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澳大利亚能否拯救考拉
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澳大利亚能否拯救考拉
10个月大的爱默生睁着棕色的大眼睛盯着我，然后打了个哈欠。
双语精读
Can Australia find a way to protect its most beloved animal?
澳大利亚能否想办法保护其最受喜爱的动物？
Ten-month-old Emerson fixed his big brown eyes on me and yawned. Still groggy from a nap, the koala rubbed his face, then stuck out an expectant paw.
10个月大的爱默生睁着棕色的大眼睛盯着我，然后打了个哈欠。他刚睡醒午觉，还一脸惺忪，他揉了揉脸，然后伸出一只期待的小爪子。
The nurse escorting me through his enclosure smiled. "He's looking for his milk," she said.
护送我穿过考拉园区围栏的护士笑了。她说：“他在找他的牛奶。”
Four months earlier, when Emerson was admitted to Northern Rivers Koala Hospital, in New South Wales, Australia, he was so small that volunteers had to feed him with a syringe, dribbling formula into his mouth, his furry body swaddled in a towel.
四个月前，当爱默生在澳大利亚新南威尔士州的北河考拉医院入院治疗时，他还很小，志愿者们不得不用注射器给他喂食，将配方奶滴进他的嘴里，他那毛茸茸的身体裹在一条毛巾里。
Now healthy and about five pounds, he was one of the most effortlessly anthropomorphized animals I had ever come across.
现在他很健康，大约有五磅重，是我见过的最容易被拟人化的动物之一。
"The first thing I tell my volunteers when they come here to start is: 'You will not be cuddling these koalas,'" Jen Ridolfi, the volunteer coordinator for Friends of the Koala, the nonprofit that runs Northern Rivers, told me.
“志愿者们来这里开始工作时，我告诉他们的第一件事就是：‘你们不能抱这些考拉。’”非营利组织考拉之友的志愿者协调员珍·里多尔菲告诉我，这个组织负责运营北河考拉医院。
Ridolfi is vigilant about volunteers for a reason. Of the roughly 350 koalas admitted annually to Northern Rivers, only about a third survive.
里多尔菲对志愿者保持警觉是有原因的。在北河医院每年入院的大约350只考拉中，只有约三分之一存活下来。
Chief among the threats they face is chlamydia-yes, that chlamydia-a bacterial infection that in koalas, as in humans, spreads primarily via sex, and can cause blindness, infertility, and other severe, sometimes fatal complications.
它们面临的主要威胁是衣原体--是的，就是衣原体，这是一种细菌感染，在考拉和人体内都是主要通过性传播，可导致失明、不育和其他严重的并发症，有时甚至致命。
Car collisions and dog attacks are not far behind.
被汽车撞和被狗袭击也是紧随其后的威胁。
These acute perils are compounded by more chronic ones: habitat destruction; genetic fragility; and climate change, which fuels heat waves, droughts, and wildfires that scorch the trees that koalas live in and eat from.
这些紧急的危险又叠加了更长期的危险：栖息地破坏、基因脆弱性，以及气候变化，后者助长了热浪、干旱和野火，烧焦了考拉生活和觅食的树木。
Some koala populations have, in recent decades, fallen by 80 percent. Koalas are far from Australia's most endangered animal-they're not even its most endangered marsupial. But if there's any creature that people are motivated to save, it's the koala.
在最近几十年里，一些考拉种群减少了80%。考拉远非澳大利亚最濒危的动物，甚至也不是澳大利亚最濒危的有袋动物。但是，如果说有什么动物是人们有动力去拯救的，那就是考拉。
Since 2019, the Australian government has dedicated the equivalent of about 50 million U.S. dollars to conserving the species, far more than it has allocated to animals in greater peril.
自2019年以来，澳大利亚政府已投入相当于约5000万美元的资金用于保护该物种，远远超过了分配给其他更濒危动物的资金。
Koalas are a national icon and, like many other charismatic megafauna, a boom for tourism. Plus people just seem to connect with them in a way they do with few other animals.
