英语听力：2013-04-17 恐龙之战之极限生存 Extreme Survivors—13

 Sauroposeidon probably had a brain about the size of a kitten’s, because it was not, unfortunately, a very smart animal. It didn’t have to be. It was a food-processing plant. 

 

Sauroposeidon’s five senses are little more than a life-support system for the biggest stomach the world has ever known. For a hatchling, the situation is even more dire¹. They lack even the most basic early warning system that danger is present.

 

Herbivores are growing much faster than the carnivores. If they don’t grow fast, they get eaten. 

 

It will be a decade or more before this Sauroposeidon is big enough to join the herd². And it will spend all those years alone.

 

So where are the smaller animals? What did the Sauropods do until they were a third grown? They weren’t moving with the herd. They were probably hiding out in the forest, trying to eat as much as they could, get as big as they could, as fast as they could so they could join the herd. That’s the best defense³. It doesn’t matter what else you’re equipped with, whether you have horns or armor or whatever. The best defense is always to get big. If you are a Sauropod, you’ve got nothing else. So getting big is the only game in town. 

 

But for a Sauroposeidon, every day spent growing up is a day trying to keep out of the sights of this brute⁴.

 

Deinonychus is a killing⁵ machine. 

 

Here was a creature that was small. It was fast.

 

Deinonychus was really one of the most remarkable⁶ predators⁷ the earth has seen—a three-dimensional fighter, a kickboxing dinosaur⁸.

 

The weapon that defines Deinonychus is a slashing⁹ ten-centimeter razor sharp blade, kept upper right during walking or running, constantly cocked ready for a fight.

 

This vicious claw can deliver over 200 kilograms of force and rotate almost 180 degrees.

1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• 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。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 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》

8 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

9 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句