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儿童故事集:The Zoo That Bit Back

时间:2016-08-25 06:28来源:互联网 提供网友:yajing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

 Theo, the star of our popular story The Monkey Who Loved Chocolate, returns for a new escapade in which the animals at the zoo face a major threat to the comfy lifestyle in the form of Mr Shingles1, the new chief zoo keeper.

 
Mr Shingles does not believe in modern zoology2. He thinks that pampering3 to animals’ every wish just encourages them to lounge and loaf around. His new regime is far from the animals liking4. The animals want to “bite back” – but only Theo is ingenious enough to find a way.
 
Story by Bertie.
 
Read by Natasha. Duration 16 min.
 
Proofread5 by Jana Elizabeth.
 
Life in the zoo was not as exciting as on the outside, but it had its attractions.   The daily menus catered7 for everyone’s tastes. Some liked berries, others liked bananas. Some hungered for steak, others for fresh termites8. The food just turned up every day, and nobody had to hunt or gather. The animals didn’t even have to tidy up their own cages or make their beds with fresh straw. The keepers did all that for them.
 
The keeper of the monkeys’ cage was called Mr Hartley. He was a sweet man, and if the truth be told, a bit of a softy. Anything the monkeys screeched9 for, he provided – almost always. The chief monkey, whose name was Bozo, wanted a television so that he could watch Animal Planet. At first Mr Hartley could not understand what he was squawking on about, but he saw that Bozo was pointing to the video screen that displayed important information for the visitors. He tried turning it off, but that agitated10 Bozo even more. Then he twigged11 what was in the monkeys’ mind, and he went out and bought the latest flat panel TV and put it in the window of his office where Bozo and his followers12 could watch it.
 
But such a life of luxury could not go on forever, and it didn’t.
 
After Theo’s famous escape and his chocolate-crazed escapade, the zoo was noticed in high places. The local newspaper ran a headline that read:
 
“Slack Security at the Zoo.”
 
And a local politician ran for election under the slogan:
 
“Time to get tough on the animals.”
 
Pressure mounted for change. The head zookeeper lost his job. The new zoo boss was a man of a very different ilk. His name was Mr Shingles, and he held old-fashioned views about how animals should be kept. He didn’t believe in trendy modern zoology. He thought that pandering13 to animals’ every demand just encouraged them to laze and loaf around. He knew that his views were out of step with modern thinking, and he felt bitter because he had risen slowly through the ranks of the zoo service. But now the town’s Mayor had recognised his talents. His day had come.
 
On his first morning at work, he toured the zoo. When he came to the monkeys, he could hardly believe his eyes.
 
“Who is the keeper of this cage?” 
 
“I am Sir,” admitted Mr Hartley.
 
“Well it’s a disgrace!” shouted Mr Shingles. “Monkeys lounging around watching television in the middle of the morning. They’ll turn into TV zombies. Take their goggle-box immediately!”
 
And Mr Hartley had no choice, but to do as he was told. It didn’t matter how much Bozo screeched now – Mr Hartley did not dare to cater6 to his demands. 
 
Next Mr Shingles visited the part of the zoo called “The Kingdom of the Great Apes.” He was furious that the zoo’s prize gorilla14 was too shy to come out and greet him. “What’s the point of a hairy king who hides away?” he demanded to know. “Tell his majesty15 that the visitors have paid good money to see his ugly face, and in future he had better show it.”
 
And as he continued on his tour, he had plenty more to note about the animals –  and none of it was good. The lion was asleep, the koalas were hanging around in one big daze16, the stick insects were all but invisible, the bears were hiding in their lairs17, the penguins18 were pushing and shoving at feeding time, the hippos were letting off great gusts19 of wind, and the baboons20 were showing their bottoms to the visitors.
 
He gathered the keepers round and delivered this message:
 
“There are far too many scroungers, layabouts, and freeloaders in this zoo. I want every primate21 – and yes that includes the keepers – I want every quadruped, every bird, fish, reptile22 and every last tiny insect to understand this: From now on, if they want to eat, they must provide value for money!”
 
He gave special instructions to Mr Hartley. He must make the monkeys do some scientific tests and prove their worth.
 
“Idle hands do the devil’s work,” he said. “Keep those monkey minds occupied and they will stay out of trouble.”
 
Mr Hartley tried to explain that it was all very well to teach chimps23 to do clever tricks, but monkeys had smaller brains.
 
But Mr Shingles boomed back: “Those monkeys aren’t stupid, they’re just lazy.”
 
And so poor Mr Hartley spent his days trying to teach the monkeys to count to three and to read the newspaper. None of them showed an inclination24 to learn their lessons, except for one, and that was Theo. “Well well, well,” said Mr Hartley.  “So it turns out that the naughtiest monkey of them all is the brainiest.”
 
Life changed dramatically for all the other animals too. The keepers kept the lion awake by mixing coffee into his cat food, they cut back the Koalas’ eucalyptus25 leaves, they sealed up the bears’ lairs, they painted the stick insects bright blue, and they did not feed the penguins until they stood in an orderly line. The hippos were put on diets. As for the baboons, they weren’t allowed out of their rooms until they learned to show some respect to the visitors.
 
