国家地理:The Silent Stalker 安静的捕杀者

Under the influence of rabies, even docile¹ animals often become dangerously aggressive and bite without provocation². Since the virus often concentrates in the saliva³ of the infected animal, a single bite can pass it on directly into the blood of the victim. Even a family dog or cat can become a furious agent of death. But no one in Hatumalino had seen any trace of a ferocious⁴ animal, wild or domestic. Neither Margery nor Emerson reported any attack. Their bodies showed no evidence of bite wounds. How did they get infected? The autopsy⁵ revealed a clue, a particular type of rabies virus. In addition to classic rabies, there is another less common form of the virus, called dumb rabies.

It has a distinct set of symptoms and they match the children's exactly. This was the virus found in Margery's brain. Different species of animals carry different strains of rabies. Near Hatumalino, there is only one creature known to carry dumb rabies that's stealthy enough to bite into living flesh without alerting its prey⁶, a creature that lives in legends and nightmares----the vampire⁷ bat.

Vampire bats are unique to Latin America but they are famous worldwide for their gruesome diet, fresh, flowing blood. The bats have specialized⁸ teeth, look like an armor so they can be kept razor-sharp and project forward for easy cutting. With incredible precision, the vampire makes a small slice in the victim's skin usually while it sleeps. Most never feel a thing. This might explain why Emerson and Margery never knew they had been bitten. The bat then uses its abrasive⁹ tongue to lap up the blood that flows from the wound. Its saliva contains agents to keep the blood flowing freely. Spit and blood often mingle¹⁰ for 25 minutes during a meal. And if the feeding bat has active rabies, it is almost guaranteed that its host will contract the disease.

1 docile   

adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的

参考例句：

• Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
• He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

2 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

3 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

4 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

5 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

8 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

9 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

10 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。