纪录片《卧底企鹅帮》 第32期 蹒跚学步(15)

Gulls¹ watch for any lapse² of concentration.

海鸥等待着企鹅分散注意力

They snatch a chick the moment a back is turned.

母亲一转身，孩子就被海鸥叼走了

Skuas add to the mounting toll³...

贼鸥也抢走了不少小企鹅

And soon, some pairs are left without any chicks at all.

很快，有些企鹅一个孩子都没有了

The bereaved⁴ couples are desperate.

失去孩子的企鹅很绝望

They look for another chick to care for,

它们寻找其他孩子来照顾

and they don't mind if it's someone else's.

即使是别人的孩子也无所谓

They plan a kidnap.

它们计划抢一个

The mother's defence is to sit tight and stop her chick being stolen.

妈妈的防御方法就是坐稳，不让孩子被抢走

But the kidnappers⁵ won't be put off easily.

但这些偷孩子的并不轻言放弃

Just in time, her partner returns, spruced up from the shower.

它的伴侣及时赶了回来，洗得干干净净

He takes on the would-be kidnappers.

它来对付这个绑架未遂的家伙

The fight gets even more heated, but there are few tougher than a Rockhopper.

战斗已经进入了白热化阶段，却鲜少有跳岩企鹅那样激烈

They can take the punishment, as well as dish it out.

他们要么挨打要么进攻

The baby-snatchers have had enough and the male returns to his mate.

偷孩子的企鹅打够了，雄企鹅回到了它的伴侣身边

He might need another shower, but at least his chick is safe.

它可能还要再洗一次澡，不过起码孩子安全了

Kidnapping is also rife⁶ in the Emperor colony.

在帝企鹅群中，抢夺幼崽也是很普遍的

The newly-walking chicks are irresistible⁷ to females

对那些丢失幼雏或不能孵育的企鹅来说

that have lost their own chicks or failed to breed.

刚学会走路的小企鹅可是具有极大吸引力

The mother tries to repel⁸ the kidnappers with a few well-aimed pecks.

孩子的亲妈试图击退这些绑匪

But they won't give up.

但它们并不会放弃

And others had the same idea.

其他企鹅也有同样的想法

The chick heads for the main colony, hoping to find protection among the crowds.

幼雏奔回企鹅群，希望寻求保护

She disappears in a mass of bodies and reappears alone.

它消失于企鹅群之中，又独自跑了出来

But it's only for a moment.

但没过多久

A large crowd has gathered, all trying to adopt the chick.

一大堆企鹅就聚集了过来，都想收养这只小企鹅

She's soon overwhelmed by doting⁹ admirers.

它很快就被众企鹅淹没

1 gulls   

n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A flock of sea gulls are hovering over the deck. 一群海鸥在甲板上空飞翔。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The gulls which haunted the outlying rocks in a prodigious number. 数不清的海鸥在遥远的岩石上栖息。 来自辞典例句

2 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 bereaved   

adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物）

参考例句：

• The ceremony was an ordeal for those who had been recently bereaved. 这个仪式对于那些新近丧失亲友的人来说是一种折磨。
• an organization offering counselling for the bereaved 为死者亲友提供辅导的组织

5 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

7 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

8 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

9 doting   

adj.溺爱的，宠爱的

参考例句：

• His doting parents bought him his first racing bike at 13.宠爱他的父母在他13岁时就给他买了第一辆竞速自行车。
• The doting husband catered to his wife's every wish.这位宠爱妻子的丈夫总是高度满足太太的各项要求。