 
At night all the animals complained. They were kept apart by their cages, but those that could roar, roared, and those that could squawk, squawked. The wild birds twittered to their friends in the aviary26, and all the talk was of a strike at the zoo. A local reporter got wind of this, and went to ask Mr Shingles what he would do if the animals went on strike.
 
“Ha!” exclaimed Mr Shingles. “If a bunch of creatures are too lazy to get out of bed in the morning, how would you know when they go on strike? In any case, we’ll just stop their food, and then we’ll see how long the strike lasts.”
 
And so the animals didn’t go on strike. But they were looking for revenge. And Theo found it.
 
One day, kind Mr Hartley was sweeping27 up the peach stones and banana skins off the floor of the cage. Theo noticed that he had left his key in the door. He swung by and grabbed it, before whisking it off to hide on a high branch of his favourite tree. As Mr Hartley left the cage, he noticed that he had lost his key – but he didn’t dare tell anyone about it, because he was afraid of losing his job.   Instead, he took the spare set of keys from his desk. 
 
“After all,” he said to himself. “What harm can come of it? It’s not as if monkeys know how to turn keys in locks.”
 
But Theo did. And that night he opened the door and loped over to the head keeper’s office. Mr Shingles’ light was still on. He was working late, writing to all the keepers to tell them how much their wages would be cut. But he had left a window open at the back, and Theo crept inside and hid inside a cupboard until Mr Shingles left for the night.  
 
The keys to all the cages were hanging on the walls. Each one had a label on its ring. Theo spelt out “LI-ON” and “B-EAR” and “Hipp-o.” He was thankful to Mr Hartley for teaching him to read. Then he scampered28 around the cages opening all the doors. First he let out the monkeys and the apes. He told them to make as much noise as possible to wake everyone else up. The King gorilla made a quiet but dignified29 speech, appealing to the larger animals not to eat anyone, and to be careful not to tread on any of the insects.
 
None of the animals left the zoo altogether – they just fluttered, plodded30 galloped31, swung, and crawled all over the public areas of the zoo. Some of them tried the sandwiches in the cafe, but they soon realised that their own food was far better than what the visitors were served. Others munched32 the leaves on the trees and nibbled33 the grass on the square. An elephant wandered into Mr Shingles’ office. There wasn’t much of it left after that.  
 
In the morning, the giraffes’ keeper, a lady called Molly, was the first to arrive at work. When she saw the animals wondering around, she immediately went back to her car and called up the local TV Station. Then she called Mr Shingles.
 
“Good morning sir. The animals have escaped.”
 
“Which animals?”  he asked.
 
“All of them.”
 
 
As Mr Shingles raced into work, he heard the news on the car radio. None of it was good. He heard his own name:
 
They called him: “The tough man at the top” – and left it in no doubt that the fault of the fiasco lay with him.
 
When he arrived, Mr Shingles brushed by the cameras and reporters, and went into the zoo. He knew that it was very dangerous to be walking amongst the animals, but he almost did not care if he lost his life. His whole reputation was in ruins.
 
Then a remarkable34 thing happened. A monkey came up to him and offered him his paw. Mr Shingles took Theo by the paw and gently shook it. Then the animals started to return to their cages. You see, they didn’t really want to escape, they just wanted better terms and conditions. Theo turned over a rock and showed Mr Shingles the keys from his office. But he decided35 to keep the key to his own cage – the one he had stolen from Mr Hartley – because nobody else knew that it was missing.
 
Mr Shingles went back outside the zoo to meet the reporters.
 
“Yes, there has been a minor36 incident, but now all the animals have returned to their cages,” he told them.
 
“Sir, how on earth did you persuade wild creatures to do that?” asked one of the reporters.
 
“Long experience of zoo work, and a touch of that animal magic,” he said. 
 
And so Mr Shingles kept his job as the head zookeeper – but only just. He had learnt to respect Theo the monkey – and he swore to get his revenge.  
 
