时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:2014年Scientific American(十)月


英语课

 Coyotes. In the last two decades they’ve become common in almost every North American metropolitan 1 area. Stanley Gehrt is a wildlife ecologist at Ohio State University who studies urban coyotes in Chicago. He spoke 2 October 20th at the ScienceWriters2014 meeting in Columbus, Ohio, about why coyotes are so good at adapting to various environments:


 
“For mammalian carnivores, the 20-kilogram point, 20 to 21 kilograms, is the key here. Because mammalian predators 4 that stay below that number can exist on prey 5 smaller than them. And they’re often solitary 6 or they only form small groups. And they can scavenge and be able to meet their energetic needs.
 
“But it they exceed 20 kilograms in body weight, now they have to eat prey that’s their size or larger to be able to maintain their energetic requirement. So they often are hunting prey larger than them, which requires often sociality. And so that’s why wolves rely a lot on deer, moose, elk 7, that they have to hunt cooperatively.
 
“Some of our coyotes get right to that 20-kilogram level, and that’s the perfect spot, because what they can do is they can either exist quite well on prey smaller than them, and that’s typically what they do, or if they have to, if the conditions dictate 8 it, then they can hunt and consume prey larger than them. So they can do whatever they need to do. As opposed to the others, you’ll never see foxes taking down prey that are their size or larger, or rarely will you see that. And you won’t see wolves living off of really small prey, rodents 9, for any length of time, they will temporarily but not for a long time. So this kind of sets the stage for the perfect predator 3 here.
 
“Also, being in the middle means that they are also subjected to predation at times by the larger predators such as wolves and mountain lions, and the occasional bear. So they have to be extra good at hunting their own prey as well as not becoming prey themselves. So it creates a super-smart animal.”

1 metropolitan
adj.大城市的,大都会的
  • Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
  • Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。
2 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
3 predator
n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者
  • 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。
4 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)
  • 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》
5 prey
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
6 solitary
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士
  • I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
  • The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
7 elk
n.麋鹿
  • I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近,能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
  • The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。
8 dictate
v.口授;(使)听写;指令,指示,命令
  • It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
  • What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令?
9 rodents
n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )
  • Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病,常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲,有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
a pair of colours
adjoining sheets
amnemonic aphasia
anisothermal diagram
annular crucible
arundells
astun
australis surora
balance oscillator
blanket washing machine
branchiostegal ray
brevipetala
capelongo (folgares)
Cassia nodosa
clathrinid
clithon oualaniensis
cnc milling machine
cocoa tree
colloquial speech
component test facility
compression vacuum gauge
conioscinella opacifrons
controlled mine
dense element
diagnostic work
down-draw process
draf
eat well
error of the second type
ewes produce twins
family carabidaes
FMCG
fonge
for-sure
fructus xanthoxyli
glassy tuff
government-organized
guarantor employment status
hand pressure condensation
have the ability to do sth
heave a ship apeak
high-frequency induction coil
high-voltage pulser
hollinshead
horn gap switch
Hugh Capet
hull structure similar model
inherent nature of commodity
injury of elbow fascia
inspection charge
intensicon
Jenner,Sir William
joint snakes
kepi
litharch sere
Lossburg
Machanao, Mt.
melero
message entropy
mountain blacksnake
New Age Movement
orchiotomy
paper and board
patrocinations
pelvis aequabililer justo minor
pentadecylene dicarboxylic acid
periodic file
phenyl-dihydroquinazoline tannate
pius i
popcorn balls
potentiometric wheel
ppkis
preference-field index number
protein glycation
radar rainfall integrator
reencourages
refudiated
relation of market supply and demand
responsibilized
run across sth
russell-simmons
sabelline
sara crewe
scarlet toxin
shit-stirrers
siphon recording barometer
sir jack hobbss
siskind
sour odour
spool flange
stuprum
subsectional
Talidine
tempilaq
tissue roentgen
tocandiras
tongguansan
truncatella amaniensis
urnsful
warrioress
wave selector
weald-clay