【英语时差8,16】为什么同类相残不常见（下）

For years, biologists have suspected that the answer has to do with disease. Many diseases are species-specific, infecting only animals of the same species. Perhaps the risks of catching¹ a species-specific disease by eating your same-species neighbor outweigh² the benefits of such a nutritionally complete meal. A study of so-called “tiger salamanders” explored this theory. Tiger salamanders are interesting because if they grow up in over-crowded conditions, they can change into so-called “cannibal morphs”–big salamanders with extra-wide mouths, perfect for munching³ other salamanders. The study found that cannibal salamanders were likely to die earlier than their non-cannibal peers, precisely⁴ because of the risks of catching a disease from their dinner. What’s more, cannibal morphs showed a marked preference for dining on salamanders of a different species, rather than dining on their own. So what’s the moral? Don’t eat your neighbor. It’s hazardous⁵ to your health.

 

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

3 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

4 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

5 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。