safari：狩猎旅行。也指这样的旅行队。

stalk：潜近、跟踪猎物。

leopard：美洲豹。另有jaguar（美洲虎）、puma=cougar=mountain lion（美洲狮）、lanther（豹）。需要说明的是，美洲豹原产于非洲和亚洲南部，在南非大陆上出没其实并不奇怪。

crouch：蹲伏。

jaded：厌倦的，缺乏热情的。

ditch：丢弃。

The sun hasn't yet risen, it's a freezing winter night, and we're warming our hands on cups of coffee as we listen for the roar of lions. Two skilled trackers next to me hold high-powered rifles to make sure we don't inadvertently end up on the dinner menu of any animal we encounter.

listen for：“倾听”，比老掉牙的listen to程度更深。

tracker：跟踪者。

high-powered：高性能的。

inadvertently：疏忽地，不注意地。=carelessly

end up on the dinner menu of any animal we encounter.：生动表达，赞一个。

As the sun comes up, the trackers find the footprints of a female leopard and her male cub. A few steps away is a violet spot no bigger than a dime, and some blond hairs snared on top of a heap of buffalo dung. These signs lead the trackers to conclude that the leopard has killed a bushbuck, which is a small antelope, and dragged the carcass away. We're off on foot into the bush to follow her trail.

cub：幼兽。

violet：紫罗兰（色的）。

dime：一角硬币。

snare：“诱捕”，名词作“陷阱”。这里指“覆盖、掩饰”。联系后文可以推断，水牛粪上的几滴血和几缕豹毛如同凶杀现场的蛛丝马迹一样，暗示了不久前的一场捕杀。

a heap of：一堆.

dung：（家畜的）粪。

bushbuck：非洲羚羊。

carcass：动物的尸体。

A conventional safari might be an exciting experience, but what I'm doing now is positively heart-stopping. It's a controversial tour called a tracking safari, following dangerous animals on foot, instead of by vehicle, the way most safaris are run. Despite the risks, tracking safaris are an increasingly popular option in South Africa for those who yawn at the thought of sitting in a vehicle and twisting dials on a camera.

positively：绝对，肯定。

run：不是跑，而是“运作”“操作”。

yawn at：对……产生厌倦。yawn：打哈欠。

twist dials on a camera：拨动照相机上的刻度盘。明显比take photos来的生动。

Tracking safaris were relatively rare a decade ago; now, a growing number of the country's game lodges offer them. Many more will take guests on a tamer version often called a walking safari, which focuses on viewing birds and flowers and small mammals. At one big operator, CC Africa, nearly a third of guests go on walks of some kind during their safaris.

game lodges：猎人旅馆。

tame：温和的。

The safety concerns are sobering. Operators say they employ a variety of safeguards, from extensive training for guides to lengthy briefings for guests on how to behave in the bush. Although there is no central record-keeping authority to chart safari deaths and injuries, at least 15 people have been reported killed or injured while on foot during safaris in Africa in the past decade, according to press reports.

central：此指“主要的”“重要的”。

sober：严肃的；清醒的；没有言过其实的。

safeguard：这里不是指保安，而是“安全措施”。

authority：根据，理由；权威引述。

chart：制图表。此指“记录在案”。

"Quite honestly, I wouldn't do it," says Rob Little, conservation director of the South African branch of WWF, an international environmental group.