纪录片《非洲》 第31期:刚果雨林（3）

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They're over 60 centimetres long, already big enough to be

他们身长60多厘米 足以对森林里

a threat to the smaller inhabitants of the forest.

比他们小的居民构成威胁

But they are themselves vulnerable.

但是他们自身也是很脆弱的

Particularly to other snakes.

尤其是对其它蛇来说

But this one is their mother.

但这是它母亲

Unusually for snakes,

超乎寻常的

her maternal¹ instincts continue for days after her eggs hatch.

蛇宝宝出壳后 她的母性本能仍持续了几天

Even so, the forest is such a dangerous place

即便如此 森林是个危险遍布的地方

that only one in 100 of her youngsters is likely to reach adulthood².

蛇宝宝长大成年的概率只有1%

Just occasionally, the competition eases.

森林里偶尔也会有竞争缓和的时候

A tree suddenly produces fruit.

有棵树突然结果了

It's a magnet for the creatures of the canopy³,

那非常吸引在树冠层上生存的生物

and they, in turn, as they feed,

他们在自己吃的同时

create a bonanza⁴ for those on the ground below.

也给地面生存的生物带来了福利

1 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

2 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

3 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

4 bonanza   

n.富矿带，幸运，带来好运的事

参考例句：

• Bargain hunters enjoyed a real bonanza today.到处买便宜货的人今天真是交了好运。
• What a bonanza for the winning ticket holders!对于手持胜券的人来说，这是多好的运气啊。