纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（）

Late spring, in the Cretaceous Period. Adolescence¹ is a critical time.

白垩纪，暮春时节。青春期是一个关键时期。

Dinosaurs² are preparing to mate. Some will succeed. Others will fail.

恐龙们正在为交配做准备。有的会成功，而有的则会失败。

In Darwinian calculus³, you can be the finest hunter in the land, and if you can't attract and hold on to a desirable mate with desirable genes⁴, you're a loser.

在达尔文的结论中，你可能会是陆地上最好的猎手，但如果你无法吸引并留住拥有理想基因的合适伴侣，那么你就是个失败者。

A loser whose genes are about come to an abrupt⁵ end.

失败者的基因很快会突然终结。

Mating is serious business with significant repercussions⁶.

交配是一项严肃的任务，而且影响重大。

A male looking at females and a female looking at a male...what they're doing, without actually thinking it consciously, is evaluating the potential genes over there.

雄性和雌性相互打量着对方，它们的这种无意识的举动其实就是在评估对方的潜在基因。

"Are your genes good ones? Will your genes mixed with my genes make really healthy, very competitive youngsters?"

"你的基因优秀吗？我们的基因结合后会生出健康的，极具竞争力的孩子吗？"

Clues that males are approaching sexual maturity⁷ abound⁸.

雄性恐龙进入性成熟期的迹象有很多。

The crest⁹ on an adolescent Parasaurolophus is now fully¹⁰ developed.

处于青春期的副栉龙的头冠已经发育完全。

Triceratops' horns have grown from little stubs pointing backwards¹¹ to lethal¹² weapons pointing forward.

三角龙的角已从朝向后方的"小树桩"长成了直指前方的致命武器。

And Tyrannosaurus Rex has staked claim to a territory of his own.

雷克斯霸王龙已建立了自己的领地。

Males soon to be adults fight for the chance to prove they are the best.

即将成年的雄性恐龙会争取一切机会来证明自己才是最优秀的。

Females choose carefully. Only the strongest, fittest, or most intelligent males will do.

而雌性恐龙则会仔细挑选。只有最强壮，最健康或最聪明的雄性恐龙才会被选中。

And when it comes to reproducing, something else is critical...timing¹³.

在繁殖的时候还有一件事也很关键...时机。

Most big predators¹⁴ today breed on a short interval¹⁵ in a year, actually most animals today.

今天的多数大型食肉动物都只在一年中的某段时期繁殖，其实如今大多数动物都这样。

Breed only on a short interval, a couple of days or a week or two.

繁殖期很短，只有几天或一到两个星期。

Outstanding exception being that the peculiar¹⁶ predatory species, homo sapiens.

但有一个特殊的食肉物种是个例外，那就是人类。

1 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

2 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

4 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

5 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

6 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

8 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

9 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

12 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

13 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

14 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）

参考例句：

• 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》

15 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

16 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。