英语听力：自然百科 猎豹与大羚羊的角力

It's morning in the Kalahari, and this female cheetah¹ has discovered that her cubs³ are growing ever more independent. She calls for them, but they've already gone out exploring. And they've discovered a wounded gemsbok that may have escaped from a lion. It's weak, but something tells them, they are still out of their league. They're intrigued⁴, but they don't know what to do. Its horns could be lethal⁵. It's too big, even for their mother to tackle. Eventually, their curiosity satisfied, they heed⁶ their mother, and leave the gemsbok to its fate.

现在喀拉哈里沙漠是早晨,一只母猎豹发现她的幼崽越来越独立。她呼唤他们,但他们却已经出去探索了。他们发现一只受伤的大羚羊，它可能刚从狮子的魔掌中逃脱。大羚羊非常虚弱，但一些东西告诉他们不要忘记自己出来的目的。他们马上对这只孱弱的动物感兴趣,但是他们不知道该做什么。铃羊可以致他们于死地。面对这个大角,甚至他们的母亲也会感到棘手。最后,他们的好奇心得到满足,他们注意到自己的母亲,离开了大羚羊。

Young male cheetahs⁷ like these often team up together. Whereas female cheetahs live solitary⁸ lives unless they have cubs. These two are probably brothers and partners for life. They hunt, go courting, and today, they are exploring together. The cheetah cubs have gone out hunting without their mother, and have come across a herd⁹ of gemsbok. And the hunt is on. They've caught a calf¹⁰, but they are about to find out that like their own mother, the calf's mother’s fierce, when her offspring are threatened.

像这样的年轻公猎豹经常会成群结队。而母猎豹则过着孤独的生活,除非她们有幼崽。这两只猎豹可能是兄弟或伙伴。他们打猎，互相追逐。而今天，他们正在一起探索。猎豹幼崽已经在没有母亲的陪伴下外出打猎,他们遇到了一群大羚羊。狩猎，追逐与被追逐马上上演。他们的战利品是一头小崽,但他们发现猎物的母亲异常暴躁,因为她的后代受到生命威胁。

She's desperate to free her youngster from the cheetah's strangling bite. The calf seems none the worsefor its adventure. And its mother turns her attention again to the cheetahs. The calf had a lucky escape. But the cheetahs have been fortunate as well. Gemsbok horns are deadly weapons. The cow could so easily have killed them.

她不顾一切的想要让她的幼仔摆脱猎豹的撕咬。小崽目前看起来性命攸关，她的母亲把注意力再次集中到了猎豹身上。小崽很侥幸地逃过一劫。但现在猎豹却很幸运，因为大羚羊的角是致命的武器，这些角可以轻而易举将他们置于死地。

When the cheetah cubs are about 18 months old, they are old enough to leave their mother, and to seek their own fortunes. Once they go, she may never see them again.

当猎豹幼崽大约有18个月大的时候,他们已经长大，并且必须离开他们的母亲自寻出路。一旦他们去的时候,母亲可能会再也见不到他们了。

词语解释：

cheetah n. 猎豹

cub² n. 幼仔

gemsbok n. 大羚羊

1 cheetah   

n.(动物)猎豹

参考例句：

• The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal.猎豹被公认是世界上跑得最快的动物。
• The distribution of the cheetah ranges from Africa to Central Asia.印度豹的足迹遍及从非洲到中亚的广大地区。

2 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

3 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

5 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

6 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

7 cheetahs   

n.（奔跑极快的）非洲猎豹( cheetah的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Unlike lions or cheetahs, leopards are secretive, solitary cats. 花豹不像狮子或印度豹，是属于较神秘而隐居的大猫。 来自互联网
• Among this lot are cheetahs, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, spotted hyenas and elephants. 印度豹、狮子、花豹、犀牛、斑点土狼、大象等，都是此地的居民。 来自互联网

8 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

9 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

10 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。