考拉是澳大利亚的国宝，并且和许多其他有魅力的大型动物一样，也是受欢迎的旅游项目。另外，人们似乎与它们有一种与其他动物没有的联系。
But the places where koalas prefer to live --- lush, coastal regions --- are also the places that human beings find most hospitable. Which means that even an animal this beloved may test the limits of what people are willing to sacrifice to save another species.
但是考拉喜欢生活的地方--- 郁郁葱葱的沿海地区---也是人类觉得最舒适的地方。这意味着，即使是这种受人喜爱的动物，也可能考验人们为拯救另一个物种而愿意做出多大的牺牲。
词汇预习
species [高考]
美[ˈspiːʃiːz] | 英[ˈspiːʃiːz]
n. 种类；（单复同）物种
roughly [高考]
美[ˈrʌfli] | 英[ˈrʌfli]
adv. 粗略地；大约；粗暴地；粗糙地；粗鲁地
destruction [高考]
美[dɪˈstrʌkʃn] | 英[dɪˈstrʌkʃn]
n. 破坏；毁灭
coordinator [高考]
美[koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪtər] | 英[kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪtə(r)]
n. 协调者；同等的人或物；【自】协调器
coastal [高考]
美[ˈkoʊstl] | 英[ˈkəʊstl]
adj. 沿海的；海岸的；沿岸的
primarily [高考]
美[praɪˈmerəli] | 英[praɪˈmerəli]
adv. 主要地，首要地，根本地
blindness [高考]
美[ˈblaɪndnɪs] | 英['blaɪndnəs]
n. 盲目；失明；愚昧
equivalent [高考]
美[ɪˈkwɪvələnt] | 英[ɪˈkwɪvələnt]
adj. 等价的 相等的 n. 相等物
fatal [高考]
美[ˈfeɪtl] | 英[ˈfeɪtl]
adj. 致命的；灾难性的；毁灭性的；导致失败的
annually [高考]
美[ˈænjʊəlɪ] | 英[ˈænjuəli]
adv. 每年；年年
sacrifice [高考]
美[ˈsækrɪfaɪs] | 英[ˈsækrɪfaɪs]
n. 牺牲；祭品；供奉 vt. 牺牲；亏本出售；供奉 vi. 献祭；(棒球)作牺牲一击
boom [高考]
美[buːm] | 英[buːm]
n. 繁荣；兴旺；激增；低沉声 n. 帆杠；吊杆；支臂；尾桁；水栅 vi. 急速增长；发出低沉声 vt. 使兴旺；促进
via [高考]
美[ˈviːə] | 英[ˈvaɪə]
prep. 经由；通过
severe [高考]
美[sɪˈvɪr] | 英[sɪˈvɪə(r)]
adj. 严厉的；严重的；剧烈的；严格的；严峻的
sex [高考]
美[seks] | 英[seks]
n. 性别；性欲；性 vt. 区别 ... 性别；引起 ... 性欲
acute [高考]
美[əˈkjuːt] | 英[əˈkjuːt]
adj. 严重的; （疾病）急性的; 灵敏的; 敏锐的; 锐角的
connect with [高考]
美[kəˈnɛkt wɪð] | 英[kəˈnekt wið]
连接； 与 ... 联系
in a way [高考]
美[ɪn ə weɪ] | 英[ɪn ə weɪ]
在某种程度上； 从某一点上看
means [高考]
美[miːnz] | 英[miːnz]
n. 方法；手段；收入；财产 v. 意思是，意味（动词mean的第三人称单数）
infection [高考]
美[ɪnˈfekʃn] | 英[ɪnˈfekʃn]
n. 传染；传染病；影响
dedicated [高考]
美[ˈdedɪkeɪtɪd] | 英[ˈdedɪkeɪtɪd]
adj. 专注的；献身的；专用的
formula [高考]
