英语听力：自然百科 野性俄罗斯之西伯利亚 Siberia—17

 Three thousand five hundred meters up in the Sayan Mountains near the Russian-Mongolian border, Siberian ibex search for food. They scratch a living from the meager¹ grasses on the sunnier south facing slopes. But some have a different sort of appetite. A big male checks out his group of females. For an ibex, foreplay means about thirty minutes of hitting, screaming, and urinating.While the alpha male's back is turned, a young pretender tries to muscle in on the action. But his clumsy advance alerts the boss. Time to move on.

 

At high altitudes, the temperature is always punishing. But now, all across Siberia, the big freeze returns, in some places dropping to minus 60 degree Celsius². The waters of Baikal slowly glaze³ over, and will soon form an ice blanket nearly a meter thick.Snow reclaims⁴ the mountains and sweeping⁵ forests. But for some, the fun's just starting, wild boar. 

 

These coarse-haired beasts have no complaints about the cold. They grow thicker winter fur to cope with the snow. A tough disk of cartilage turns their snout into a digging tool. They can easily plow⁶ through snow and ice to sniff⁷ out their supper. They have an omnivorous⁸ diet. If they can find it, they'll eat it.

 

Their scene inadvertently helps the ecosystem⁹ by dispersing¹⁰ seeds around their habitat. Even the youngest piglets enjoy a rump, although they are very sensitive to cold. 

 

Eventually, they'll have the benefit of the adults’ bushy cant¹¹. While this heavy sleeps and naps, the youngsters test their mental, preparing for their eventful shot, the big time.

1 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

2 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 glaze   

v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情

参考例句：

• Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。
• Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。

4 reclaims   

v.开拓( reclaim的第三人称单数 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Society reclaims criminals by teaching them skills. 社会通过教给罪犯技能来改造他们。 来自辞典例句
• When next collecting comes, garbage collector reclaims its memory. 等下一轮回收时，垃圾回收器才会将其回收。 来自互联网

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

7 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

8 omnivorous   

adj.杂食的

参考例句：

• Brown bears are omnivorous,eating anything that they can get their paws on.棕熊是杂食性动物，抓到什么吃什么。
• Man is an omnivorous animal.人是肉类与蔬菜均食用的动物。

9 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

10 dispersing   

adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
• Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。

11 cant   

n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔

参考例句：

• The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
• He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。