国家地理 猎豹与大羚羊的角力

It's morning in the Kalahari, and this female cheetah¹ has discovered that her cubs² 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 intrigued³, but they don't know what to do. Its horns could be lethal⁴. It's too big, even for their mother to tackle. Eventually, their curiosity satisfied, they heed⁵ their mother, and leave the gemsbok to its fate.

这是早晨的喀拉哈里沙漠，母猎豹发现自己的幼崽越来越独立。她呼唤他们，但他们已经出去探险了。他们发现了一只受伤的大羚羊，它可能刚摆脱一头狮子。它很虚弱，但似乎有些东西告诉他们，他们仍然无法与之匹敌。他们很好奇，但不知道该怎么办。它的角可能会让他们丧命。它太大了，甚至连他们的妈妈都没法对付。最终，他们的好奇心得到了满足，听从了母亲的意见，让大羚羊自生自灭。

Young male cheetahs⁶ like these often team up together. Whereas female cheetahs live solitary⁷ 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 herd⁸ of gemsbok. And the hunt is on. They've caught a calf⁹, but they are about to find out that like their own mother, the calf's mother's fierce, when her offspring are threatened.

这些年轻的雄性猎豹经常一起组队。而雌性猎豹却过着独居生活，除非它们有幼崽。他们俩可能是一辈子的兄弟和伴侣。他们打猎、恋爱，今天，他们一起探索。猎豹幼崽们外出狩猎没有和妈妈一起，遇到了一群大羚羊。狩猎开始了。他们抓住了一头幼崽，但他们马上就发现，当幼崽受到威胁时，幼崽的母亲就像他们自己的母亲一样凶猛。

She's desperate to free her youngster from the cheetah's strangling bite. The calf seems none the worse for 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.

她不顾一切地想把她的孩子从猎豹口中解救出来。目前的遭遇似乎没有使幼崽的情况恶化。它的妈妈又把注意力转向猎豹。幼崽幸运地逃脱了。但是猎豹也很幸运。大羚羊角是致命的武器。那头母兽本可以轻而易举把他们杀了。

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18个月大的时候，它们已经长大，可以离开它们的母亲，去闯荡世界。一旦他们走了，她可能再也见不到他们了。

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 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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

7 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。

8 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。

9 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。