英語聽力：美洲大平原-16

So let's go back in time, back 13,000 years to relive one day in the life of North America's great ice age plains.

It's early morning at the end of a long, hot summer. Even major rivers are beginning to run low. Colombian mammoth herd follows the river valley. They can't risk being far from the water. Once they’ve quenched their thirst, the next priority is food. They head out to the nearby meadows where they’ll graze most of the day, processing mountains of dry grass.

Autumn is mating season. And a couple of nomadic males have started shadowing their herd. By sparring, they decide who will have access to the females coming into heat, who will father the next generation. Most power struggles are resolved through ritual intimidation. But if two evenly matched males cross parts, this posturing can escalate into a full-blown fight. Both of these opponents have a broken tusk, letting them get closer to each other during combat. Suddenly a free clash leaves them in a deadlock, inextricably entwined. If they can't free themselves, they will both end up the losers.

As a constant source of food and water, even when there’s been no rain for months, this valley draws thousands of other grazers.

1 mammoth

n.長毛象;adj.長毛象似的，巨大的

參考例句：

You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.資金到位的情況下方可進(jìn)行重大變革。

Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那條新鐵路將是一項巨大工程。

2 herd

n.獸群，牧群;vt.使集中，把…趕在一起

參考例句：

She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她趕著牛群穿過荒野。

He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他從無主見，只是人云亦云。

3 quenched

解(渴)( quench的過去式和過去分詞 ); 終止(某事物); (用水)撲滅(火焰等); 將(熱物體)放入水中急速冷卻

參考例句：

He quenched his thirst with a long drink of cold water. 他喝了好多冷水解渴。

I quenched my thirst with a glass of cold beer. 我喝了一杯冰啤酒解渴。

4 nomadic

adj.流浪的;游牧的

參考例句：

This tribe still live a nomadic life.這個民族仍然過著游牧生活。

The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.農(nóng)耕文化與游牧文化是我國傳統(tǒng)的兩大主體文化。

5 intimidation

n.恐嚇，威脅

參考例句：

The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反對黨聲稱投票者受到軍方的恐嚇。

The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.惡幫用恐嚇的手段使得證人不敢說話。

6 posturing

做出某種姿勢( posture的現(xiàn)在分詞 )

參考例句：

She was posturing a model. 她正在擺模特兒的姿勢。

She says the President may just be posturing. 她說總統(tǒng)也許只是在做樣子而已。

7 escalate

v.(使)逐步增長(或發(fā)展)，(使)逐步升級

參考例句：

It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它將誘使以色列的鄰國不斷把他們的要求升級。

Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失敗可能會導(dǎo)致其中一方將沖突升級。

8 tusk

n.獠牙，長牙，象牙

參考例句：

The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野豬的獠牙陷在了樹里，絕望地嗥叫著。

A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他書房的墻上裝飾著一支巨大的象牙。

9 deadlock

n.僵局，僵持

參考例句：

The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.兩小時后，談判陷入了僵局。

The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罷工者在工資問題上相持不下。