英语听力：探索发现 2013-02-03 猛玛象进城记 Mammoths to Manhattan—3

 But even on its own, a mammoth¹ was still highly dangerous and an attack required stealth and teamwork. One of the hunters may have acted as a decoy, distracting the animal while others surrounded it. These hunters had another trick up their sleeve. Using a specially² crafted wooden stick called an atlatl, they were able to launch sharp pointed³ darts⁴ more than 40 meters. So we know these people were efficient hunters, but could they really have wiped out all the mammoths of the North American continent?

 

Today the remains⁵ of mammoths, in particular their tusks⁶, may help answer that question. To read the clues contained within these tusks, you need to look at the mammoths’ closest living relative, the elephant.

 

Elephant tusks grow throughout their lives, with the tip being the oldest part. Mammoth tusks show the same pattern of growth as modern elephants. Each year of life is represented by a ring, just like tree rings. 

 

But tusks can also be a record of the most stressful period in an elephant’s life. As bulls mature, they are forced out of the family group and have to fight to survive. During this stressful time, they don’t have so much energy for growth, so the space between each ring is narrower.

1 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

2 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 darts   

n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）