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Walking with Beasts 与野兽共舞

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Around 65 million years ago, dinosaurs were the kings of the Earth. But, time was running out for these impressive lizards. The planet was slowly suffocating due to increased volcanic activity. Then a massive meteor smashed into the planet and performed the coup de grace. This single event turned the tables of power on the might dinosaurs, allowing the mammals to gain a foothold in the ever-changing world.

约6,500万年前，恐龙称霸地球。然而，这群体型硕大的「蜥蜴」大限不远了。易趋频繁的火山活动污染地球环境。接着，一枚巨大陨石撞击地球，带来致命的一击，逆转了原本的权力结构。恐龙大势已去，哺乳类动物开始在这个不断变迁的世界中占有一席之地。

With their unique ability to adapt to harsh conditions, mammals took over the planet. They owed their huge success to their small size. It allowed them to survive on a much smaller diet than that of the dinosaurs, which required massive amounts of food each day. During this period, about 49 million years ago, most of the planet was covered in lush rainforest. Mammals were small and hopped around the forest floor hunting for frogs and lizards. They weren’t alone, however. Giant bird-like predators, which were the legacy of the dinosaurs, provided a constant threat. They were the same height as a grown man and a half-ton of muscle and feathers.

凭着独一无二、适应艰困环境的能力，哺乳类动物取代恐龙，成为地球新霸主。这都得归功于他们的「小」体型。相较于恐龙每天靠大量食物维生，哺乳类动物体型小，食量也较小，因此得以存活。在这段时期（约4,900万年前），茂密雨林覆盖了大部分地球。小型哺乳类动物，在林地层间四处跳跃，捕食青蛙及蜥蜴。但是，牠们可不是唯一的生物。如鸟般的巨大掠食者（冠恐鸟为恐龙的后裔）经常对哺乳动物带来威胁。这些掠食者同成人高，肌肉加上羽毛可达半吨重。

It was around this time that the first whales appeared. These “walking whales” spent time on land, but were more active in the water. They were 3-meter-long predators which looked much like hairy alligators. It would be much later when modern whales would emerge. In this prehistoric world the environment was always changing. The North and South Poles started to freeze, creating turmoil in the ocean currents. This would soon change the climate and landscape of the planet.

大约在此时，早期鲸类出现了。这些「步行的鲸类」虽能待在陆地上，但水中身手更矫健。牠们是身长3公尺的掠食者，看起来像是长毛的鳄鱼。现代鲸类则晚点才会出现。在史前世界里，环境时时在改变。南北极开始结冰，造成洋流大乱。这种现象很快地使地球气候及景观产生变化。

Vocabulary

单词发音

suffocate [ˋsʌfə͵ket] v. 窒息

massive [ˋmæsɪv] adj. 巨大的

turn the tables on somebody 扭转局面  to change a situation so that you now have an advantage over someone who previously had an advantage over you

gain a foothold 占有一席之地 to get a strong position that will allow for improvement later

foothold [ˋfʊt͵hold] n. 据点，立足点；稳固的基础

take over 接管, 接收  to assume control, management, or responsibility

owe [o] v. 应该把……归功于[（+to）]

lush [lʌʃ] adj. 苍翠繁茂的

prehistoric [͵prihɪsˋtɔrɪk] adj. 史前的

turmoil [ˋtɝmɔɪl] n. 骚动；混乱

More Information

单词发音

run out  用完﹐耗尽  come to an end

lizard [ˋlɪzɚd] n. 蜥蜴；类蜥蜴爬行动物

meteor [ˋmitɪɚ] n.【天】流星；陨星

coup de grace [ˌku dəˈgrɑs]【法】致命之一击；任何最后（或决定性）之一击  the blow that kills

hop around 在…上跳来跳去

hop [hɑp] v.（人）单足跳; （蛙，鸟等）齐足跳

legacy [ˋlɛgəsɪ] n. 祖先传下来之物,遗赠物

alligator [ˋælə͵getɚ] n.【动】（产于美国及中国的）短吻鳄

课文讲解

Dramatic climate shifts divided the planet into seasons and led to the extinction of almost 20% of the world’s animals. But varied landscapes and vegetation brought forth some of the biggest animals the Earth had ever seen. These mammoth beasts were well protected from predators due to their size. But, predators did pose a problem from time to time. Two-meter-tall, pig-like beasts were not only ugly and aggressive, but they were the bullies of the era.

