2007-12-06, Australia's Wild Dog: Dingo

Australia's wild dog, the dingo is on the prowl. Today it hunts alone. A sign the dingo was probably on the lookout¹ for small game. But it senses a larger opportunity, a baby kangaroo called Joey makes an excellent target. It’s too big for his mother to carry if she has to run away. The dingo slinks forward while the Joey unaware², keeps busy grooming³ himself.

His mother senses a nearby predator⁴, but it’s not the dingo. Her attention is fixed⁵ on the wedge-tailed eagle flying above. His mother calls Joey to her side. Neither one sees the dingo approaching through the brush. For a moment a young male whizzes. His panic proves contagious⁶. The mother and her Joey make their getaway too. The dingo bursts after the rooes.

The dingo's no slouch when it comes to speed. But the rooes reach 35 miles per hour. Dingos have better luck hunting in packs when they are after large kangaroos. It’s back to searching for prey⁷ that's not so big and not so fast.

1 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

2 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

3 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

4 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• 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。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

7 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。