英語聽力：美洲大平原-8

The Osage orange seeds were carried far across the plains, before being deposited, pre-packed in their fertilizer growbags, ready to take root.

As the ice age waned, the milder climate and the mixed vegetation meant the plains were able to support a range of wild life as diverse as Africa Serengeti today. There were at least five kinds of horse, including a wild ass, and another that resembled modern zebra, and North America's very own antelope—the pronghorn. 13,000 years ago, several different species roamed the plains.

The pronghorn lived alongside other grazers still around today, including bison. This animal was common, too. But now it would seem very out of place.

Bigger than its modern relatives, the ice age camel was extremely hardy, able to eat almost any kind of food.

Elk, like many ice age animals, survive almost unchanged. The rich parkland was ideal for these large deer. But one creature more than any other has remained a constant symbol of the plain since people first set foot here, the bison.

Adult bison are formidable, two meters tall and weighing more than a ton. They too sheltered near the trees in winter, taking to the plains again in spring when new grass started sprouting.

1 waned

v.衰落( wane的過去式和過去分詞 );(月)虧;變小;變暗淡

參考例句：

However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的熱情減退了。我在做操上花的時間逐漸減少了。 來自《用法詞典》

The bicycle craze has waned. 自行車熱已冷下去了。 來自《現(xiàn)代漢英綜合大詞典》

2 ass

n.驢;傻瓜，蠢笨的人

參考例句：

He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那樣笨。

An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驢能負(fù)重但不能超過它能力所負(fù)擔(dān)的。

3 hardy

adj.勇敢的，果斷的，吃苦的;耐寒的

參考例句：

The kind of plant is a hardy annual.這種植物是耐寒的一年生植物。

He is a hardy person.他是一個能吃苦耐勞的人。

4 elk

n.麋鹿

參考例句：

I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我離那頭麋鹿非常近，能聽見它吃力的呼吸聲。

The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.這座庇護(hù)所有著世界上數(shù)量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

5 sprouting

v.發(fā)芽( sprout的現(xiàn)在分詞 );抽芽;出現(xiàn);(使)涌現(xiàn)出

參考例句：

new leaves sprouting from the trees 樹上長出的新葉

They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他們在往綻出新芽的土豆秧周圍培新土。 來自名作英譯部分