纪录片《我们的地球》 第363期 奇迹城市(5)

And so many peregrines can live here,

不计其数的游隼定居于此

because down at street level, there is a lot of potential prey¹.

是因为城市近地面，生活着许多猎物。

Diving from height, the falcons² can reach speeds of over 200 miles an hour.

游隼俯冲时的飞行时速超过时速322公里。

But their prey stay down low and close to the buildings. Too risky³.

但猎物躲在低处，离建筑物很近。风险太大了。

The peregrine pulls out of his stoop.

它停止了俯冲。

But the effort is not wasted.

但辛苦不会白费。

The falcons need to flush their prey into the open.

游隼需要将猎物驱赶到开阔地带。

And Manhattan is surrounded by water.

曼哈顿四面环水。

Out here the odds⁴ change. And in the peregrine's favour.

出城以后可谓胜券在握。正中游隼下怀。

With abundant prey here all year round,

一年到头都有着丰富的食物，

it has taken only 40 years for these falcons to establish themselves here.

游隼在此建立栖息地仅用了四十年。

And now, among skyscrapers⁵, they're more successful than their cousins living in the wilderness⁶.

穿梭在摩登大厦中，与旷野中的同类相比，它们更胜一筹。

1 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。

2 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

5 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

6 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。