美[ˈfɔːrmjələ] | 英[ˈfɔːmjələ]
n. 配方；公式；规则；代乳品 adj. 方程式的；（赛车的）级的
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
beloved [四级]
美[bɪˈlʌvd , bɪˈlʌvɪd] | 英[bɪˈlʌvd , bɪˈlʌvɪd]
adj. 心爱的 n. 爱人
nap [四级]
美[næp] | 英[næp]
n. 小睡；绒毛；纳普牌 vi. 打盹；疏忽
chronic [四级]
美[ˈkrɑːnɪk] | 英[ˈkrɒnɪk]
adj. 长期的；慢性的；惯常的
bacterial [四级]
美[bæk'tɪərɪrl] | 英[bæk'tɪərɪəl]
adj. 细菌的
live in [四级]
美[liv ɪn] | 英[liv in]
v. 住进
do with [四级]
美[dʊ wɪð] | 英[duː wɪð]
处理； 利用； 忍受； 需要； 相处
fixed [四级]
美[fɪkst] | 英[fɪkst]
adj. 固定的；不变的；确定的
peril [四级]
美[ˈperəl] | 英[ˈperəl]
n. 危险；冒险 vt. 冒险
nonprofit [六级]
美[nɑnˈprɑfɪt] | 英[ˌnɒn'prɒfɪt]
adj. 非赢利的 n. 非赢利组织
scorch [六级]
美[skɔːrtʃ] | 英[skɔːtʃ]
v. （使）烧焦；变焦；（使）枯萎 n. 烧焦
enclosure [六级]
美[ɪnˈkloʊʒər] | 英[ɪnˈkləʊʒə(r)]
n. 附件；围墙；围绕
icon [六级]
美[ˈaɪkɑːn] | 英[ˈaɪkɒn]
n. 偶像；象征；[计算机]图标
charismatic [专四]
美[ˌkærɪzˈmætɪk] | 英[ˌkærɪzˈmætɪk]
adj. 有魅力的
syringe [专八]
美[səˈrɪndʒ, ˈsɪrɪndʒ] | 英[sɪˈrɪndʒ]
n.（皮下）注射器；吸管；（园艺或烹饪中的）喷射器 v. 用注射器清洗（耳朵）；用喷射器（在植物上）喷洒（液体）
vigilant [专八]
美[ˈvɪdʒɪlənt] | 英[ˈvɪdʒɪlənt]
adj. 警戒的；警惕的
expectant [专八]
美[ɪkˈspɛktənt] | 英[ɪkˈspektənt]
adj. 期待的；怀孕的 n. 预期者；期待者
lush [专八]
美[lʌʃ] | 英[lʌʃ]
adj. 苍翠繁茂的；茂盛的；丰富的 n. 酒；酒鬼 v. 喝酒
fragility [考研]
美[frə'dʒɪlətɪ] | 英[frə'dʒɪlətɪ]
n. 脆弱；虚弱；易碎
endangered [托福]
美[ɪnˈdeɪndʒərd] | 英[ɪnˈdeɪndʒəd]
adj. 濒于灭绝的
marsupial [雅思]
美[mɑrˈsupiəl] | 英[mɑ:ˈsu:piəl]
n. 有袋动物 adj. 袋的；袋状的；有袋动物的
重点讲解
Can Australia find a way to protect its most beloved animal?
澳大利亚能否想办法保护其最受喜爱的动物？
expectant adj. 期待的；预期的
【例】The expectant crowd waited eagerly for the concert to begin.
满怀期待的人群急切地等着演唱会开始。
an expectant mother 准妈妈
【拓展】expect v. 期待
【辨析】anticipatory adj. 预期的；有准备的
【例】The team made anticipatory adjustments to the project to avoid potential delays.
团队预先对项目进行了调整，以免可能出现延误。
Ten-month-old Emerson fixed his big brown eyes on me and yawned. Still groggy from a nap, the koala rubbed his face, then stuck out an expectant paw.
