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Beware of the Dragons! 小心！龙出没

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With their huge size, long claws, scaly skin, and large, muscular tails, they look like a leftover from the age of dinosaurs, or something out of a bad dream. But though they share part of their name with a mythological fire-breathing beast, Komodo dragons are very real. Let’s get up close – but not too close – and personal with these reptilian relics.

有着庞大的身躯、长长的利爪、满覆鳞片的皮肤和强壮有力的大尾巴，科莫多龙看起来就像是恐龙时代遗留下来的生物，或是从恶梦中爬出来的怪物。虽然牠们的名字有一部份和神话中喷火的巨兽相同，但科莫多龙可是真实存在的生物。就让我们再靠近一点──但也别靠太近──好好来认识这种古老爬虫类。

Komodo dragons can be found on Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands, which have been their habitat for millions of years. But even though they’ve been around for such a long time, people in the West have only been aware of their existence for about a century. This is especially shocking when you take into account the dragons’ massive size.

科莫多龙几百万年来都栖息于印度尼西亚的小巽他群岛。但即使牠们在此生活了这么久，西方人直到大约一世纪前才发现牠们的存在。若考虑到牠们的庞大体积，这真的是很不可思议的一件事。

Komodo dragons can grow up to three meters long and weigh over 130 kilograms. Given how big they can get, it’s no surprise that when it comes to meals, these dragons don’t discriminate. They mostly feed on dead animals they find with their superior sense of smell, which allows them to detect a corpse up to 9.5 kilometers away. However, they’ve also been known to kill deer, pigs, water buffalo, smaller Komodo dragons, and even the occasional human!

科莫多龙可以长到3公尺长，重达130公斤。了解到牠们的巨大体积之后，应该也不难想象若讲到食物，这些巨龙绝对不挑食。牠们主要以动物尸体维生，高超的敏锐嗅觉让牠们能够侦测到远在9.5公里外的尸骸。不过牠们也会去猎食鹿、猪、水牛、较小只的科莫多龙，偶尔甚至会攻击人类。

Even if a prey manages to pry itself free of a Komodo dragon’s shark-like teeth, it’s still not out of danger. The Komodo dragon’s saliva is a breeding ground for over 50 kinds of bacteria, and its prey is usually dead within a day from blood poisoning. So if you ever have a chance to check out these deadly creatures, by all means, keep your distance!

即使有猎物成功地从科莫多龙如鲨鱼般的利牙中脱逃，牠们可还没脱离险境。科莫多龙的唾液是细菌的温床，含有五十多种病菌，因此其猎物通常在一天之内就会死于败血症。所以如果哪天你有机会能好好观察这种致命的生物，切记无论如何都要离牠们远一点！

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

muscular [ˋmʌskjəlɚ] adj. 肌肉发达的；健壮的

leftover [ˋleft͵ovɚ] n. 遗留物〔过去留下的东西﹑习惯﹑方法等〕

mythological [͵mɪθəˋlɑdʒɪk!] adj. 神话的

up close and personal 密关地

discriminate [dɪˋskrɪmə͵net] v. 有差别地对待

feed on  靠...为食 be sustained by

superior [səˋpɪrɪɚ] adj. 上等的

corpse [kɔrps] n. 尸体

occasional [əˋkeʒən!] adj. 偶尔的﹐偶然的

manage [ˋmænɪdʒ] v. 设法做到；勉力完成[+to-v]

by all means 尽一切办法，一定

keep one's distance  与...保持距离

More Information

单词发音

reptilian [rɛpˋtɪlɪən] adj. 爬虫类的

relic [ˋrɛlɪk] n. 遗物

given [ˋgɪvən] prep. 如果考虑到 something taken for granted; considering

prey [pre] n. 被捕食的动物

pry [praɪ] v. 撬动；撬开

saliva [səˋlaɪvə] n. 涎，唾液

breeding ground 滋生地  a place where animals breed

Reading Questions 

1.  According to the passage, which of the following descriptions of Komodo dragons is NOT true?

A.  They are very large in size.

B.  They have big, strong tails.      

C.  They look similar to dinosaurs.

D.  They are surprisingly soft to touch.

2.  Which statement best applies to Komodo dragons?

A.  They are very picky eaters.

B.  They have an extraordinary sense of smell.

C.  They are incapable of killing their prey.

D.  They have existed for about 100 years.

3.  Which piece of advice do you think the author would be most likely to agree with?

A.  Never believe that Komodo dragons exist.

B.  Never look a Komodo dragon in the eye.

C.  Never get close to a Komodo dragon.

D.  Never visit an Indonesian island.

Komodo Dragon

Answer