听力文摘：冻结的一瞬!

Freeze

冻结的一瞬

Suppose you are an animal. Well, actually, you are an animal, but suppose you’re another kind of animal, maybe something small that might make a tasty snack for a larger predator¹.

假设你是一只动物。额，你其实本来就是一只动物。但假设你是另外一种动物，也许是一种可以被食肉动物当成可口点心的小动物。

You’re walking along one day when you see a big dog. What do you do?

如果有一天你在独自散步时看到一条大狗，你会怎么办？

Well, depending on what kind of animal you are, you have different options. A skunk² can spray a noxious³ liquid that will repel⁴ predators⁵,

好吧，这取决于你是哪种动物，你有不同的选择。一只臭鼬可以释放毒液击退捕食者，

a cat can make its hair stand on end so that it seems larger than it is, or some animals, such as opossums, may pretend to be dead already.

一只猫可以让它的毛发倒竖起来，让它看起来比往常更大，还有一些动物，比如负鼠，也许早已装死躺在地上了。

There’s another strategy all these animals have, though. You’ve seen it before, but maybe never thought about it. They can freeze.

其实这些动物还有另外一条策略，虽然你可能以前见过，但也许你从来没想到过。它们可以冻结。

When a squirrel or a rabbit or a chipmunk⁶ freezes, it can remain almost entirely⁷ motionless for minutes at a time.

当一只松鼠，兔子或花栗鼠冻结时，它可以一次保持完全静止不动达数分钟之久。

Try it yourself. Whatever position you’re in right now, move nothing at all for the next minute. It’s not so easy!

你自己试试。不管你现在是什么姿势，在下一分钟内保持一动也不动。这可没那么简单！

The reason an ability to freeze works as a defense⁸ is that a predator’s attack behavior may actually be triggered by motion. A frog, for example,

冻结能作为一种防御的手段，其原因在于一个食肉动物的攻击行为可能只是由运动而引起。举例来说，

will literally⁹ starve to death in a box full of dead flies. Pass one of those flies in front of its eyes on a little string, though, and it will automatically gulp¹⁰ it down.

一只青蛙，会在装满死苍蝇的盒子里活活饿死。用一根线绑住其中一只从它眼前经过，它就会不假思索的把苍蝇吞下去。

The response to freeze is completely hard-wired, so freezing shows us something about both predator and prey¹¹.

对冻结的反应是动物与生俱来的，所以冻结给我们展现的是捕食者和被捕食者双方的特性。

Evolution has caused the freeze strategy to come into existence precisely¹² because it fits in with the way the visual systems of predators operate.

进化已使得冻结策略应运而生，因为它适应了捕食者视觉系统的运转方式。

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

3 noxious   

adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals.重工业产生的有毒化学品会污染我们的河流。
• Many household products give off noxious fumes.很多家用产品散发有害气体。

4 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

5 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chipmunk   

n.花栗鼠

参考例句：

• This little chipmunk is hungry.这只小花栗鼠肚子饿了。
• Once I brought her a chipmunk with a wound on its stomach.一次，我带了只腹部受伤的花栗鼠去找她。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 gulp   

vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽

参考例句：

• She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
• Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽，要嚼碎了再咽下去。

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 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。