英语听力：探索发现 2013-02-15 猛玛象进城记 Mammoths to Manhattan—8

 Just over 500 years ago, Europeans arrived in North America. And with these colonizers came an animal that hadn’t been seen here for thousands of years. The horse returned to the Americas, now tamed and carrying the Spanish conquistadors. This new form of transport was rapidly adopted by the native people, which was bad news for some native animals. 

 

Bison had once lived alongside the wild horses of North America, and had prospered¹ at the end of the Ice Age while the horses became extinct. But now the new tame horse became the bison’s enemy.

 

The horse’s speed and stamina² gave native people an advantage over their prey³ that they never had before. 

 

The horse was an even bigger ally to the increasing number of European settlers spreading out across the continent. They killed millions of bison for their meat and hides.

1 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

2 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

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。