国际交流英语视听说B4U2听力原文+翻译.docx

1、国际交流英语视听说B4U2听力原文+翻译国际交流英语视听说B4U2Listening 1Tour Guide: OK, everyone, heres our next exhibit. Do you see the body of the little bird in that bottle? That is a dusky seaside sparrow. It was an old male that died on June 16, 1987. Its kind of sad because he was the very last dusky seaside sparrow in t

2、he world. Theyre now extinct. Yes, you have a question?Male: Do you know why they became extinct?Tour Guide: Basically, they lost their habitat. See, the dusky seaside sparrow lived only in one placeon Merritt Island in Florida. The island had a lot of mosquitoes and wetlands. The people on Merritt

3、Island used chemicals to kill the mosquitoes.Tour Guide: Those chemicals were also very harmful to the sparrows, and many died. In addition, the people on Merritt Island tried to control and exploit the wetlands. As they altered them, the wetlands were no longer a good habitat for the sparrows. The

4、birds died one by one until there werent any left.Female: So, if people were to blame, cant we make sure something like that never happens again?Tour Guide: Were trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, its a bet

5、ter strategy to protect the animals andtheir habitats, too. After all, if an animals habitat is destroyed, the animal will likely become extinct.Tour Guide: Were trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, its a bet

6、ter strategy to protect the animals andtheir habitats, too. After all, if an animals habitat is destroyed, the animal will likely become extinct. Thats why the Endangered Species Act, which was passed in the United States in 1973, protects both endangered animals and their habitats. For example, the

7、 steelhead trout lives in rivers and streams on the west coast of the United Statesthe Columbia River in Washington state for instance. Recently, both the fish and the river came under the protection of the Endangered Species Act.Male: But how can we protect large areas such as rivers and forests? N

8、o onenot even the governmentcan afford to buy or control all the land that endangered species live on.Tour Guide: Good point. In fact, thats what makes the Endangered Species Act difficult to fully enforce. Theres an ongoing conflict between some landowners and the government. Take the case of the g

9、ray wolf, for instance. At one time, the wolves were common all over North America, but by the 1930s they were nearly all killed. Then in 1973, the wolves came under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, along with huge areas of landin Wyoming and Idaho, for example. This angered ranchers. T

10、hey think they should have the right to shoot wolves that threaten their sheep and cows. Tour Guide: So, landowners may understand the need for the protection of endangered species, but its understandable that they might also feel that the Endangered Species Act violates their rights. Yes? Female: I

11、s the law working? I mean, what is the status of endangered species today in the United States?Tour Guide: Unfortunately, the situation of threatened and endangered animals is worse now than in 1973, even with the Endangered Species Act in place. Reports on topics such as habitat loss, deforestation

12、, and overfishing show that the situation for many species is far worse now than it was in 1973. Let me be more specific. Right now over 1,300 species in the United States are listed as endangered or threatened. Tour Guide: And, its important to keep in mind that not many species are ever taken off

13、the list. Since 1973, in fact, only around 39 species have been removed from the Endangered Species list. But that number doesnt indicate the complete story. Whats significant about that number is that only 14 species were removed because they had actually recovered. Nine species became extinct, and

14、 the others were removed from the list after scientists found evidence that listing the species had been a mistake in the first place. Meanwhile, another 300 species may soon be added to the list, including a plant, the Las Vegas buckwheat, and an insect, the Miami blue butterfly. So, you see, even

15、with the Endangered Species Act in place, were not making as much progress as we would like. Any more questions? OK, lets move on to the next exhibit. This way, please.导游:好的，各位，这是我们的下一个展览。你看到那个瓶子里的小鸟的尸体了吗?那是一只昏暗的海边麻雀。1987年6月16日死去的是一只老公象。有点悲伤，因为他是世界上最后的海滨小麻雀。他们现在已经灭绝。有问题吗?男:你知道它们为什么会灭绝吗?导游:基本上，它们失去了栖

16、息地。看，这只昏暗的海滨麻雀只生活在佛罗里达的梅里特岛上的一个地方。岛上有很多蚊子和湿地。梅里特岛上的人用化学药品杀死蚊子。导游:这些化学物质对麻雀也有很大的危害，很多麻雀因此死亡。此外，梅里特岛的人们试图控制和开发湿地。当他们改变它们的时候，湿地不再是麻雀的好栖息地。这些鸟一个接一个地死去，直到没有剩下。女:那么，如果是人们的错，我们就不能确保这样的事情再也不会发生了吗?导游:我们尝试。昏暗的海滨麻雀的情况说明了一件事。我们需要保护濒危动物。然而，保护动物和动物是更好的策略他们的栖息地。毕竟，如果一个动物的栖息地被破坏，那么这个动物很可能会灭绝。导游:我们尝试。昏暗的海滨麻雀的情况说明了一件

17、事。我们需要保护濒危动物。然而，保护动物和动物是更好的策略他们的栖息地。毕竟，如果动物的栖息地被破坏，动物很可能会灭绝。这就是为什么1973年在美国通过的濒危物种法保护了濒危动物及其栖息地。例如，虹鳟生活在美国西海岸的河流和溪流中，例如华盛顿州的哥伦比亚河。最近，鱼类和河流都受到了濒危物种法的保护。男:但是我们怎么保护大片地区，比如河流和森林呢?没有人甚至连政府都无力购买或控制濒危物种赖以生存的土地。导游:好点。事实上，这正是濒危物种法难以全面实施的原因。一些土地所有者和政府之间的冲突仍在继续。以灰狼为例。狼曾经在北美很常见，但到了20世纪30年代，它们几乎都被杀死了。然后在1973年，狼受到

