英语听力：2013-07-12 《恐龙的战争》3 顽强防御—12

...plant material at a time, and we’re talking about something huge.

 

Surprisingly, it isn’t something huge which allows these giant herbivores to grow big enough to be all but invincible¹. In fact, it’s something incredibly small, and something meat eaters lack. 

 

Below Sauroposeidon’s stomach are two gigantic organs called ceca, similar to our appendix. Humans stopped using an appendix thousands of years ago when we started eating meat. A Sauroposeidon would die without one. The ceca are home to millions of microscopic² organisms. They break down the tough, fibrous walls of plant cells. 

 

It has this whole little world inside of microbes that’s helping³ it digest its food, that send in little tendrils that help break open those cell walls, helps liberate⁴ those nutrients⁵, and that’s what helps the animal survive.

 

And the result of this incredible feat⁶ of engineering is one final trick that keeps predators⁷ at bay. 

 

Sauropods were probably burping and farting almost continuously, because that’s what big plant eaters do. And they would have been noisy, smelly, unpleasant animals to be around. 

 

Despite all these adaptations, all of this specialized⁸ biology that has allowed Sauroposeidon to grow to mammoth⁹ proportions, there’s one part of its body that simply hasn’t kept up, its brain. 

 

Animals like Sauroposeidon are really the poster child for the dumb dinosaur¹⁰.

 

Sauroposeidon has a brain less than a thousandth of its body size—the equivalent of a human…

1 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

2 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

5 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

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 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

9 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

10 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。