让我们冷静的看看玉林狗肉节

 Tens of thousands of dogs are set to be killed and eaten at this year's Yulin Dog Meat Festival held in southern China in June 2016. Despite protests to boycott¹ the annual event by human rights activists², up to 15,000 animals are expected to be slaughtered³ during the summer solstice event.

玉林位于中国西部，2016年6月，成千上万只狗将在玉林狗肉节上被杀死并且被吃掉。尽管有爱狗人士通过人权活动来对这一年度节日联合抵制，在这一夏至节日中，多达1万5000只动物预计将被屠宰。

什么是玉林狗肉节?

The Yulin Dog Meat Festival, otherwise known as the Lychee⁴ and Dog Meat Festival, is an annual event during which dogs and cats are sold and slaughtered for their meat. It takes place on 20 June in Yulin, a city in China Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous⁵ Region. The tradition reportedly began in the 1990s, but the festival is thought to have begun in 2010 to mark the astronomical⁶ midsummer.

玉林狗肉节，也被称为荔枝狗肉节，是一个年度节日。在这一节日期间，狗和猫会被出售，宰杀然后吃肉。节日时间为6月20日(每年夏至，今年为21日)，地点为在中国广西壮族自治区的一个叫玉林的地方。据报道，这一传统始于1990年，但这个节日被认为从2010年已成为夏至的标志。

According to Chinese lore⁷, eating dog meat is believed to ward⁸ off the heat of summer and bring good luck and health.

根据中国传说，吃狗肉可以抵御炎热夏天，带来好运和健康。

While Westerners often react in outrage⁹ to the idea of eating man's best friend, the Chinese tradition of eating dog meat dates back to around 500 years.

然而西方人往往极度反对吃人类最好的朋友，中国吃狗肉的传统可以追溯到大约500年前。

1 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lychee   

n.荔枝

参考例句：

• A touch of lychee is also present.还有一点荔枝的味道。
• Lychee is a tropical fruit from southeast China.荔枝是一种源自中国东南部的一种热带水果。

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

7 lore   

n.传说；学问，经验，知识

参考例句：

• I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他，向他讨教他的渊博的学问。
• Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。