A robin was pecking at crumbs on the ground.

一只知更鸟在地上啄食面包渣。

It was winter and the sparrows were pecking at whatever they could find.

已是冬天了，麻雀们能找到什么就啄食什么。

It is difficult to train pigeons to escape from a certain situation by pecking.

训练鸽子通过叼啄来脱离某种情境是很困难的。

The robin hopped about busily pecking the soil and now and then stopped and looked at them a little.

那只知更鸟跳来跳去，忙着啄土，时不时地停下来看看它们。

You could train a pigeon to peck for food but that's because pecking for food is a very natural response.

你可以训练鸽子啄食，但那是因为啄食是一种非常自然的反应。

After some more investigation, he discarded the stick and carried on pecking at the snake more confidently—apparently convinced that it wouldn't move.

经过一番查探之后，他扔掉棍子，更加有信心地啄着那条蛇——他确信它不会动。

He knew his place in the pecking order.

他知道自己在排序中的位置。

New Zealand is at the top of the pecking order of rugby nations.

新西兰在橄榄球国家中首屈一指。

It began pecking at the ground, looking for a worm to eat.

它开始在地上啄食，找虫子吃。

Motorists would rather pay more tax than lose the place in the corporate pecking order conferred on them by their company cars.

驾车者宁愿交更多的税，也不愿失去公司汽车赋予他们的公司地位。

Now there are 13 hens pecking around the yard.

现在这里有13只母鸡在园子里啄食。

There are no big changes in the pecking order.

这样的排序没有大的变动。

Nor was she pecking and scratching in any of the nearby yards.

也没在附近的任何一家院子里抓抓啄啄。

Even senior bondholders, who are high in the pecking order, were hit.

即使是在偿还顺序中处于优先地位的高等级债券持有人也受到了损失。

Therefore, the global pecking order among financial institutions is shifting.

因此，全球金融行业的排列次序正在变化之中。

The pecking order may change, but pragmatism and efficiency will always count.

“啄食”秩序可能会改变，但是实用主义与高效率永远有重要意义。

Like many tribes, however, companies have a strict pecking order based on age.

但也正如很多家族那样，这些企业里也有以年龄为基础的严格的辈份等级。

Holding it with one hand meant the same index-finger pecking you do on the iPhone.

如果用一个手拿的话就意味着像iPhone一样用食指打字。

It's very tight at the very top so a relatively small change can move the pecking order.

顶级学府的排名竞争相当激烈，因此即便相对较小的变化都会使名次产生变动。

And, sadly, the ability to exert force still determines the international pecking order.

可悲的是，实施能力仍然决定了国际权势等级。