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In this rugged1 and unforgiving terrain2 littered with fractured rock and ice-cold rivers, the slightest miscalculation may have fatal consequences. The snow leopard3 is the world’s highest living big cat. But there’s another smaller predator4 that ranges even higher, almost to the roof of the world. At a mind-numbing 8,848 metres high, Everest is one of the most hostile places for life on Earth. Hundreds of people have died trying to conquer it. But when climbers first reached the ice fields three quarters of the way up the mountain, something had already beaten them to it.
This jumping spider is the highest permanent resident on the planet. Totally at home amongst the glaciers5 of Everest, it scours7 the slopes for wind-borne prey8 such as springtails. Chinese call this fierce little hunter the “fly tiger”. Jumping spiders are found all over the world. Their eight eyes include an oversized central pair, which act like powerful binoculars9 to spot potential victims. They use hydraulic10 pressure to work their legs like pistons11, catapulting up to 30 times their own body length. The ideal way to get around in rocky terrain. But like all mountaineers, they always secure a safety line first. A springtail grazes on the detritus12, unaware13 that it’s been stalked by such an acrobatic predator.
The Tibetans call Everest “Qomolangma”, meaning mother of the world. It’s a mark of their affection for the mountain, however brutal14 it may appear. Venture further from the mountain and out onto the open plateau and life doesn’t appear to get any easier. High winds scour6 the landscape and temperatures can drop from baking to freezing in moments.
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1 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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2 terrain | |
n.地面,地形,地图 | |
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3 leopard | |
n.豹 | |
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4 predator | |
n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者 | |
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5 glaciers | |
冰河,冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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6 scour | |
v.搜索;擦,洗,腹泻,冲刷 | |
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7 scours | |
走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的第三人称单数 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮 | |
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8 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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9 binoculars | |
n.双筒望远镜 | |
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10 hydraulic | |
adj.水力的;水压的,液压的;水力学的 | |
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11 pistons | |
活塞( piston的名词复数 ) | |
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12 detritus | |
n.碎石 | |
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13 unaware | |
a.不知道的,未意识到的 | |
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14 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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15 grassland | |
n.牧场,草地,草原 | |
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