国家地理:Wild: Battle of the Bears 熊族内战

A steep sided forest, rapidly narrowing as it descended¹, it was a place that immediately made Madison nervous.
It's a kind of place that just intrinsically leaves you feeling ill at ease because there's not much of an easy way to get out, once you get in.
Madison knew that Hudu creek² was rife³ with bear activity and bears were David Madison's business. As soon as he reached the bottom of the drainage, he knew that something was wrong.
There was the stench of death, an incredibly distinctive⁴ kind of odor, almost a palpable thick odor.
Madison tracked the smell to its source. And that's when he saw it -- lying on the forest floor was a severed⁵ paw. It was sheared⁶ off just above the wrist. From the size Madison could tell it came from a large bear. The short claws meant it was a black bear, but where was the rest of it? No other remains⁷ were visible. Madison has spent most of his working life studying bears. In spite of the dangers, he pressed on.
1000 feet away, deeper into the drainage, he made another strange discovery.
There was a severed black bear's head. The body was nowhere to be seen. The bear's head was perched on a pile of debris⁸ surrounded by sticks and dirt, almost like a display.
One of the most macabre⁹ things I'd ever seen.
The removal of the head and paws was the sort of thing a big game hunter might do, but what sort of hunter would leave the most obvious trophies¹⁰ and make off with the body? There was only one logical answer, a hunter that wanted to eat it.


intrinsically: (adv.) Of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent. 本质的
palpable: (a.) Easily perceived; obvious 明白的很容易察觉的, 明显的
macabre: (a.) Suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome 恐怖的，阴森森的

1 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

2 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

3 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

4 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

5 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 sheared   

v.剪羊毛( shear的过去式和过去分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• A jet plane sheared the blue sky. 一架喷气式飞机划破蓝空。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The pedal had sheared off at the pivot. 踏板在枢轴处断裂了。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

9 macabre   

adj.骇人的，可怖的

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards.他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'.达尔先生以成人恐怖小说集《意料之外的故事》闻名于世。

10 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》