英语听力文摘 English Digest 18、蛇的第六感

　　Picture this: A foraging¹ squirrel comes into range of a hungry, coiled rattlesnake. The squirrel realizes the danger too late--the rattlesnake strikes out and bites, fangs² pumping venom³ deep into the squirrel's small body.
The poison doesn't kill immediately, but the squirrel's death warrant is signed all the same. Even as he squirms away from the snake and bounds to his hiding place in the underbrush, the venom works its way through his system, dissolving his tissues and eventually killing⁴ him.
Meanwhile the snake slithers after the departed squirrel, taking his time. Uncannily, he homes right in on the squirrel's hiding place. How did the snake know where his prey⁵ was hiding? Do snakes have some kind of magical sixth sense?
Actually, snakes DO have a kind sixth sense, but it has nothing to do with magic.
Although snakes often have very sharp vision, a sense of smell, and a sensitivity to heat and vibrations⁶, their most important sensory⁷ system is one that we humans don't share with them at all. This sixth sense is called the "vomeronasal system," and the sense organs for this are two tiny, bulb-shaped structures located on the roof of the snake's mouth. This sensory system is somewhat similar to smell--in that it senses the presence of chemicals in the snake's environment. Snakes can use this extra sense to detect the faint chemical traces left by departing prey, or they can use it to track down a mate.
On our next program we'll learn how snakes use their flicking⁸, forked tongue to aid this sixth sense in the quest for prey.

1 foraging   

v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句

2 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 venom   

n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨

参考例句：

• The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
• In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

6 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

8 flicking   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• He helped her up before flicking the reins. 他帮她上马，之后挥动了缰绳。
• There's something flicking around my toes. 有什么东西老在叮我的脚指头。