Unit Two

原文，录音及翻译

Using Language 录音

THE AMAZING ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA

澳大利亚神奇的动物

Our topic today is"Creatures Unique to Australia"', with questions answered by wildlife expert Dr Jim Smith.

我们今天的话题是“澳大利亚特有的生物”,由野生动物专家吉姆・史密斯博士回答问题。

Australia has lots of unique animals, but which animal is a symbol of the country?

澳大利亚拥有众多独一无二的动物,但哪种动物才是这个国家的象征呢?

It has to be the kangaroo, as it has a wide distribution throughout the country.It's a tough animal that has to survive in a difficult environment. Also, it cannot walk backwards, so it is always moving forwards. This expresses the strength and resolve of the Australians as individuals and as a nation. Baby kangaroos weigh only two grammes at birth. They then find their way into their mother's pouch-a kind of a pocket-to stay safe and warm. They sleep and drink milk in that temporary, protected environment until they are about seven or eight months old. After this phase, they go out to try their legs. After they learn to jump, they gradually spend less time with their mother and learn to be independent. Kangaroos may look cute, but encounters with them don't always end so well. Kangaroos can hit and kick very hard, so please folks, if you see some kangaroos, remember they're not for petting!

毫无疑问是袋鼠,因为这种动物广泛分布于全国。袋鼠是一种强壮的动物生存于恶劣的环境中。此外,它不会倒退行走,所以总是勇往直前。这表达了澳大利亚人作为个体和民族的力量与决心。袋鼠宝宝出生时只有两克重。然后,它们会钻进母亲的育儿袋——一种口袋一一以保持安全和温暖。它们在这个临时性、受保护的环境中睡觉和吃奶,直到七八个月大。在这个阶段之后,它们会出去试试腿力。学会跳跃之后,它们与母亲相处的时间就会逐步减少,学会独立。袋鼠可能看起来十分可爱,但与它们邂近的结局并不总是那么美好。袋鼠的踢打相当有力,所以大家要小心,如果你们看到袋鼠,要记住它们不是用来爱抚的!

Koalas are cute, and we see so many pictures of people holding them. But in many places in Australia, it is against the law to even touch them. Can you clarify that?

考拉非常可爱,我们可以看到很多人抱着它们的照片。但是在澳大利亚的许多地方,即便碰一下它们都是违法的。你能说明一下这点吗?

They are really quite cute, but the truth is, koalas are very sensitive creatures who can easily panic because of even small changes in their environment. They spend quite a lot of time eating, sleeping, and hanging onto tree trunks, so interaction with humans can cause them a lot of stress. Because of this. the government began to make laws against touching koalas, in the interest of animal protection, as well as public safety. So, if you see one in the wild, you shouldn't approach it to pick it up or even touch it. If you want to hold a koala,you have to go to certain licensed zoos where animal experts make sure that the koalas selected for each session are in a good state for human contact and that they are handled for only a limited time and on a limited frequency of occasions.

考拉确实十分可爱,但事实是,考拉是非常敏感的动物,即便只是环境中的微小变化都会让它们惊慌失措。它们大部分时间都在吃东西、睡觉和挂在树干上,所以与人类互动会给它们带来极大的压力。因此,政府开始立法禁止触摸考拉,也是出于对保护动物和公共安全的考虑。所以,如果你在野外看到一只考拉,你不要靠近它去把它抱起来或即便是去触摸它。如果你想要抱一抱考拉,你必须去那些获得正式许可的动物园,在那里动物专家会确保为每场互动而选出的考拉状态良好,可以与人接触,而且只在有限的时间内,以有限的次数与人互动。

So, we've talked about some cute animals. What about animals which aren't so cute?

我们已经谈了一些可爱的动物,那么,不太可爱的动物呢?

My favourite is a little creature called the Tasmanian devil. If you are out camping in Tasmania and come across one, the experience might scare you!Tasmanian devils hunt at night, so you won't usually see them, but you may hear their loud cries when they are fighting or eating. The noise they make could wake the dead. Frightening! They are about the size of small dogs and look like rather large black rats. They also have a terrible smell! Their diet is mostly dead animals. Fortunately, despite their name, they are generally not violent towards people.

我最喜欢的是一种被称为塔斯马尼亚恶魔的小动物。如果你在塔斯马尼亚野外露营时遇到一只,那经历可能会吓到你!塔斯马尼亚恶魔在夜间捕食,所以你通常不会看到它们,然而当它们打架或者吃东西时,你会听到它们震耳的嚎叫声。它们发出来的噪音能把死人叫醒。十分恐怖!它们个头跟小狗差不多,看起来像只大黑鼠。它们身上还有一股难闻的气味!它们的食物主要是动物的尸体。幸运的是,尽管它们名为“恶魔”,但是它们基本上对人类没有攻击性。

Australia also has some animals that many people have never heard of, for example, the duck-billed platypus. Is that some kind of bird?

澳大利亚还有一些许多人从未听说过的动物,例如鸭嘴兽。那是某种鸟吗?

Not at all. While it may lay eggs in a nest like a bird, it's really a primitive mammal, with a unique biology. Its eggs hatch after about ten days, and then the baby platypus nurses from its mother like all other mammals. Its nose looks like a ducks bill. and it has feet like a ducks so it can dive under the water. but it's covered in hair. Do you know what's really strange about a platypus? The platypus doesn't use its senses of sight or smell to find food. It has a capacity to find food in the water by using electrical sensors in its bill. There are only a small handful of animals in the world that can do that!

完全不是。虽然鸭嘴兽可以像鸟一样在巢中产卵,但它实际上是一种原始的哺乳动物,具有罕见的生物特性。它的蛋大约十天后孵化出来,然后新生鸭嘴兽像其他所有哺乳动物一样由母亲哺乳。它的鼻子看起来像鸭嘴,脚也跟鸭子的一样,所以它可以潜到水下,但它浑身都是毛。你知道鸭嘴兽真正奇怪的地方是什么吗?鸭嘴兽并非用视觉或嗅觉来觅食。它拥有一种能用嘴里的电传感器在水中找到食物的能力。世界上具备这一能力的动物屈指可数！