时差N小时 害怕被剑齿虎咬

Don：Hey, Yale. Would you rather be bitten by a saber-toothed tiger or a modern day tiger?

唐：嘿，雅艾尔。你宁愿被剑齿虎咬还是被现代的老虎咬？

Yael：Neither, of course. But if I have to pick, I supposed I choose the modern tiger. Since the saber-toothed tiger massive fangs¹.

雅艾尔：都不愿意。如果一定要选的话，我情愿选现代的老虎。因为剑齿虎长有巨大的獠牙。

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Don：Well, you may be surprised to learn that paleontologists now think that despite their huge, fearsome looking canine² teeth, the prehistoric³ American sabercat, Smilodon fatalis, had a bite force only about one-third as strong as modern big cats.

唐：不过，古生物学家认为除了巨大的、长相可怕的犬齿之外，美国史前剑齿虎 Smilodon fatalis 的咬合力只有现代大猫的三分之一，知道这一点你可能会觉得很惊讶。

Yael：How can they told that from fossilized bones?

雅艾尔：他们是如何根据骨头化石得知咬合力的？

Don：They used very fine CT scans of the skull⁴, jaw⁵ and neck bones to create a highly detailed⁶ 3 D computer model. Then using careful analysis of the size and placement of muscle attachment⁷ points and mathematical modeling they were able to calculate the power of the jaw muscles and the bite force of the now extinct sabercats. This was the most detailed computer model ever created for a vertebrate.

唐：他们用精密的CT扫描仪扫描头骨，颚和颈椎骨，用来建立一个高度精确的3D电脑模型。然后仔细分析肌肉附着点的尺寸和位置，利用这些数据进行数学建模，这样他们才能够计算出目前已经灭绝的剑齿虎的颚肌的力量和咬合力。这是人们迄今建立的最精确的脊椎动物电脑模型。

Yael：Neat! So if they had such a wimpy⁸ bite, what's with the huge fangs?

雅艾尔：做得好！那么如果它们的咬合力小，那么这些獠牙还有何用？

Don：The function of the sabercat's eight inch teeth is one of the longest running debates in paleontology. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the sabercats brought down and subdued¹⁰ large prey¹¹, like mammoths, with their strong forelimbs. Once the prey was safely restrained on the ground, sabercats used their large fangs to pierce through the thick hide on the neck of their quarry¹². In contrast, modern day big cats use their more powerful jaws¹³ to bite the neck of their prey for an extended period to subdue⁹ them by asphyxiation¹⁴.

唐：剑齿虎的门牙有八英尺长，至于它的作用至今仍是古生物学届最持久的争议话题之一。这项研究的结果支持这种假说：剑齿虎使用强壮的前肢扑倒和制服像猛犸象这样的大型猎物。一旦猎物被彻底制服在地上，剑齿虎便用它那巨大的獠牙刺穿猎物脖子上的厚皮。相反，现代的大猫则利用更锋利的颚来长时间咬住猎物的脖子，直到它们窒息而亡。

Yael：Yikes!I think I'll pass on being bitten by either a sabercat or a modern day tiger.

雅艾尔：呀！我想在剑齿虎或者现代老虎咬我的时候，我就会不行了。

Don：Wise choice.

唐：明智的选择。

1 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 canine   

adj.犬的，犬科的

参考例句：

• The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
• Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。

3 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

4 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

5 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

8 wimpy   

adj.懦弱的，无用的，哭哭啼啼的

参考例句：

• I'd rather have a wimpy kid than a dead one, you know? 你知道么？我宁可要一个懦弱的孩子，也不想要一个死的。 来自互联网
• I hate wimpy drinker. 我讨厌酒量差的人。 来自互联网

9 subdue   

vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制

参考例句：

• She tried to subdue her anger.她尽力压制自己的怒火。
• He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.他强迫自己克制并战胜恐惧心理。

10 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

11 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。

12 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

13 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

14 asphyxiation   

n. 窒息

参考例句：

• Objective Inquiry into the heavy asphyxiation rescues measure of the new born. 摘要目的探讨新生儿重度窒息抢救的措施。
• Self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA) may be required to prevent asphyxiation of rescue personnel. 可能要求有自给式呼吸器(SCBA)，以防止救援人员窒息。