10个月大的爱默生睁着棕色的大眼睛盯着我，然后打了个哈欠。他刚睡醒午觉，还一脸惺忪，他揉了揉脸，然后伸出一只期待的小爪子。
expectant adj. 期待的；预期的
【例】The expectant crowd waited eagerly for the concert to begin.
满怀期待的人群急切地等着演唱会开始。
an expectant mother 准妈妈
【拓展】expect v. 期待
【辨析】anticipatory adj. 预期的；有准备的
【例】The team made anticipatory adjustments to the project to avoid potential delays.
团队预先对项目进行了调整，以免可能出现延误。
The nurse escorting me through his enclosure smiled. “He’s looking for his milk,” she said.
护送我穿过考拉园区围栏的护士笑了。她说：“他在找他的牛奶。”
escort v. & n.
1. 作动词：护送；陪同
【例】an escorted trip 有导游的旅行
2. 作名词：陪同人员
【例】an escort interpreter 陪同翻译
be admitted to 准许进入；录取；入院
【例】You will not be admitted to the theater after the performance has started.
演出开始后不许进入剧场。
She was admitted to a prestigious university.
她被一所名牌大学录取。
The patient needs to be admitted to the hospital immediately.
病人需要立刻入院。
【拓展】admission office 招生办公室
Four months earlier, when Emerson was admitted to Northern Rivers Koala Hospital, in New South Wales, Australia, he was so small that volunteers had to feed him with a syringe, dribbling formula into his mouth, his furry body swaddled in a towel.
四个月前，当爱默生在澳大利亚新南威尔士州的北河考拉医院入院治疗时，他还很小，志愿者们不得不用注射器给他喂食，将配方奶滴进他的嘴里，他那毛茸茸的身体裹在一条毛巾里。
escort v. & n.
1. 作动词：护送；陪同
【例】an escorted trip 有导游的旅行
2. 作名词：陪同人员
【例】an escort interpreter 陪同翻译
be admitted to 准许进入；录取；入院
【例】You will not be admitted to the theater after the performance has started.
演出开始后不许进入剧场。
She was admitted to a prestigious university.
她被一所名牌大学录取。
The patient needs to be admitted to the hospital immediately.
病人需要立刻入院。
【拓展】admission office 招生办公室
Now healthy and about five pounds, he was one of the most effortlessly anthropomorphized animals I had ever come across.
现在他很健康，大约有五磅重，是我见过的最容易被拟人化的动物之一。
effortlessly adv. 不费力地；轻松地
【例】She never wears makeup and is effortlessly beautiful.
她从不化妆，美得很轻松。
【拓展】least-effort adj. 最省力的；最不费心的；最敷衍的
【例】least-effort work outfits 最敷衍的上班穿搭
coordinate v. 协调；调和
【例】They need to coordinate their schedules to find a suitable meeting time.
他们需要协调一下各自的时间表，找一个合适的开会时间。
【拓展】coordinated adj. 协调一致的
coordination n. 协调；配合
“The first thing I tell my volunteers when they come here to start is: ‘You will not be cuddling these koalas,’” Jen Ridolfi, the volunteer coordinator for Friends of the Koala, the nonprofit that runs Northern Rivers, told me.
“志愿者们来这里开始工作时，我告诉他们的第一件事就是：‘你们不能抱这些考拉。’”非营利组织考拉之友的志愿者协调员珍·里多尔菲告诉我，这个组织负责运营北河考拉医院。
effortlessly adv. 不费力地；轻松地
【例】She never wears makeup and is effortlessly beautiful.
她从不化妆，美得很轻松。
【拓展】least-effort adj. 最省力的；最不费心的；最敷衍的
【例】least-effort work outfits 最敷衍的上班穿搭
coordinate v. 协调；调和
【例】They need to coordinate their schedules to find a suitable meeting time.
他们需要协调一下各自的时间表，找一个合适的开会时间。
【拓展】coordinated adj. 协调一致的
coordination n. 协调；配合
Ridolfi is vigilant about volunteers for a reason. Of the roughly 350 koalas admitted annually to Northern Rivers, only about a third survive.
