Chapter 13

So you see, if you fall into a lion's pit, the reason the lionwill tear you to pieces is not because it's hungry – be assured,zoo animals are amply fed – or because it's bloodthirsty, butbecause you've invaded its territory. As an aside, that is why acircus trainer must always enter the lion ring first, and in fullsight of the lions. In doing so, he establishes that the ring ishis territory, not theirs, a notion that he reinforces by shouting,by stomping¹ about, by snapping his whip. The lions areimpressed. Their disadvantage weighs heavily on them. Noticehow they come in: mighty² predators³ though they are, "kings ofbeasts", they crawl in with their tails low and they keep to theedges of the ring, which is always round so that they havenowhere to hide. They are in the presence of a stronglydominant male, a super-alpha male, and they must submit tohis dominance rituals. So they open their jaws⁴ wide, they situp, they jump through paper-covered hoops⁵, they crawlthrough tubes, they walk backwards⁶, they roll over. "He's aqueer one," they think dimly. "Never seen a top lion like him.
But he runs a good pride. The larder's always full and – let'sbe honest, mates – his antics keep us busy. Napping all thetime does get a bit boring. At least we're not riding bicycles likethe brown bears or catching⁷ flying plates like the chimps⁸."Only the trainer better make sure he always remains⁹ superalpha. He will pay dearly if he unwittingly slips to beta. Muchhostile and aggressive behaviour among animals is theexpression of social insecurity. The animal in front of you mustknow where it stands, whether above you or below you. Socialrank is central to how it leads its life. Rank determines whomit can associate with and how; where and when it can eat;where it can rest; where it can drink; and so on. Until itknows its rank for certain, the animal lives a life of unbearableanarchy. It remains nervous, jumpy, dangerous. Luckily for thecircus trainer, decisions about social rank among higher animalsare not always based on brute¹⁰ force. Hediger (1950) says,"When two creatures meet, the one that is able to intimidate¹¹ itsopponent is recognized as socially superior, so that a socialdecision does not always depend on a fight; an encounter insome circumstances may be enough." Words of a wise animalman. Mr. Hediger was for many years a zoo director, first ofthe Basel Zoo and then of the Zurich Zoo. He was a man wellversed in the ways of animals.
It's a question of brain over brawn¹². The nature of the circustrainer's ascendancy¹³ is psychological. Foreign surroundings, thetrainer's erect¹⁴ posture¹⁵, calm demeanour, steady gaze, fearlessstep forward, strange roar (for example, the snapping of awhip or the blowing of a whistle) – these are so many factorsthat will fill the animal's mind with doubt and fear, and makeclear to it where it stands, the very thing it wants to know.
Satisfied, Number Two will back down and Number One canturn to the audience and shout, "Let the show go on! Andnow, ladies and gentlemen, through hoops of real fire…"

1 stomping   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步，样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
• Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人：赖特．菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下，重返他的老地方。 来自互联网

2 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 predators   

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》

4 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

5 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

6 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

7 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

8 chimps   

（非洲）黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chimps are too scarce, and too nearly human, to be routinely slaughtered for spare parts. 黑猩猩又太少，也太接近于人类，不可以作为人器官备用件说杀就杀。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
• And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类，就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

11 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

12 brawn   

n.体力

参考例句：

• In this job you need both brains and brawn.做这份工作既劳神又费力。
• They relied on brains rather than brawn.他们靠的是脑力，而不是体力。

13 ascendancy   

n.统治权，支配力量

参考例句：

• We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
• The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。

14 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

15 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。