国家地理-2008-04-03 Hippo Spa 河马也水疗

How do you like a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nature's most luxurious¹ full service, hippos' spas.
Our dominant² male hippo customer has already arrived here at the Mezima Spring in Kenya, Africa. The carp goes right to work. It uses its wide, vast big mouth to scour³ the hippo's hide. The hippo gets squeaky clean skin, and the fish gets a rich buffet⁴ of dead skin, algae⁵ and parasites⁶.

How about that tail that looks kind of like a toilet brush, the cichlid fish takes care of that. Now how about, well, how can I say this discreetly⁷, the hippo's hindquarters, where the hippo produces hippo dung. The barbel fish eagerly dives in here, especially when the hippo was in dung production mode. The barbel is so eager for what the hippo is trying to get rid of that they will race after him like an autograph seeker chasing a rock star.

Finally,the hippo opens its mouth, home of the good stuff. And fish rush in like  hungry shoppers at a half-off big sale.

The hippo was enjoying the full treatment, and after it's done, enjoys a relaxing yawn of relief. 

1 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

2 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

3 scour   

v.搜索；擦，洗，腹泻，冲刷

参考例句：

• Mother made me scour the family silver.母亲让我擦洗家里的银器。
• We scoured the telephone directory for clues.我们仔细查阅电话簿以寻找线索。

4 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

5 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

6 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

7 discreetly   

ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇，一个很会讲排场的法国女人。
• Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么，有意避开了。