英语听力：自然百科 秋日黄石公园 Autumn—7

 It’s now September, and the elk¹/ have made their way down to graze where the grass 

 

on the riverbank is still green, and they can browse² the nutritious³ shoots of young willow⁴ trees.

 

The males are now upping their game. This bull urinates on himself to increase his masculine appeal. And by thrashing his antlers to decorate them, he hopes to make himself / look more impressive.

 

The females are paying a little more attention now. 

 

The bull has succeeded in gathering⁵ a fair-sized hareem. But the females are still not quite ready to mate. They are now focused on feeding as much as they can before moving lower still.

But the elk are being watched. Over the summer wolves have been less mobile because of their young pups, but their strength is building again.

 

The elk get twitchy and head for the cover of trees.

 

 

1 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

2 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。