长颈鹿：长得高睡个觉也不容易啊

 　　These towering beasts look like they need a comfy mattress¹ but shut-eye's not a giraffe's biggest concern.

　　长得像塔一样的长颈鹿看起来很需要一张舒服的床垫，不过睡觉不是长颈鹿要操心的大事。

　　Just looking at these slumbering² giraffes is enough to give you a crick in the neck - which is why the world's tallest animals don't often stop for a snooze.

　　看着这些睡觉的长颈鹿你都会觉得脖子累，这就是为什么这种世界上最高的动物通常不会随便停下打个盹儿。

　　Despite their height, giraffes actually have the shortest sleep requirement of all mammals, surviving on an average of half an hour a day.

　　虽然长颈鹿长这么高，但是它们是所有哺乳动物里面睡得最少的，平均每天睡半个小时就够了。

　　长颈鹿：长得高睡个觉也不容易啊

　　When they do settle to sleep, it's for minutes at a time, because of the risks to their wellbeing in the wild.

　　当真的要睡觉的时候，它们一次只睡几分钟，因为在野外可不太安全。

　　In captivity³, the giraffe sleeps intermittently⁴ around 4.6 hours per day, mostly at night. It usually sleeps lying down, however, standing⁵ sleeps have been recorded, particularly in older individuals.

　　笼子里的长颈鹿每天大约会断断续续地睡4.6小时，大部分时间是在晚上。它们一般会躺着睡，不过记录中也有站着睡的，特别是那些年纪大的。

　　Males can grow up to 18 feet tall, while females can reach 14 feet and their calves⁶, are born six feet tall.

　　雄性长颈鹿可以长到18英尺高（约5.5米），雌性长颈鹿可以长到14英尺高（约4.3米），而小长颈鹿出生时就有6英尺高（约1.8米）。

　　As a prey⁷ animal, the evolution of the giraffe's habits means that they rarely lie down, as it's difficult for them to get up again.

　　长颈鹿是被捕食的动物，经过进化后，它们现在很少会躺下，因为躺下后要再起来可不容易。

　　Sleeping and drinking water both cause problems for the animals because their long necks are too short to reach the ground.

　　睡觉和喝水对长颈鹿来说都不轻松，因为它们脖子太长了反而够不着地。

　　To drink they must spread their legs and bend down in an awkward position that makes them vulnerable to predators⁸ like Africa's big cats.

　　想要喝水，它们得岔开腿，笨拙地弯下身子。这时候如果非洲大猫一类的捕食者来了它们就很难逃掉了。

　　As a result, they get most of their water from the plants that they eat, and only need to drink water every few days.

　　因此，长颈鹿所需的水分大部分都是从它们吃的植物里获得的，它们只需要隔几天喝一次水。

1 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

2 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

3 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

4 intermittently   

adv.间歇地；断断续续

参考例句：

• Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。 来自英汉文学
• The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。 来自辞典例句

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 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》