18、了濒危物种法案的保护，还有怀俄明州和爱达荷州的大片土地。这激怒了农场主。他们认为他们应该有权射杀威胁他们的牛羊的狼。导游:所以，土地所有者可能理解保护濒危物种的必要性，但他们也可能觉得濒危物种法侵犯了他们的权利，这是可以理解的。是吗?女:法律有效吗?我的意思是，今天在美国濒危物种的状况如何?导游:不幸的是，即使在濒危物种法生效的情况下，受威胁和濒危动物的情况比1973年更糟。有关栖息地丧失、森林砍伐和过度捕捞等主题的报告显示，与1973年相比，现在许多物种的情况要糟糕得多。我再具体一点。目前，在美国有超过1300个物种被列为濒危或濒危物种。导游:记住并不是所有的物种都从名单上消失。实际上，自1

19、973年以来，只有大约39个物种被从濒危物种名单中删除。但这个数字并不代表整个故事。这个数字的重要意义在于，只有14个物种被移除，因为它们实际上已经恢复了。9个物种灭绝了，其他的物种也被从名单上移除，因为科学家们发现有证据表明这一物种最初是错误的。与此同时，另外300个物种可能很快被列入名单，包括一种植物，拉斯维加斯荞麦和一种昆虫，迈阿密蓝蝴蝶。所以，你看，即使濒危物种法生效，我们也没有取得我们想要的进展。更多的问题吗?好，我们继续看下一个展览。这边请。Listening 2Professor: OK, settle down, everyone. As you know, today wer

20、e going to hear our first student debate. Todays topic is on the pros and cons of legalized hunting. First, Yumi will present arguments in support of hunting. Raoul will respond to her points and present his arguments against hunting. Speakers, are you ready?Raoul: Yes.Yumi: Ready.Professor: Yumi, p

21、lease begin.Yumi: Thank you. Well, the main argument I want to make today is that hunting contributes to wildlife conservation in a few important ways. Yumi: First, uh, contrary to what you might think, hunting actually helps many species survive by controlling their populations. So, for example, wi

22、thout hunting, deer populations would be too large, and many animals would starve because there wouldnt be enough food to sustain them.Raoul: Thats a good argument, but I think youre ignoring an important point. Another reason deer populations could grow too large is because we have killed off wolve

23、s and mountain lions, um, and other animals that used to hunt deer. So, instead of allowing humans to hunt, we should allow populations of meat-eating animals to recover.Yumi: OK, but dont forget that wolves and mountain lions dont just eat deer and elk. They also eat sheep and cows, and thats, that

24、s a problem for ranchers. So, this is not a simple issue.Yumi: Anyway, let me continue with my next point. The second way that hunting supports wildlife conservation is through the sale of stamps. Many hunters have to buy stamps before they can legally hunt birds for instance, ducks and geese. Oh, a

25、nd when I say stamps, I dont mean the type of stamps you use to mail a letter. The stamps Im talking about are a kind of license to hunt. In the United States, the governments Duck Stamp program raises more than 25 million dollars annually. And a lot of that money is used for protecting and maintain

26、ing bird habitats. Since 1934thats when the first stamps were soldthese funds have been used to buy 2.1 million hectares of land for wildlife conservation. So, as you can see, hunters actually help wildlife conservation efforts.Professor: Thank you, Yumi. Now lets hear from Raoul, who will present t

27、he other side of the issue. Raoul: Thank you. Before I get started, I want to respond to Yumis point about money thats raised through the Duck Stamp program. It seems to me that if hunters need a license to kill ducks and other wildlife, we could also make tourists pay when they visit and observe an

28、imals in their natural habitats. In fact, I think thats what the national parks do. I visited Yosemite National Park last May, and it cost me $20 per car to get in. We could raise those fees if necessary. OK, so to get back on topic, my main argument against hunting is that its cruel. Many animals t

29、hat are shot dont die immediately. It must be really painful and, um, thats why hunting should be outlawed.Yumi: I have to respond to that. Do you eat steak? What about the suffering of cows when they are killed for meat? Do you care about that? Mosthunters are careful to cause as little suffering a

30、s possible.Raoul: Maybe most hunters do, but not all. Some hunters leave wounded animals to die slowly and painfully as the hunters pose for photographs. And some, some kill large numbers of animals that they have no intention of eating. In addition, there is a lot of irresponsible hunting that goes

31、 on. In rural Virginiawhere Im fromsome of my neighbors drive the roads at night, using illegal lights to find and shoot deer. They also shoot deer out of season, and thats illegal. And in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, authorities recently caught a group of hunters who were shooting black be

32、ars and selling their body parts for medicines. Yumi: Youre right that these kinds of violations occur. However, they are rare. Thats why you read about them in the newspapers when they happen. Instead of focusing on the small number of irresponsible hunters, we need to think about the 98 percent of hunters who follow the law and kill only what they can eat. Hunters make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy seeing wild animals in their natural habitat.Professor: Im afraid thats all the time we have. Thanks to both Yumi and