里多尔菲对志愿者保持警觉是有原因的。在北河医院每年入院的大约350只考拉中，只有约三分之一存活下来。
vigilant adj. 警觉的；警戒的
【例】She stayed vigilant about any noise that could signal an intruder.
她对可能表示有人入侵的任何声音都很警觉。
【近义词】alert/watchful adj. 警觉的
complication n. 并发症
【例】She developed complications after the surgery.
她手术后出现了并发症。
The bad weather added a further complication to our bumpy journey.
恶劣的天气给我们颠簸的旅行增加了更多的困难。
【拓展】complicate v. 使复杂化；并发（疾病）
Chief among the threats they face is chlamydia—yes, that chlamydia—a bacterial infection that in koalas, as in humans, spreads primarily via sex, and can cause blindness, infertility, and other severe, sometimes fatal complications.
它们面临的主要威胁是衣原体--是的，就是衣原体，这是一种细菌感染，在考拉和人体内都是主要通过性传播，可导致失明、不育和其他严重的并发症，有时甚至致命。
vigilant adj. 警觉的；警戒的
【例】She stayed vigilant about any noise that could signal an intruder.
她对可能表示有人入侵的任何声音都很警觉。
【近义词】alert/watchful adj. 警觉的
complication n. 并发症
【例】She developed complications after the surgery.
她手术后出现了并发症。
The bad weather added a further complication to our bumpy journey.
恶劣的天气给我们颠簸的旅行增加了更多的困难。
【拓展】complicate v. 使复杂化；并发（疾病）
Car collisions and dog attacks are not far behind.
被汽车撞和被狗袭击也是紧随其后的威胁。
collision n. 碰撞；抵触
【例】The car was severely damaged in the collision with a truck.
汽车在与卡车相撞后受损严重。
The collision of these two cultural perspectives can lead to interesting discussions.
这两种文化视角的碰撞可以带来有趣的讨论。
【拓展】collide v. 碰撞
【近义词】crash n. 撞；车祸
acute adj. 严重的；急性的
【例】acute shortage of water 严重缺水
acute pain 剧痛
an acute disease 急性病
【反义词】chronic adj. 慢性的；长时间存在的
compound v. 复合；增加；使恶化
【例】The bumpy journey was compounded by the bad weather.
颠簸的旅行因为坏天气而变得更加不顺利。
【近义词】complicate v. 使复杂化
These acute perils are compounded by more chronic ones: habitat destruction; genetic fragility; and climate change, which fuels heat waves, droughts, and wildfires that scorch the trees that koalas live in and eat from.
这些紧急的危险又叠加了更长期的危险：栖息地破坏、基因脆弱性，以及气候变化，后者助长了热浪、干旱和野火，烧焦了考拉生活和觅食的树木。
collision n. 碰撞；抵触
【例】The car was severely damaged in the collision with a truck.
汽车在与卡车相撞后受损严重。
The collision of these two cultural perspectives can lead to interesting discussions.
这两种文化视角的碰撞可以带来有趣的讨论。
【拓展】collide v. 碰撞
【近义词】crash n. 撞；车祸
acute adj. 严重的；急性的
【例】acute shortage of water 严重缺水
acute pain 剧痛
an acute disease 急性病
【反义词】chronic adj. 慢性的；长时间存在的
compound v. 复合；增加；使恶化
【例】The bumpy journey was compounded by the bad weather.
颠簸的旅行因为坏天气而变得更加不顺利。
【近义词】complicate v. 使复杂化
Some koala populations have, in recent decades, fallen by 80 percent. Koalas are far from Australia’s most endangered animal—they’re not even its most endangered marsupial. But if there’s any creature that people are motivated to save, it’s the koala.
