英语听力：自然百科 野性俄罗斯之西伯利亚 Siberia—17（在线收听） |
Three thousand five hundred meters up in the Sayan Mountains near the Russian-Mongolian border, Siberian ibex search for food. They scratch a living from the meager grasses on the sunnier south facing slopes. But some have a different sort of appetite. A big male checks out his group of females. For an ibex, foreplay means about thirty minutes of hitting, screaming, and urinating.While the alpha male's back is turned, a young pretender tries to muscle in on the action. But his clumsy advance alerts the boss. Time to move on. At high altitudes, the temperature is always punishing. But now, all across Siberia, the big freeze returns, in some places dropping to minus 60 degree Celsius. The waters of Baikal slowly glaze over, and will soon form an ice blanket nearly a meter thick.Snow reclaims the mountains and sweeping forests. But for some, the fun's just starting, wild boar.
These coarse-haired beasts have no complaints about the cold. They grow thicker winter fur to cope with the snow. A tough disk of cartilage turns their snout into a digging tool. They can easily plow through snow and ice to sniff out their supper. They have an omnivorous diet. If they can find it, they'll eat it.
Their scene inadvertently helps the ecosystem by dispersing seeds around their habitat. Even the youngest piglets enjoy a rump, although they are very sensitive to cold.
Eventually, they'll have the benefit of the adults’ bushy cant. While this heavy sleeps and naps, the youngsters test their mental, preparing for their eventful shot, the big time. |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/zrbaike/2011/259900.html |