剧烈的气候变化使地球有了节令之分，导致当时几乎20%的动物灭绝。但多元的地表景观及植被也带来了地球有史以来最大型的动物。这些巨兽因体型硕大而较不受掠食者威胁。但掠食者有时仍会对牠们造成困扰。像是两公尺高，似猪的野兽不只丑陋且具威胁性。牠们可是当时地球上的恶霸。

It was also during this era when a land bridge joined the continents of North and South America. The southern continent had long been isolated. It was home to some animal oddities, such as the giant ground sloth which had huge claws and weighed more than an elephant! Even the mighty sabre-toothed cat wouldn’t dare attack it. These cats preferred hunting for smaller herbivores that lived in herds on the open plains.

大约在此时，陆桥连结了南、北美洲。长久以来，南美洲都与世隔绝，拥有不少独特物种，例如大地懒。它们脚爪巨大，体重比大象还重。即使是剑齿虎也不敢动牠一根寒毛。剑齿虎偏好捕猎群居在空旷平原上的小型草食动物。

But even the giant cats’ days as top of the food chain were numbered. Deep in the African jungles of the Rift Valley, a place known as the “cradle of evolution,” man’s ancient ancestor made his first appearance. Australopithecus came down out of the trees and began to walk upright. They had a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and meat, which later became vital to their diet, and caused an increase in brain size. It was this increased brain which led to human beings becoming the dominant species of animal on the planet. But, if history has taught us anything, it’s that one species doesn’t reign indefinitely. Someday far in the future, our distant relatives will look back at us and think how primitive we once were.

但是即使位于食物链顶端的剑齿虎也时日有限。深处非洲丛林裂谷，一个被称为「演化摇篮」的地方，人类始祖首度出现。「南猿」从树上爬下来，开始站直行走。他们饮食内容很多元，包括水果、蔬菜及肉类。后来，肉类在其饮食中亦趋重要，并使脑容量大增。脑容量变大使人类成为地球上所有生物的主宰者。但是，历史的教诲是，没有一个物种可以永远统治地球。或许，遥远未来的某一天，当后代子孙回首过去时，会觉得我们也曾如此原始。

−by Ryan Campbell

Vocabulary

单词发音

extinction [ɪkˋstɪŋkʃən] n. 灭绝；消灭

bring forth 生，产生 to present; produce

aggressive [əˋgrɛsɪv] adj. 好斗的﹐挑衅性的

bully [ˋbʊlɪ] n. 恃强欺弱者；恶霸

oddity [ˋɑdətɪ] n. 怪人; 怪事﹐奇特的东西

upright [ˋʌp͵raɪt] adv. 挺直地；垂直地

dominant [ˋdɑmənənt] adj. 占优势的，统治的

primitive [ˋprɪmətɪv] adj. 原始的；远古的

More Information

单词发音

vegetation [͵vɛdʒəˋteʃən] n.【植】植被

mammoth [ˋmæməθ] adj. 巨大的，庞大的

pose [poz] v. 造成，引起

from time to time 有时, 偶尔, 间或 irregularly; now and then; occasionally; sometimes; not predictably

sloth [sloθ] n. 树懒

sabre [ˈsebɚ] n. 马刀，军刀【英】= saber

herbivore [ˋhɝbə͵vɔr] n. 食草动物

numbered [ˋnʌmbɚd] adj. 有限的，时日无多的 limited,

indefinitely [ɪnˋdɛfənɪtlɪ] adv. 无限期地

Reading Questions

1.   The term “harsh conditions” in the article is closest in meaning to _____.

A.  difficult situations

B.  comfortable climates

C.  beautiful surroundings

D.  safe environments

2.   If a diet involving meat meant an increase in brain-size, what could we infer?

A.  That a diet full of nothing but meat will make you smarter and healthier.

B.  The human brain will gradually increase in size over thousands of years of eating meat.

C.  Alligators and lizards have relatively small brains because they eat too much meat.

D.  Meat is by far the least important food group.

3.   Which of the following is NOT true?

A.  “Walking whales” could live both on land and in the water.

B.  The continents of North and South America were once separate.

C.  The giant ground sloth rivaled elephants in weight.

D.  Bird-like predators are not direct descendants of dinosaurs.

4.   What is one of the main purposes of the article?

A.  To explain how mammals became the dominant species on Earth.

B.  To show how closely mammals and dinosaurs interacted with each other.

C.  To explain the gradual extinction of the dinosaurs.

D.  To illustrate how little the Earth’s landscapes have changed.

by far: 显然; 到目前为止  without a doubt

rival [ˋraɪv!] v. 与……匹敌；比得上

Answer