《经济学人》双语:为什么中国观鸟爱好者很少? Post By:2022/5/20 21:55:26 [只看该作者]
Birdwatching Shout it from the rooftops Why birders are a rare breed 观鸟 公开宣布 为什么观鸟者很稀有?
Beijing has lots of birds, but few birdwatchers New technology may help to monitor its huge diversity of species 北京有很多鸟,但观鸟者很少 新科技可能有助于监测其巨大的物种多样性
Paragraph 1: AMONG THE capitals of big economies, Beijing enjoys a surprising distinction. 在各大经济体的首都中,北京有着惊人的区别。
Despite its sometimes harsh weather and chronically polluted air, it hosts more species of birds than any other such city apart from Brasília. 尽管有时天气恶劣,空气经常受污染,但这里的鸟类物种比巴西利亚以外的任何其他城市都多。
Remarkably, however, birdwatching remains uncommon. 然而,值得注意的是,观鸟者仍然很少见。
Paragraph 2: In many countries, birders play an important role in spotting changes in bird populations and avian behaviour. 在许多国家,观鸟者在发现鸟类种群和鸟类行为变化方面发挥着重要作用。
A British enthusiast in Beijing, Terry Townshend, has recently set up a means of doing so without needing to stand for hours outdoors. 北京的一位英国鸟类爱好者特里·汤森最近发明了一种方法,可以不用在户外站上几个小时来观鸟。
It involves a digital listening device, installed on the roof of a 15-storey building in northern Beijing. 它包括一个安装在北京北部一栋15层楼顶上的数码监听设备。
For several months until mid-November it recorded the night-time calls of migratory birds flying above. 在11月中旬之前的几个月里,它记录了迁徙鸟类在空中飞行的夜间叫声。
The sounds will be used to identify night-flying species, some of which are not commonly seen overhead by day. 这些声音将被用来识别夜间飞行的物种,其中一些在白天是不常见的。
The technique has been used in America and Europe, but Mr Townshend thinks this is its first known application in Asia. 这项技术已在美国和欧洲使用,但汤森认为这是其在亚洲的首次应用。
Paragraph 3: Such dedication is rare among amateurs.
这种奉献敬业精神在业余爱好者中很少见。
China has little history of birdwatching. Only in the 19th century, led by Western ornithologists, did the scientific study of birds begin.
中国几乎没有观鸟的历史。直到19世纪,在西方鸟类学家的影响下,才开始对鸟类进行科学研究。
Birdwatching as a pastime has emerged only in the past two decades, helped by rising incomes that have allowed people to buy spotting scopes, binoculars and cameras. 观鸟作为一种消遣方式在近二十年才出现,这得益于人们收入的增加,人们可以购买瞄准镜、双筒望远镜和照相机。(见文末补充资料)
Paragraph 4: In other countries, enthusiasts have played a big role in drawing public attention to human threats to birds. 在其他国家,鸟类爱好者在提醒公众去注意人类对鸟类的威胁方面,发挥了重要作用。
Chinese officials sometimes pay attention to gentle recommendations about ways to improve the environment. But they frown on activism.
中国官方有时会注意有关改善环境的温和建议。但不赞成太激进。
So harm caused to birds or their habitats can go unremarked. 因此,对鸟类或其栖息地造成的伤害可能不会引起注意。
One British birder laments the recent draining of supposedly protected paddies by the Wenyu, a river in Beijing that had been a place of rest for about 200 migratory species. 一位英国观鸟者哀叹,北京的温榆河(见文末补充资料)最近排干了本应受到保护的稻田。温榆河曾是大约200种迁徙物种的栖息之地。
【重点句子】(3个) Among the capitals of big economies, Beijing enjoys a surprising distinction. 在各大经济体的首都中,北京有着惊人的区别。
Birders play an important role in spotting changes in bird populations and avian behaviour. 观鸟者在发现鸟类种群和鸟类行为变化方面发挥着重要作用。
Such dedication is rare among amateurs. 这种奉献敬业精神在业余爱好者中很少见。
【重点词汇】(6个) birder/?b??d?(r)/ n. 观察鸟类的人;猎鸟者 chronically/?kr?n?kli/ adv. 慢性地,经常复发地;长期地,习惯性地;严重地 enthusiast/?n?θju?zi?st/ n. 热衷者,爱好者 binoculars/b??n?kj?l?z/ n. 双筒望远镜 lament/l??ment/