防范象牙买卖出新招：从空中清点非洲大象

屈联西

　本集内容


　　Counting Africa's elephants from the sky 从空中清点非洲大象


　　Australia celebrates Elvis 澳大利亚“猫王节”


　　文字稿


　　The elephant population in Africa is continuing to decline despite an international ban on the trade of ivory tusks. Counting the remaining animals is certainly a difficult task – they roam through vast areas, across 20 countries but that is the bold ambition of the great elephant census. It's a continent-wide initiative started by the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, to keep an account of Africa's elephants and to do it from the sky.


　　尽管国际上一再禁止象牙买卖，但非洲大象数量仍在继续下降。清点统计存活大象数量的工作无疑不是件容易的事儿 - 因为象群在大面积范围内行走，穿越非洲二十个国家。但这却是一个大胆的大象“人口普查”计划所要实现的雄心壮志。这个由微软公司联合创始人保罗·艾伦（Paul Allen）发起的全非洲范围内的行动希望能从空中清点并记录非洲大象的数量。


　　Thousands of Elvis Presley fans descended on a town in Australia over the weekend for an annual outback festival dedicated to the iconic US singer. The celebrations in Parkes coincided with what would have been Elvis's 81st birthday. The festival was first held in 1993 and includes lookalike competitions, an Elvis-themed gospel service and large street parades as well.


　　数千名猫王（Elvis Presley）迷周末造访澳大利亚的一个小镇，来参加一年一度为纪念这位具有代表性的美国歌手而举办的节日。在（澳大利亚新南威尔士州）帕克斯举办的庆祝活动正逢已故歌手81岁的生日。“猫王节”于1993年首次举办，每年庆祝活动包括猫王模仿秀，猫王主题的福音活动和大型街道巡游。


空中数大象 自动播放
　　词汇


　　bold ambition 大胆困难的志向或目标


　　census 人口普查


　　iconic 具有代表性的，标志性的


　　练习


　　请从以下词汇中选择适当的答案来完成句子。注意：你可能需要改变单词的时态来完成句子。


　　bold ambition / census / iconic


　　1. The latest _______ shows that there are more people living in London than ever before.


　　2. One of the world's most _______ railway locomotives, the Flying Scotsman, has taken its first public test run after ten years of repairs and rebuilding work.


　　3. Some people thought John's _______ to row across the Pacific Ocean in one month as completely mad.


　　答案


　　1. The latest census shows that there are more people living in London than ever before.


　　2. One of the world's most iconic railway locomotives, the Flying Scotsman, has taken its first public test run after ten years of repairs and rebuilding work.


　　3. Some people thought John's bold ambition to row across the Pacific Ocean in one month as completely mad.


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