The Cleverest 1)Scam in the Animal World

⊙ By John Downer

翻译：T Boy

其实，宽吻海豚只不过发明了一种独有的捕食方法罢了，而在南非，卷尾鸟与狐獴这对“合作伙伴”却要彼此斗智斗勇，才能填饱肚子。它们一而再的较量让人忍俊不禁。英式发音 适合泛听语速：115词/分钟

听力难度

Perhaps the cleverest scam in the animal world can be found in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.

At the heart of this2)deceptionis the3)drongo,a bird that likes to hang out with4)meerkats. The meerkats5)foragefor insects. While they eat, a meerkat is on6)sentryduty looking for danger.Drongos have7)keen eyesight, and as they can8)perchhigher, they often spot the danger first.9)Martial eaglesare a serious threat. The drongo’s alarm10)alerts the meerkats. They, in turn, call and run for cover.

Having their own11)lookout bird helps the meerkats spend more time feeding. But there is a price to pay. The drongo isn’t quite as selfless as he seems, and has learned to turn this alarm to his advantage. He becomes an expert on their habits, learning that when an adult finds food, it calls out to the youngsters to share. As the food is about to be exchanged, the drongo calls the alarm,but this time, it’s a trick. As the meerkats abandon their food and flee, the drongo steals their meal.

1) scam [skæm] n. 诡计，阴谋

2) deception [dɪ΄sepʃ（ə）n] n. 骗局，诡计

3) drongo [΄drɒŋɡəʊ] n. 卷尾鸟

4) meerkat [΄mɪəkæt] n. （南非）狐獴，猫鼬，蒙哥

5) forage [΄fɒrɪdʒ] v. 搜寻食物

6) sentry [΄sentrɪ] n. 警卫，看守

7) keen [kiːn] adj. 锐利的

8) perch [pзːtʃ] v. （鸟）栖息，停歇

9) martial eagle 猛雕

10) alert [ə΄lзːt] v. 警告

11) lookout [΄lʊkaʊt] n. 瞭望

Onto a good thing, the drongo tries again. But the meerkats know when they’ve been12)duped.And this time, no one reacts at all.

So the drongo takes it to the next level. But even screaming the alarm in their face doesn’t work. The meerkats are smart enough to know a cheat when they hear one.

Or are they? The drongo has another trick to pull. This time, the drongo13)mimicsthe meerkats’ own alarm call. It’s so accurate, the meerkats are duped again.

Drongos get over a fifth of their daily meals by making false alarms and stealing. When he’s exhausted all his tricks, he tries a more14)brazen approach. But he’s pushed his luck too far. He must try his scams elsewhere.

The intelligence of animals is sometimes so extraordinary, it can truly amaze.

12) dupe [djuːp] v. 欺骗

13) mimic [΄mɪmɪk] v. 模仿

14) brazen [΄breɪz（ə）n] adj. 厚颜无耻的

见招拆招

① At the heart of this deception is the drongo, a bird that likes to hang out with meerkats.

② They, in turn, call and run for cover.

③ Onto a good thing, the drongo tries again.

在英语中，介词短语的用法很灵活，它和名词或相当于名词的词一起构成介词短语在句中作状语、定语、表语等，视需要不同，可放在句首、句中或句末。灵活运用介词短语可以让文章的句型结构更为多样化，更加活泼。本文中三个使用了介词短语的句子形式各不相同：

① 这是一个倒装句，介词短语at the heart of this deception在句子中充当表语，与系动词is一起被提到主语the drongo前，用以强调介词短语要表达的内容。

② 介词短语in turn在句中作状语，说明动词call的方式。

③ 介词短语onto a good thing作状语，说明主句发生的原因。

参考译文

也许动物世界里最狡诈的骗局发生在南非的卡拉哈里沙漠。

在这场骗局中，扮演主角的是卷尾鸟，这种鸟喜欢跟狐獴一起混。狐獴搜寻昆虫作食物，它们在同伴进食时，有一只狐獴负责放哨，观察着四周潜在的危险。卷尾鸟的目光非常敏锐，而且它们栖息在高处，所以总能最先发现险情。猛雕是一个致命的威胁，卷尾鸟发出的警报惊动了狐獴，它们相互提醒，找地方藏起来。

有了自己的瞭望鸟，狐獴可以花更多时间觅食，但这也是要付出代价的。卷尾鸟并非如其所表现的那么无私，它学会了从这种警报中获得好处。它逐渐掌握了狐獴的习性，知道成年狐獴在找到食物后，会把幼崽叫出来进食。而就在食物即将在长幼狐獴之间交换的那一刻，卷尾鸟发出了警报声，这次却是一个阴谋。当狐獴扔下食物逃跑后，卷尾鸟便偷走了它们的食物。

卷尾鸟尝到了甜头，重施故伎。但是狐獴已经知道自己被骗了。这一次，没有一只狐獴采取行动。

于是，卷尾鸟就把骗术升级，但即使它面对着狐獴高声尖叫也未能奏效，聪明的狐獴能够判断自己听到的是个骗局。

不过，真的是这样吗？卷尾鸟还有别的花招。这一次，卷尾鸟模仿了狐獴特有的警哨声，它的模仿如此惟妙惟肖，狐獴又上当了。

卷尾鸟每天五分之一的食物是通过虚假的示警和偷窃获取的。当它黔驴技穷的时候，它就尝试更加厚颜无耻的手段，可惜它的运气已经到头了，不得不转移战场。

有时候，动物的智力是如此非凡，实在让人震惊不已。