BBC Earth｜小企鹅的生死考验

The Penguin Chick's Life-or-Death Test
Seven Worlds, One Planet｜Antarctica

It's autumn. The chicks have lost their down feathers and they're hungry. They must go to sea for the first time.

But now there's a risk of being crushed between blocks of ice. They have to get to the distant icebergs, and so reach the open ocean that lies beyond. And that is easier said than done.

A leopard seal, their main predator. It's a giant, three metres long. These icy conditions help it to hunt. The penguins can neither walk nor swim. They have no way of telling where the seal will strike. These are easy pickings.

For some, it's time to retreat. But now, it's back to square one. There's no alternative but to run the gauntlet once again. The seal seems to be toying with this penguin.

But safety is in sight. The ice floe is near the open ocean. But this penguin is exhausted. Perhaps it's not worth it, after all.

词汇表
chick [tʃɪk] 雏鸟，幼鸟，小鸡
down feather 绒毛，羽绒
be crushed between blocks of ice 被冰块夹击
lie beyond 在…之外，位于…远处的那一边
leopard seal [ˈlepə(r)d][siːl] 豹海豹（一种有着类似豹子斑点的灰色海豹，主要生活在南极水域）
predator [ˈpredətə(r)] 捕食者，掠夺者，食肉动物
icy ['aɪsɪ] 冰冷的，结冰的
penguin ['peŋɡwɪn] 企鹅
strike [straɪk] 攻击，袭击，打
easy pickings ['pɪkɪŋz] 唾手可得的猎物，容易得手的事物
retreat [rɪˈtriːt] 撤退，退缩
square one 最初的阶段，起点
alternative [ɔːlˈtɜː(r)nətɪv] 选择，替代物
run the gauntlet [ˈɡɔːntlət] 冒险尝试，迎接考验
toy with 玩弄，摆弄
in sight 在视野范围内，在眼前
floe [fləʊ]（海上的）浮冰块

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