国家地理-2008-07-03 Mating Moments 求偶时刻

Ok, here is the clinic for you guys out there on the “Dos and Don’ts” of finding emotional joy and carnal fulfillment in its most primitive¹ form, if you get my drift.

 This male wildebeest dashes up to this herd² of females, oblivious³ to the fact that other wildebeest males consider him about as welcome as a plague of locusts⁴. See? You can't just move in on another guy's turf without getting, you know, clipped. But of course, our hero doesn't get the message, and doesn't stop trying to conjugate⁵ the verb. He humps, they dump. (Of) Course, he leaps to his feet, as if to say "Huh, yeah, I meant to do that. No problem. It's under control. I'm cool." "Yeah, right. "

 The male springbok antelope⁶, however, has it all worked out. His mating strategy is to gently touch flanks of the female as a way of asking if she wants to do what comes naturally. If we could put words to his actions:

 "Ok, are you ready? Ah em, no? Ok, how about now? That's been five seconds. Ok, um, how about now? Now? Is now OK? Ok, how about now? Ok, I'm gonna take that for a yes. That, well,ok... Oops. Huh hem⁷, wait a minute, it's ... Ok, standing⁸ still can also be a signal, so uh... Yeah, you know, I'd better go back to that leg thing."

 In case you wonder just how primal⁹ the lust¹⁰ for the female really is, consider these two male lions. Pals¹¹, hunting partners. You know, they're classic best buds, nothing can come between them. That is until this Venus of the veldt. This leonine, a bit of feminine flush struts¹² her stuff before the two of them. And then...

 Years of brotherly comradery torn asunder¹³ in seconds, slaughtered¹⁴ by Cupid's bow. The loser slinks away to lick his wounds. He's lost the girl and his best friend. Eh, but wait a minute. Haho, another female! No, she is just here to toss another shovelful¹⁵ of dirt on the coffin¹⁶. Some days, you just can't win for losing.

 Vocabulary Mix:

drift: General meaning or purport¹⁷; tenor¹⁸. 大意：大致的意思或要旨；目的.

 wildebeest: Either of two large African antelopes(Connochaetes gnou  or C. taurinus)  having a drooping¹⁹ mane and beard, a long tufted tail, and curved horns in both sexes.牛羚，角马：两种非常大的非洲羚羊之一（角马属 白尾角马 或 角马属 斑纹角马） 属，有飘垂的鬃须，长而成簇的尾，雌雄性皆有弯角

springbok: A small brown and white gazelle(Antidorcas marsupialis)  of southern Africa, noted²⁰ for its habit of repeatedly leaping high into the air when startled. 小瞪羚：一种产于非洲南部小的棕白色瞪羚（跳羚 瞪羚属） ，因受惊时习惯性地反复跃入空中而闻名

1 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

2 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

3 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

4 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 conjugate   

vt.使成对，使结合；adj.共轭的，成对的

参考例句：

• A partition that is its own conjugate is ealled self-conjugate.一个分析如与其自身共轭称为自共轭。
• It is important to learn to conjugate irregular verbs.学会不规则动词的变化是相当重要的。

6 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

7 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 primal   

adj.原始的；最重要的

参考例句：

• Jealousy is a primal emotion.嫉妒是最原始的情感。
• Money was a primal necessity to them.对于他们，钱是主要的需要。

10 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

11 pals   

n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙

参考例句：

• We've been pals for years. 我们是多年的哥们儿了。
• CD 8 positive cells remarkably increased in PALS and RP(P CD8+细胞在再生脾PALS和RP内均明显增加(P 来自互联网

12 struts   

（框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄

参考例句：

• The struts are firmly braced. 那些支柱上得很牢靠。
• The Struts + EJB framework is described in part four. 三、介绍Struts+EJB框架的技术组成：Struts框架和EJB组件技术。

13 asunder   

adj.分离的，化为碎片

参考例句：

• The curtains had been drawn asunder.窗帘被拉向两边。
• Your conscience,conviction,integrity,and loyalties were torn asunder.你的良心、信念、正直和忠诚都被扯得粉碎了。

14 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 shovelful   

n．一铁铲

参考例句：

• Should I put another shovelful of coal on the fire? 我要再往火里添一铲煤吗？

16 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

17 purport   

n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是...

参考例句：

• Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.许多理论都标榜以单一的原因解释生长。
• Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

18 tenor   

n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意

参考例句：

• The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。
• The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

19 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

20 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。