stegosaurus its unique appearance.

这些骨板的高度从十厘米到将近一米赋予了剑龙独一无二的外观。

Their exact function is still a mystery.

它们的具体功能仍是个迷。

Some people think they look sexy, perhaps female Stegosaurs really liked the look of the plates on the male Stegosaurus.

有些人认为这让它们更性感，也许雌剑龙喜欢雄剑龙带着骨板的样子。

Some people think that perhaps it played a role in thermal⁶ regulation, that is heating up or cooling down the animal.

有些人认为骨板可能有热调节功能能让该动物升温或散热。

Uh, And of course, to some degree, they would have played a defensive⁷ role in the sense

当然在一定程度上它们也有防护功能，从这方面来说，

that they would've been very hard to bite should you try to bite that part of the Stegosaur.

要想咬到剑龙的那部分会非常地不好下嘴。

Personally, I favor the the sexiness hypothesis, it's kind of more fun to say.

我个人更喜欢性感假设说起来更有意思。

The Stegosaurus found at the site stood four and a half meters tall, measured about nine meters in length and weighed three tons.

在石场发现的剑龙高四米半长达九米、重量为三吨。

Their front legs were shorter than their rear, making them slow moving but far from helpless.

它们的前腿比后腿短这让它们行动迟缓但也绝非易于之辈。

Stegosaurs are very much like their armored cousin the ankylosaurs in having very small forelegs and very long hind⁸ legs.

剑龙的前腿很短而后腿又很长，这一点很像它们带甲的亲戚甲龙。

This allows them to move the front quarters around, pivoted⁹ around a small point and use the long legs to move the back end very fast around that same point.

这样它们能够以一个支点为中心移动身体前部并且绕着同一点用长腿快速移动身体末端。

But keep the tail pointed¹⁰ toward what they're attacking.

它们就能把尾巴一直对准攻击对象。

And what a tail they had.

这尾巴可不一般。

They had four spines¹¹ sticking out the very end of the tail.

在尾巴的末端支出四根长刺。

In fact, the last two spines stuck past the point of the tail.

其实最后两根长刺都伸到了尾巴末端之后。

The time was filled with predators¹².

当时充斥着许多掠食者。

At the watering hole, Stegosaurus had one main means of defence - its tail spikes, four cone shaped points, a meter long.

在水坑处，剑龙有一种主要的防御手段——它的尾刺四枚锥形尖刺长达一米。

Those are the greatest dinosaur¹³ weapons ever found.

这些是被发现的最厉害的恐龙武器。

These spikes are incredible weapons, by swinging that tail, if he strikes you with them, you're done for.

这些尾刺是出色的武器它会摆动尾巴，用尾刺猛击你你就完了。

Those spikes could penetrate¹⁴ bone, they could penetrate flesh and they could cause an injury that would end the attacker's life.

这些刺能击穿骨头能刺透血肉，它们能造成严重损伤终结攻击者的生命。

It'd be like a big spiked¹⁵ mace¹⁶ and I don't mean the stuff you spray, you know, on muggers.

这就像一根钉锤，这可不是遇到劫道者时喷的辣椒水什么的。

But rather a more medieval weapon, a big club with pointy parts on it.

而是中世纪的那种武器在粗大的木杆上装上尖刺那种。

I think it's really quite what it would've like to have been hit by the end of the Stegosaur tail.

我觉得那样击打的效果和剑龙尾巴末端造成的差不多。

1 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

2 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

3 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

5 lizard   

n.蜥蜴，壁虎

参考例句：

• A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。

6 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

7 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。

8 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

9 pivoted   

adj.转动的，回转的，装在枢轴上的v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的过去式和过去分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开

参考例句：

• His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling. 他一把把地拉着，两条老迈的腿儿和肩膀跟着转动。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• When air is moving, the metal is pivoted on the hinge. 当空气流动时，金属板在铰链上转动。 来自辞典例句

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

15 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

16 mace   

n.狼牙棒，豆蔻干皮

参考例句：

• The sword and mace were favourite weapons for hand-to-hand fighting.剑和狼牙棒是肉搏战的最佳武器。
• She put some mace into the meat.她往肉里加了一些肉豆蔻干皮。