2分鐘英語課堂：瀕臨滅絕的動物 Endangered Animals
瀕臨的西伯利亞老虎
Jack: Amelie, is the tiger skin in your house real?
杰克：艾米，你們家的虎皮是真的嗎
Amelie: Yeah, that’s real. My granny says it’s the skin of a Siberian tiger.
艾米：恩，是的，我奶奶說這是西伯利亞虎的虎皮
Jack: Oh! The Siberian tigers are the largest living felids! Unfortunately there are only a few hundred alive now.
杰里：哦，西伯利亞虎是最大的動物，很不幸，現(xiàn)在存活的只有幾百頭了
Amelie: I know. My great-grandfather was a hunter and he hunted it. I really wish he hadn’t.
艾米：我知道，我的曾祖父是個獵手，這是他獵得的。我真的希望他沒有捕獵
Jack: Well, it’s not your fault. I’m sure you don’t like to hurt animals.
杰克：好吧，這不是你的錯。我相信你不喜歡捕獵動物
Amelie: No Jack, I don’t. I love animals. I’m an animal rights activist in fact.
艾米：不，我不會。我喜歡動物。實際上是動物保護活動分子
Jack: Why do you still keep that skin in your house?
杰克：為什么你們家還有這張虎皮
Amelie : I can’t help it. My parents think it’s a souvenir from their ancestor.
艾米：我無能為力。我的父母說這是祖先留下的紀念物
Rhinos!
犀牛
Amelie: I’ve never seen a real rhino. They look like dinosaurs, right?
艾米：我從沒見過一頭真正的犀牛。它們是不是看起來像恐龍
Jack: No Amelie! Rhinos are mammals, dinosaurs were reptiles. Rhinos look like Rhinos.
杰克：不是的，艾米。犀牛是哺乳動物，恐龍是兩棲動物。犀牛就是犀牛
Amelie: Oh, I am sorry. I haven’t seen a dinosaur either.
艾米：抱歉。我也沒見過恐龍
Jack: That’s because dinosaurs are extinct.
杰克：那是因為恐龍已經(jīng)滅絕了
Amelie: But we still have Rhinos around, don’t we?
艾米：但是我們還有犀牛呢，不是嗎
Jack: Yes, but very few. If it continues like that, they will become extinct too.
杰克：是的，但是很少了。如果繼續(xù)這樣下去的的話，它們也會滅絕的
Amelie: What’s happening to them?
艾米：它們怎么了
Jack: People are cutting down the jungles, and hunting them for their horns. It’s a shame.
杰克：人們砍伐雨林，捕捉犀牛獲得牛角，噢，真糟糕
Amelie : (sigh) It’s terrible. When will human beings learn to be human?
艾米：哎，糟糕。什么時候人類才能正常點呢
The Largest Mammal.
最大的動物
Nina: The blue whale is the largest creature on Earth.
妮娜：藍鯨是世界上最大的哺乳動物
Vincent: A blue whale is an incredibly large mammal! Its tongue is as heavy as an elephant!
文森特：一條藍鯨大的不可思議。它的舌頭和一頭大象一樣重
Nina: Wow! My granny used to say that we could even live inside its stomach.
妮娜：哇，我的奶奶經(jīng)常說我們可以在它的胃里生活
Vincent: Not really, Nina. That happens only in tales.
文森特：不一定，妮娜。那只是發(fā)生在童話故事里
Nina: Maybe. Well, I’ve heard that blue whales are dying.
妮娜：或許吧。我聽說藍鯨已經(jīng)瀕臨滅絕了
Vincent : Actually they are being murdered.
文森特：實際上它們一直被捕殺
Nina : Murdered? By whom?
妮娜“捕殺?誰捕殺的
Vincent : By greedy and cruel people who hunt them for their meat.
文森特：貪婪和殘忍的人類為了吃它們的肉捕殺它們
Nina : That’s awful.
妮娜：太殘忍了
What Can I Do?
我能做點什么
Nina: I’ve been thinking, Amelie.
妮娜：我一直在想，艾米
Amelie : About what Nina?
艾米：想什么
Nina : How can I help stop animal cruelty?
妮娜：我們應(yīng)該如何停止對動物的暴行
Amelie : Well, we are not the government, but there are some things we can do to make a difference.
艾米：恩，我們又不是政府，但是我們依舊可以做點什么
Nina : Like?
妮娜：比如?
Amelie : I don’t wear leather jackets or shoes. Nor do I wear fur. I use synthetic alternatives.
艾米：我從不穿皮夾克或皮革的鞋子。我也不穿皮草。用人工合成的皮草代替
Nina : That’s a great idea! I will do that too. Is there anything else?
妮娜：好主意，我也會那樣做，還有別的嗎
Amelie : Well, I talk to my friends and the people I know about these issues. Just helping to spread the awareness.
艾米：恩，我和我的朋友和我認識的人都說這些問題。這樣有助于擴大保護動物的意識
Nina : I know. You made me aware of the way we treat animals.
妮娜：我知道。你也用這種辦法讓我理解了保護動物
Amelie : If you can minimize your own impact on the lives of the animals, and also ask your friends to do it, you’ll be making a great difference, Nina.
艾米：如果你可以減少我們的生活對動物的影響，同時要求你的朋友也這樣做，那么你將會作出很大的改變，妮娜
Nina : Thanks, Amelie. I will remember that.
妮娜：謝謝你，艾米，我會記住的
