英语听力：自然百科 秋日黄石公园 Autumn—15

 Ranchers will tolerate elk¹ as long as they don't compete too much with their cattle.  But as the elk move in, their old enemy follows them out of Yellowstone, an animal that's more difficult for ranchers to accept. 

 

In their minds, fear of the wolf runs deep, even Yellowstone lost its wolves. They were wiped out over 80 years ago. After years of prejudice, they were reintroduced in 1995, brought back by the authorities to restore Yellowstone's natural balance. But the wolves have done so well that now they are moving out of the park, looking for new territories and prey². Out here, it's clearer to see why wolves have a bad reputation.

 

If ranchers' cattle are at risk, by law wolves can be shot. As wolves come back, ranchers are being forced to return to the old ways to get back into the saddle and protect their herds³. 

 

But opinion is changing. Working with scientists who have radio-collared the Yellowstone wolves, ranchers can now keep track of them, and when they know they are near, shoot not to kill but to scare them away.

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 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。