英语听力：2013-06-21 《恐龙的战争》3 顽强防御—3

 Triceratops is an amazing animal simply because it was absolutely enormous. They had this big massive body with a big gut¹. So, you know, we are talking of an animal that’s maybe four or five tons. 

 

A Triceratops is half as tall as a T-Rex, yet it weights about same. The difference is how that weight is distributed. 

 

Its back legs are straight, like a rhino². Its front legs splay out like a lizard³. This design pushes its centre of gravity towards its head, which weights half a ton. Therefore, when a Triceratops stands on its ground, it’s rock-solid, built for a direct frontal attack. This powerful head and shoulders protect a body covered in a hide so soft a T-Rex could slice right through it. 

 

Triceratops had this wonderful, protective thing on the front of its head. It’s got a frill that protects its neck, one of the most vulnerable places on the animal. 

 

The frill is solid bone, six times thicker than a human skull⁴. To foil an opponent, it’s strongest at the edges. This frill forms an almost impenetrable shield, one able to repel⁵ the most powerful jaws⁶ the earth has ever known. 

 

The frill, the bone over the neck, is that thick. It’s in several layers. And it's a composite armor. On top would be a thick layer of fingernail-like skin, almost impossible to bite through.

 

This four-legged monster is well-protected and dangerous.

 

Triceratops is heavily armed, and heavily armored and can kill you. 

 

For a Triceratops, power is everything.

 

1 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

2 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

3 lizard   

n.蜥蜴，壁虎

参考例句：

• A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。

4 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

5 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

6 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。