在最近几十年里，一些考拉种群减少了80%。考拉远非澳大利亚最濒危的动物，甚至也不是澳大利亚最濒危的有袋动物。但是，如果说有什么动物是人们有动力去拯救的，那就是考拉。
collision n. 碰撞；抵触
【例】The car was severely damaged in the collision with a truck.
汽车在与卡车相撞后受损严重。
The collision of these two cultural perspectives can lead to interesting discussions.
这两种文化视角的碰撞可以带来有趣的讨论。
【拓展】collide v. 碰撞
【近义词】crash n. 撞；车祸
acute adj. 严重的；急性的
【例】acute shortage of water 严重缺水
acute pain 剧痛
an acute disease 急性病
【反义词】chronic adj. 慢性的；长时间存在的
compound v. 复合；增加；使恶化
【例】The bumpy journey was compounded by the bad weather.
颠簸的旅行因为坏天气而变得更加不顺利。
【近义词】complicate v. 使复杂化
Since 2019, the Australian government has dedicated the equivalent of about 50 million U.S. dollars to conserving the species, far more than it has allocated to animals in greater peril.
自2019年以来，澳大利亚政府已投入相当于约5000万美元的资金用于保护该物种，远远超过了分配给其他更濒危动物的资金。
conserve v. 保护；节约
【例】to conserve wildlife 保护野生动植物
to conserve energy 节约能源
【近义词】preserve v. 维护；保养
protect v. 保护
allocate v. 分配；划分
【例】to allocate funds for the project 为项目拨出资金
【近义词】distribute v. 分配；分发；分布
Koalas are a national icon and, like many other charismatic megafauna, a boom for tourism. Plus people just seem to connect with them in a way they do with few other animals.
考拉是澳大利亚的国宝，并且和许多其他有魅力的大型动物一样，也是受欢迎的旅游项目。另外，人们似乎与它们有一种与其他动物没有的联系。
conserve v. 保护；节约
【例】to conserve wildlife 保护野生动植物
to conserve energy 节约能源
【近义词】preserve v. 维护；保养
protect v. 保护
allocate v. 分配；划分
【例】to allocate funds for the project 为项目拨出资金
【近义词】distribute v. 分配；分发；分布
But the places where koalas prefer to live --- lush, coastal regions --- are also the places that human beings find most hospitable. Which means that even an animal this beloved may test the limits of what people are willing to sacrifice to save another species.
但是考拉喜欢生活的地方--- 郁郁葱葱的沿海地区---也是人类觉得最舒适的地方。这意味着，即使是这种受人喜爱的动物，也可能考验人们为拯救另一个物种而愿意做出多大的牺牲。
lush adj. 树木葱郁的
【例】lush grass 芳草鲜美
the lush green countryside 郁郁葱葱的乡村
【近义词】luxuriant adj. 浓密的
hospitable adj. 好客的；宜居的
【例】the hospitable host 热情好客的主人
This part of the country is most hospitable to fruit trees.
该国的这一地区非常适宜于种植果树。
【拓展】hospitality n. 好客；餐饮招待行业
课后练习
Which of the following is true about Emerson?
A. He is malnourished and seriously ill.
B. He is cute and very likeable.
C. He is aggressive and unapproachable.
D. He is as clever as a human boy.
Why does Jen Ridolfi emphasize to new volunteers that they cannot cuddle the koalas?
A. Because she tries to prevent the spread of diseases.
B. Because koalas are naturally aggressive and dangerous.
C. Because she wants to encourage volunteers to focus on work.
D. Because cuddling is not helpful for the koalas' rehabilitation.
Why is the Australian government devoted to koala conservation?
A. Because koalas are the most endangered animal in Australia.
B. Because koalas are a popular tourism attraction.
C. Because koalas require minimal effort to conserve.
D. Because koalas cannot adapt to new habitats.
What challenge might limit koala conservation efforts?
A. Lack of interest from the public in koalas.
B. Climate change that destroys koalas’ habitats.
C. Competition for habitable regions with humans.
D. Shortage of expert staff and funds.
