【英语时差8,16】牧羊犬和狼
时间：2018-12-27 作者：英语课 分类：英语时差8，16
Sheepdogs and Wolves If you ever see a sheepdog at work, you might be amazed at how well suited its actions are to the very human concern of keeping a flock of sheep together. What’s more amazing, much of a sheepdog’s behavior doesn’t have to be trained, but is already present as a complex set of sheep herding 2 instincts. A scientist who studies ethology, or animal behavior, might ask how prehistoric 3 shepherds first coaxed 4 such useful behavior from their domesticated 5 wolves, the ancestors of today’s sheepdogs. As a matter of fact, a sheepdog’s herding instinct isn’t so different from the natural hunting instincts that all wolves share. For example, when a pack of wolves hunts a herd 1 of caribou 6, they begin by circling their prey 7, crouching 8 low if the caribou become too alarmed. Occasionally, if a caribou bolts, a wolf will jump up and nip at its neck, steering 10 it back toward the herd. These hunting instincts help gather the prey together, making it easier to bring them down when the pack leader jumps in for the kill. Early shepherds took advantage of these wolf instincts when training their domesticated dogs. The dogs viewed the shepherd as their pack leader, and they controlled the flock of sheep the same way their wolf cousins would control a herd of caribou in the wild always steering the flock toward the shepherd. Indeed, it’s difficult to persuade modern sheepdogs to steer 9 their flock in any other direction. The wild instinct of directing prey toward the pack leader is still too strong. Centuries of selective breeding have refined these instincts to a considerable degree, but the foundation of a sheepdog’s behavior comes from the wild.
- She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
- He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。
- The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
- They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。
- They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
- It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。
- She coaxed the horse into coming a little closer. 她哄着那匹马让它再靠近了一点。
- I coaxed my sister into taking me to the theatre. 我用好话哄姐姐带我去看戏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Afar off he heard the squawking of caribou calves.他听到远处有一群小驯鹿尖叫的声音。
- The Eskimos played soccer on ice and used balls filled with caribou hair and grass.爱斯基摩人在冰上踢球，他们用的是驯鹿的毛发和草填充成的球。
- Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
- The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
- a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
- A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译