纪录片《我们的地球》 第343期 广袤草原(8)

On the African savannah, too,

非洲稀树草原亦是如此，

seasonal¹ grasses are filled with life, but it won't last long.

应季时草地生命丰富多彩，但却不会持续太久。

Carmine² bee-eaters are superb aerial hunters, experts at catching³ insects in midair.

红喉蜂虎是卓越的空中猎手，十分擅长捕食飞行中的昆虫。

But they have no way of flushing their prey⁴ out of the grass.

但它们无法将猎物赶出草丛。

Once alarmed, most insects stay put.

一旦警觉起来，大多数昆虫会静止不动。

The bee-eaters need someone to stir things up a bit.

红喉蜂虎需要找帮手来捣乱。

A kori bustard. It's the world's heaviest flying bird,

一只灰颈鹭鸨。它是世界上体重最大的飞禽，

so it should be bulky enough to kick up some insects. Bingo!

凭它庞大的身躯，应该能轰出一些虫子。成功了！

Until someone else comes along and cramps⁵ your style.

直到有别的蜂虎加入，打乱它的计划。

Never mind, perhaps there are bigger opportunities ahead.

没关系，也许等会还有更好的机会。

What about an ostrich⁶? The heaviest bird of all.

鸵鸟怎么样？它们是体重最大的鸟类。

This time there's more than enough transport to go around.

这次有足够的交通工具了。

Soon, almost every ostrich has its own passenger.

很快，几乎每只鸵鸟都有了自己的乘客。

But free riders are only tolerated for so long.

不过搭便车的也得意不了多久。

What the bee-eaters really need is a creature so big it won't even notice them.

蜂虎真正需要的是体型大到根本注意不到它们的动物。

Nothing cuts a swathe through grass like an African bull elephant.

非洲公象夷平草地之势，没有动物能与之比肩。

The trick is to fly as close to the front of the giant as possible.

诀窍是尽可能飞在这位"大块头"的近前方。

They only have a split second to grab the prize.

想取得奖赏，必须在刹那间出手。

As more insects are stirred up, the competition intensifies⁷.

越来越多昆虫被赶出来，竞争也愈发激烈。

1 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

2 carmine   

n.深红色，洋红色

参考例句：

• The wind of the autumn color the maples carmine.秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。
• The dish is fresh,fragrant,salty and sweet with the carmine color.这道菜用材新鲜，香甜入口，颜色殷红。

3 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。

4 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。

5 cramps   

n. 抽筋, 腹部绞痛, 铁箍 adj. 狭窄的, 难解的 v. 使...抽筋, 以铁箍扣紧, 束缚

参考例句：

• If he cramps again let the line cut him off. 要是它再抽筋，就让这钓索把它勒断吧。
• "I have no cramps." he said. “我没抽筋，"他说。

6 ostrich   

n.鸵鸟

参考例句：

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
• The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。

7 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》