The Komodo Dragon – The Real Monsters Inc. 如假包换的现代怪兽──科摩多大蜥蜴
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2004年8月11日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年7月10日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：446
課文朗讀
課文講解
Fisherman’s tales of a prehistoric creature prompted curious researchers into mounting a 1912 expedition which introduced the Komodo dragon to the international community. Despite its name, the Komodo dragon is not the winged, fire-breathing monster of legend, but the largest monitor lizard in the world. This lizard, which takes its name from Komodo Island in the Indonesian archipelago, is found only on Komodo and several nearby islands.
渔人口中流传的史前怪兽促使好奇的研究人员前去一探究竟，1912年的远征队于焉诞生，并让科摩多大蜥蜴这种罕见的动物得以为文明世界所知。虽然英文名字里有「龙dragon」这一个字，但牠们并不是长翅膀、会喷火的那种传说中的怪兽，而是世界上最大的一种蜥蜴。这种蜥蜴，名字取自于印度尼西亚群岛中的科摩多岛，而且只存活在科摩多岛和附近几个小岛上。
A mature male can measure 3 meters in length, weigh as much as an astonishing 115 kilograms, and consume 80 percent of its own body weight in a single feeding. The dragon’s large teeth rip its victims to shreds, and – like a snake – it can dislocate its jaws and distend its stomach to accommodate huge chunks of flesh. This huge reptile spends its early years in the trees, to escape the hungry jaws of its kin below.
成熟的雄性科摩多大蜥蜴身长三公尺，体重多达一百一十五公斤，重得吓人．进食一餐就能吃下自己体重百分之八十的食物。牠的巨大牙齿能把猎物撕扯成碎片，同时使胃部膨胀以容纳巨大的肉块。这种大型爬虫类动物早年是生活在树上，以避免被树下自己的同类吃掉。
Although the number of dragons alive is substantial, they are considered endangered because they inhabit only a few small islands. Indeed, Komodo dragons have the smallest hunting range of any large predator in the world. If an environmental disaster were to befall these islands, the species could very easily become extinct, and then they really would become the stuff of legend.
虽然科摩多蜥蜴至今存活的数量还蛮多，但牠们被认为是濒临绝种的动物，因为牠们只栖身在几个小岛上。全世界的大型掠食动物中，就属科摩多蜥蜴的猎食范围最小。倘若这些小岛发生环境变迁，牠们就极可能绝种，而真正变成传说中的动物了。
Vocabulary
单词发音
prompt [prɑmpt] v. 引起，激起
mount [maʊnt] v. 成立（军队等）
monitor lizard 巨蜥
archipelago [͵ɑrkəˋpɛlə͵go] n. 群島，列島
astonishing [əˋstɑnɪʃɪŋ] adj. 令人驚訝的；驚人的
shred [ʃrɛd] n. 碎片，碎條
dislocate [ˋdɪslə͵ket] v. 使移動位置；使脫臼
distend [dɪˋstɛnd] v. 使膨脹；使擴張
accommodate [əˋkɑmə͵det] v. 能容納
reptile [ˋrɛpt!] n. 爬行動物；爬蟲類
kin [kɪn] n. 同類
endangered [ɪnˋdendʒɚd] adj. 快要絕種的
predator [ˋprɛdətɚ] n. 食肉動物；掠奪者
befall [bɪˋfɔl] v. 發生；降臨
Sentence of the Day
The Komodo dragon is a holdover from the distant past.
科摩多大蜥蜴是远古时代的残留产物。
holdover [ˋhold͵ovɚ] n. 從前一時代過來的人或物
課文講解2
Denny and his girlfriend, Oprah, are backpacking through Indonesia: 丹尼和他女朋友欧普拉正在印度尼西亚徒步旅行：
D: How about a side trip to see the monitor lizard on Komodo Island?
我们的旅程暂时转往科摩多岛，去看看科摩多大蜥蜴怎么样？
O: Sure! It’s amazing that such a large reptile can move so fast over a short distance.
好啊！体型那样庞大的爬虫类动物，还能在短距离内这么快速地移动，实在惊人。
D: Like the crocs back home in Florida.
就像家乡佛罗里达的那些鳄鱼一样。
O: Because the dragon can’t sustain a high speed, it evolved a nasty method of killing.
因为科摩多蜥蜴没有办法长时间维持那么快的速度，所以牠演化出一种相当血腥残忍的杀戮方法。
D: Yikes! The toxic bite! They’re too bulky to chase prey over long distance, so they prefer to ambush an animal and take a chunk out of it.
呀哦！一口毒牙！牠们的身驱太庞大，没办法长距离追逐牠们的猎物，所以宁愿采用伏击方式攻击其他动物，一口把牠们咬下来。
O: Yeah. And even if the animal gets away, the bacteria in the Komodo dragon’s teeth ensures it will die within a week from blood poisoning.
是的。即使其他动物逃走了，科摩多蜥蜴牙齿上的细菌也能担保那些动物一周内因为血液中毒而必死无疑。
D: It says here in the guidebook that the tale of an early expedition to capture a live Komodo dragon inspired the 1933 movie, King Kong. The movie producers just changed the animal from a giant lizard to a giant gorilla.
这里这本旅游手册上说，以前有一组探险队活捉到一只科摩多蜥蜴给了电影界人士灵感，结果才有1933年「金刚」那部电影。只是制作人把动物换掉，大蜥蜴换成了大猩猩。
O: You know, Komodos have been known to enjoy eating tourists as much as deer or fish. In fact, a Swiss tourist once was completely consumed by a Komodo – all that remained was a piece of his camera.
你可知道，科摩多蜥蜴什么东西都吃──不管是鹿、是鱼、还是游客。事实上就曾经有一位瑞士游客被科摩多蜥蜴吞噬了──吃到只剩下他照相机的一小块。
D: Right, so you’d better watch your step or you’ll be on the Komodo menu!
正是，所以妳最好小心一点走，否则妳也会成为科摩多蜥蜴菜单上的一道菜！
－by Nick Wheeler
Vocabulary
单词发音
backpack [ˋbæk͵pæk] v. 揹着背包徒步旅行; 野外露營
croc <口> 鳄鱼
nasty [ˋnæstɪ] adj. 令人作嘔的; 惡毒的
toxic [ˋtɑksɪk] adj. 有毒的
bulky [ˋbʌlkɪ] adj. 體積大的，龐大的
prey [pre] n. 被捕食的動物
ambush [ˋæmbʊʃ] v. 埋伏；伏擊
gorilla [gəˋrɪlə] n. 大猩猩
consume [kənˋsjum] v. 吃完
Sentence of the Day
It’s toughfor a Komodo dragon to bite off more than it can chew.
科摩多大蜥蜴吃猎物也有吃饱了撑不下的时候。
to bite off more than one can chew【口】試圖做過多的事或太費周折的事; 承擔力所不能及的事