野狼又来袭（一）
Wolf Population Booms Near Cities

March 14 -- Only 40 years ago, wolves were on the brink of extinction. But the animals have made such a successful comeback that some nations are facing a new type of wolf problem -- how to control the increasing number of the predators prowling near cities, reports today's New York Times.

*boom：激增，繁荣。比如股市跌宕起伏，The stocks may boom today, but droop（萎靡）tomorrow.
*brink：边缘。仅在40年前，野狼还处于灭绝（extinction）的边缘，而现在它们却又卷土重来。Brink一般前加介词on或at，如：He is at the brink of truth.（他快要猜到事实真相了。）
*predators：掠夺者，肉食动物。这里就是指野狼。
*prowling：（为觅食等）潜行。纽约时报称，在一些国家，数量见长的野狼出没于城市附近，已成为一个新问题。

Despite their reputation as an extremely shy species, their presence in or near urban centers should not come as a surprise, L. David Mech, a biologist with the United States Geological Survey, tells the Times. "We have altered the concept of wolf habitat," he says. "That habitat is where wolves have prey and food and where people let them live."

*habitat：栖息地。著名生物学家David Mech说：“哪里有猎物，哪里人类让其生存，哪里就有野狼栖息。”

Regarded as the doyen of wolf specialists, Mech was one of the more than 600 wolf experts who gathered in Minnesota late last month for the international conference, "Beyond 2000 -- Realities of Global Wolf Restoration."

*doyen：这个词来源于法语，意思是“老前辈，资格最老者”。若女性，则是 doyenne.

Wolves can be seen walking on the streets of Ely, Minn., and one bold wolf was even found within 19 miles of St. Paul, Minn, according to the Times. Wolf recovery has been so successful, in fact, that many wildlife experts recommend the controlled killing of wolves to curb burgeoning populations.

*curb：这个词原意是“路缘、路边”，这里引申作动词，表示“控制、约束”。比如，curb one's anger（按捺怒火）；curb one's tongue（管住自己的舌头）。
*burgeoning：迅速生长。一些野生动植物专家建议有控制地捕杀野狼，以限制其数量的激增。

（to be continued）