国家地理:Real-Life CSI: Hunter & Hunted: Gator Attack 鳄鱼攻击

Almost ninety percent of all alligators² die in their first two years of life, falling prey³ to other predators⁴ including their own. But normally they don't prey on humans, so why would an alligator¹ attack a woman.

Yovy Jimenez's fatal encounter is the first ever by an alligator in the Fort Lauderdale area. The attacks shock the community. Only seventeen people have been killed by alligators in the last half century. But before authorities could make sense of the attack, another incident. This time, just north of Tampa Bay. Fred Filderbs lives on the bank of a small suburban⁵ canal.

"My wife saw what appeared to be a pair of pants floating in the water right out of our kitchen window about one o'clock on Saturday. I didn't think anything of it."

But the next morning, on Mother's Day, an unsettling discovery was moments away.

"My wife was still asleep, and so were the kids. I went to the street to get the paper, and Bailey, the dog that I'm watching bolted to the backyard. I said 'Oh, I'd better (to) make sure he is OK', so I ran to the backyard."

The dog had led Fred back to the canal.

"And I looked at that, that's um...that looks like a pair of pants floating on the water. And then just something clicked. That's not what it appears to be. So I ran up to the house and I'm screaming at my wife 'get up, get up, get up, there are something in the pond, I think it's a body.' She, she quickly got up and ran down to the scene, and she said 'Oh, no, those were the pants I saw by those tree though, and then there, her sneaker comes just raised above the water. I said 'oh, man, that's not, that's somebody's body."

How did this person end up in Fred Filderbs' backyard canal? Authorities determine the body belongs to 43-year-old Judy Cooper. Like Yovy Jimenez, severe bite marks to Judy's remains⁶ also show that an alligator was involved. Incredibly, two women seemed to have fallen victim to alligators just within days of each other. The odds⁷ are astonishing. Lethal⁸ attacks are extremely rare, but then, on the same day, a third victim...

1 alligator   

n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)

参考例句：

• She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

2 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 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》

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

8 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。