美国学生世界地理教材 第215期:动物王国(2)

 Other animals looking for food will come along too and must be scared away from the bait or killed. 其他寻找食物的动物也会出现，见到诱饵一定会被吓跑或被猎杀。

The first animal to come along is usually the hyena¹. 最先出现的动物通常是鬣狗，

The hyena is an animal with a peculiar² screech³ that sounds like a laugh. But he laughs when he is mad, not when he is glad. 这种动物会发出一种奇怪的尖叫声，听起来像笑声，但是只有在它们生气的时候，才会发出笑声，而不是在高兴的时候。

He is too much of a coward to kill live animals. so he waits until he can find one dead. 鬣狗胆子极小，不敢捕食活的动物，所以它只有等待，等到死的动物出现。

He is the most cowardly animal in the jungle. 鬣狗是丛林中最胆小的动物。

In the jungle every animal must either fight, run away, or be killed; there are no policemen to look out for him. 丛林里，每一只动物都必须能搏斗，能逃跑，要不然就被别的动物撕咬而死。丛林中没有警察关照它们。

The bravest animal in the jungle, strange to say, is not the lion—he doesn't have to be; the monkey is the bravest. 丛林里最勇敢的动物，说来也怪，并不是狮子——它不必勇敢。猴子才是最勇敢的。

When a lion's roar shakes the jungle all the animals start on the runaway⁴ from him, but the last to run away are the monkeys. 当狮子的吼声威震丛林的时候，所有的动物就开始逃离，而最后逃走的却是猴子。

When a hunter who is hiding and waiting for a lion to come along sees the hyena pass by, he knows the lion is far behind, 当躲着等待狮子来临的猎人看见鬣狗走过，就知道狮子还在后面很远的地方，

for the hyena is the first to run away; but when at last, after all the other animals have passed by fleeing, the monkeys come along, 因为鬣狗总是第一个逃跑的。但是，当最后所有其他动物都匆匆逃离后，猴子才出现。

the hunter knows the lion is close behind. 这时，猎人就知道狮子就在后面很近的地方。

A hunter will not shoot a monkey if he can help it—he looks so much like a child. 猎人都尽量避免猎杀猴子——猴子看起来很像小孩。

He will cry like a child when hurt, and if shot try to pull the bullet out with his hands, and that's more than even hunters can stand. 猴子受伤了，会像小孩一样哭起来；如果被子弹射中，它就设法用手将子弹拔出来。就连猎人也不忍心看到这种情景。

Some animals will not eat meat—only growing things. 有些动物不吃肉——只吃地里长出的东西。

The giraffe, the animal with a long neck and still longer legs, doesn't eat meat. 长颈鹿——一种脖子很长、而腿更长的动物——就是其中一种。

He eats only what he can reach with his long neck—usually leaves and twigs⁵ of trees. 它只吃长脖子能够着的东西——通常是树叶和嫩枝。

When he wants to drink or to eat anything on the ground he must spread his legs apart like a letter "A" so that he can reach the water. 想喝水或吃地面上的东西时，长颈鹿就必须将腿像字母“A”一样张开，才能够得到水。

1 hyena   

n.土狼，鬣狗

参考例句：

• African hyena noted for its distinctive howl.非洲鬣狗，以其特别的嚎叫而闻名。
• The hyena's public image is not aided by its ridiculous appearance.鬣狗滑稽的外表无助于改善它在公众心中的形象。

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

3 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

4 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

5 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。