176. The greatest hunter最伟大的猎手 preoccupation-primate
It is neither presumptuous nor pretentious of me to claim that I am one of the greatest hunters that has ever lived. It is not the sort of greatness with which one presumably has the preponderance or prestige of pursuing the presidency and entering the prestigious presidential election. Nor is it the sort of pretension of the meager variety with which one is presumptuous concerning one’s abilities in the prevailing fashions of the day. It is the presumption, however, that one must take when one is put in a situation which prescribes the utilization of the primal instincts for self-preservation.
For example, if one has the preoccupation of frequenting animal preserves as I do, it is a prerequisite that one must have the courage to fall under the pressure of choosing a prey or becoming one. If, for example, we presume that your adversary is one of the large primates, such as a gorilla or a baboon, which are prevalent at game preserves, you must come up with the preservative prescription of maim or be maimed, kill or be killed if you are to prevail in such a confrontation. It is necessary to ignore any sophisticated thought of kindness or welfare. Moreover, you must call upon this primal, preservative, most basic of instincts in order to survive in the most animalistic of challenges.
My greatness as a hunter does not lie in any preponderance, prestige, or sophistication of any kind. On the contrary, it lies in the primal ability to kill as an animal or to be killed as one.
preoccupation n.主要考虑因素,全神贯注,抢先占据
preponderance n.(压倒性的)优势
prerequisite n.先决条件,前提
prescribe vt.指示,规定,开药方
prescription n.药方,处方
preservation n.保存,贮藏,保护
preservative n.防腐剂adj.有保存力的
preserve vt.保存n.禁猎区
presidency n.总统职位,总统任期
presidential election总统选举
pressure n.压力,压迫
prestige n.威望,声望
prestigious adj.有名望的,有威信的
presumably adv.据推测,大概,可能
presume vt.假定,假设,揣测
presumption n.猜想,想法,专横,傲慢,自行其是
presumptuous adj.自以为是的,放肆的
pretension n.要求,主张,自负
pretentious adj.夸耀的,自命不凡的
prevail vi.盛行,居主导地位,经常流行
prevailing adj.流行的,盛行的
prevalent adj.普遍的,流行的
prey n.被掠食,者牺牲者,食物vi.捕食,掠夺
primal adj.最初的,原始的
primate n.灵长目动物 |