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国家地理:Halloween: Goliath Tarantula 食鸟蛛奇

时间：2007-08-01 01:44:40

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（单词翻译）

They're the big, hairy spiders of our nightmares. And it's no wonder we are afraid. Tarantulas are the biggest of all the arachnids. These spiders are killing1 machines perfectly2 adapted to their habitats. And the biggest and battiest of them all is the Goliath. It can grow to nearly a foot across with fangs3 an inch long. The Goliath makes its home in the remote rainforests of South America.

Night is when the Goliath is most active. But for these ambush4 predators5, hunting means lying in wait. Near the entrance to her burrow6, she lays down a silk welcome mat. It acts like a tripwire letting her know when something has ventured within range. Even with eight eyes, Goliaths like most spiders have weak vision. They are alerted to the presence of prey7 by vibrations8 rippling9 across their sensitive hairs. It's only a matter of time before some hapless creature like this floor mouse wanders too close and brushes against the silk. It's like ringing a dinner bell. The Goliath's venom10 proves fatal to this mouse.

But for most people, the tarantula's bite is no worse than a bee sting. According to researchers, there has never been a single confirmed human death from a tarantula bite. Perhaps knowing the facts about these ancient predators can help turn human fear into fascination11.

tarantula: a very large hairy spider found chiefly in tropical and subtropical America

arachnid: an arthropod of the class Arachnida, which includes spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks

Goliath: a person or thing of enormous size or strength

lie in wait: wait in hiding to attack

tripwire: a wire that is stretched close to the ground and activates a trap, explosion, or alarm when disturbed
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1 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
2 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
3 fangs d8ad5a608d5413636d95dfb00a6e7ac4     
n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座
参考例句：
  • The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 ambush DNPzg     
n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击
参考例句：
  • Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
  • Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。
5 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
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》
6 burrow EsazA     
vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞
参考例句：
  • Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
  • The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。
7 prey g1czH     
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 vibrations d94a4ca3e6fa6302ae79121ffdf03b40     
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动
参考例句：
  • We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
  • I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 rippling b84b2d05914b2749622963c1ef058ed5     
起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的
参考例句：
  • I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
  • The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。
10 venom qLqzr     
n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨
参考例句：
  • The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
  • In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。
11 fascination FlHxO     
n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋
参考例句：
  • He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
  • His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

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