纪录片《我们的地球》 第344期 广袤草原(9)

With summer drawing to a close, the race to stock up is on.

夏天即将结束，储备食物的竞赛已然打响。

Soon, the grass will wither¹, and this opportunity will have gone.

草很快就会枯萎，屯食良机转瞬即逝。

As the dry season takes hold, food becomes increasingly thin on the ground.

到了旱季，地面的食物愈发稀缺。

Now, only the most specialised predators² on the plains can make a living.

只有在真正身怀绝技的草原捕猎者才能维持生活。

She may be spotted³ like a cheetah⁴, but this cat is no sprinter⁵.

她虽然形似猎豹，但这只猫并非短跑能手。

Instead, she has extra-long legs which give her a high vantage point.

相反，修长的四肢给予她独特的猎捕优势。

But a serval cat's main weapon are enormous radar⁶ ears.

不过薮猫最主要的武器是她雷达般的双耳。

They help her pinpoint⁷ prey⁸ hiding in the grass.

能精确定位草丛中猎物的藏身之处。

But the prey she seeks are canny⁹. Southern vlei rats.

可是她的猎物十分机警。非洲沟齿沼鼠。

They know that any sustained movement can give them away.

他们知道持续移动会暴露行踪。

So they move in short bursts.

于是选择短距离爆冲。

But even the slightest rustle¹⁰ will give her a clue.

但是最细微的窸窣声也会被薮猫察觉。

Warm. Warmer. Missed.

快找到了。更接近了。没抓到。

In better times, she could catch 10 a day,

形势好的时候，她一天能抓十只，

but now, with so few rodents¹¹ around, she will have to go hungry.

但现在啮齿动物数量极少，她只能挨饿了。

1 wither   

vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡

参考例句：

• She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。
• In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。

2 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》

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 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。

5 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网

6 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

7 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

8 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。

9 canny   

adj.谨慎的，节俭的

参考例句：

• He was far too canny to risk giving himself away.他非常谨慎，不会冒险暴露自己。
• But I'm trying to be a little canny about it.但是我想对此谨慎一些。

10 rustle   

v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声

参考例句：

• She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。
• He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

11 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句