英语听力：2013-06-09 完美捕食 Perfect Predators —17

 Mighty carnivores ruled a dangerous world in the Cretaceous Period. But being a super predator¹ like Tyrannosaurus Rex is not easy. 

 

Just surviving to adulthood² is a major feat³, one that takes a decade or more of killing⁴ and eating some of the meanest creatures that walk the earth. 

 

The hardest role in the ecosystem⁵ is top predator. Most of the time, you are almost starving. 

 

A carnivore knows that no prey⁶ animal gives up easily. Herbivores fight fearlessly because their lives depend on it. 

 

These are animals that have defenses. 

 

 

 

Ankylosaurus is a slow, lumbering⁷ plant eater. Its long slow body is covered in bony plates, and its tail packs a punch. 

 

Ankylosaurus itself has a huge mass of bone on the end of its tail and there’s no leg bone of Tyrannosaurus that would stand it. 

 

Predators⁸ of the Cretaceous are gigantic by our standard. Yet in stature⁹, they’re clearly outclassed by plant eaters. Carnivores though have one significant advantage—they got brains.

 

The armored dinosaurs¹⁰ are general, and Ankylosaurus, no exception here, were not bright dinosaurs.

 

They’re probably the dumbest dinosaurs ever lived. Their brains are really small for the size of their heads and their bodies. 

 

With preys¹¹ so stupid, predators don’t need to be geniuses. 

 

Ultimately, you really only need to be as smart or smarter than the animals that you are around. 

 

7 tons of Tyrannosaurus Rex can do a lot of damage, but a little extra brain can make a lot of difference. 

 

A T-Rex’s brain was actually a bit larger than a banana. 

 

T-Rex’s brain is just a thousandth of its body size, twenty times less brain power than human’s. Yet it’s significantly larger than those of its plant-eater prey. 

 

What we see in T-Rex is an advance. Its carnivore capabilities were greater, its ability to …

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

3 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

6 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。

7 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

8 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》

9 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

10 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 preys   

v.掠食( prey的第三人称单数 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• His misfortune preys upon his mind. 他的不幸使她心中苦恼。 来自辞典例句
• The owl preys on mice. 猫头鹰捕食老鼠。 来自辞典例句