And that was the story of the Zoo that Bit Back.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shingles 75dc0873f0e58f74873350b9953ef329     
n.带状疱疹;(布满海边的)小圆石( shingle的名词复数 );屋顶板;木瓦(板);墙面板
参考例句:
  • Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句
2 zoology efJwZ     
n.动物学,生态
参考例句:
  • I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
  • The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。
3 pampering 02c53488e446442c68ed39d5e01ab5f1     
v.纵容,宠,娇养( pamper的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • But you need to make an appointment because these people are usually very busy pampering pets. 但是你需要先预约,因为这些人通常都在忙于照顾宠物们。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
  • He had been pampering, and coaxing, and indulging that individual all his life. 他一生都在姑息、迁就、纵容那家伙。 来自辞典例句
4 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
5 proofread ekszrH     
vt.校正,校对
参考例句:
  • I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
  • Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前,他又将申请书补正了一遍。
6 cater ickyJ     
vi.(for/to)满足,迎合;(for)提供饮食及服务
参考例句:
  • I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
  • Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。
7 catered 89d616ab59cbf00e406e8778a3dcc0fc     
提供饮食及服务( cater的过去式和过去分词 ); 满足需要,适合
参考例句:
  • We catered for forty but only twenty came. 我们准备了40客饭菜,但只来了20个人。
  • They catered for everyone regardless of social rank. 他们为所有人服务而不计较其社会地位。
8 termites 8ee357110f82dc8b267190e430924662     
n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
  • This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句
9 screeched 975e59058e1a37cd28bce7afac3d562c     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
11 twigged b3e187bfd7f69e06da9d6d92221ace9b     
有细枝的,有嫩枝的
参考例句:
  • Haven't you twigged yet? 难道你还不明白?
  • Then I twigged that they were illegal immigrants. 然后我突然意识到他们是非法移民。
12 followers 5c342ee9ce1bf07932a1f66af2be7652     
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件
参考例句:
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
13 pandering f8a2144ed84822189ec46f4a9f381cf6     
v.迎合(他人的低级趣味或淫欲)( pander的现在分词 );纵容某人;迁就某事物
参考例句:
  • This magazine is criticized for pandering to the vulgar taste of some readers. 这家杂志因迎合某些读者的低级趣味而遭到批评。 来自辞典例句
  • We're four points up there; we don't need to get hit for pandering. 我们在那儿领先四个百分点;我们不必为了迎合一些选民而遭受批评。 来自电影对白
14 gorilla 0yLyx     
n.大猩猩,暴徒,打手
参考例句:
  • I was awed by the huge gorilla.那只大猩猩使我惊惧。
  • A gorilla is just a speechless animal.猩猩只不过是一种不会说话的动物。
15 majesty MAExL     
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权
参考例句:
  • The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
  • Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下,您必须赶快做出决定!
16 daze vnyzH     
v.(使)茫然,(使)发昏
参考例句:
  • The blow on the head dazed him for a moment.他头上受了一击后就昏眩了片刻。
  • I like dazing to sit in the cafe by myself on Sunday.星期日爱独坐人少的咖啡室发呆。
17 lairs 076807659073d002b6b533684986a2a6     
n.(野兽的)巢穴,窝( lair的名词复数 );(人的)藏身处
参考例句:
  • Beholders usually carve out underground lairs for themselves using their disintegrate rays. 眼魔经常用它们的解离射线雕刻自己的地底巢穴。 来自互联网
  • All animals are smothered in their lairs. 所有的小生灵都躲在巢穴里冬眠。 来自互联网
18 penguins fc5bf5a50fd6b440a35d113f324c5e75     
n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中? 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹,企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
19 gusts 656c664e0ecfa47560efde859556ddfa     
一阵强风( gust的名词复数 ); (怒、笑等的)爆发; (感情的)迸发; 发作
参考例句:
  • Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
  • Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。
20 baboons 2ea074fed3eb47c5bc3098d84f7bc946     
n.狒狒( baboon的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Baboons could break branches and leaders. 狒狒会折断侧枝和顶梢。 来自辞典例句
  • And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类,就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
21 primate A1YzI     
n.灵长类(目)动物,首席主教;adj.首要的
参考例句:
  • 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
  • The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。
22 reptile xBiz7     
n.爬行动物;两栖动物
参考例句:
  • The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
  • So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以,你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。
23 chimps 2a09048610e52de775e2fe426c063f06     
(非洲)黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Chimps are too scarce, and too nearly human, to be routinely slaughtered for spare parts. 黑猩猩又太少,也太接近于人类,不可以作为人器官备用件说杀就杀。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
  • And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类,就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
24 inclination Gkwyj     
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
参考例句:
  • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
  • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
25 eucalyptus jnaxm     
n.桉树,桉属植物
参考例句:
  • Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains.桉树油可以很好地缓解肌肉的疼痛。
  • The birds rustled in the eucalyptus trees.鸟在桉树弄出沙沙的响声。
26 aviary TuBzj     
n.大鸟笼,鸟舍
参考例句:
  • There are many different kinds of birds in the aviary.大鸟笼里有很多不同种类的鸟。
  • There was also an aviary full of rare birds.那里面还有装满稀有鸟类的鸟舍。
27 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
28 scampered fe23b65cda78638ec721dec982b982df     
v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑,惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The cat scampered away. 猫刺棱一下跑了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The rabbIt'scampered off. 兔子迅速跑掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
29 dignified NuZzfb     
a.可敬的,高贵的
参考例句:
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中,他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
30 plodded 9d4d6494cb299ac2ca6271f6a856a23b     
v.沉重缓慢地走(路)( plod的过去式和过去分词 );努力从事;沉闷地苦干;缓慢进行(尤指艰难枯燥的工作)
参考例句:
  • Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。
  • He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》
31 galloped 4411170e828312c33945e27bb9dce358     
(使马)飞奔,奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 ); 快速做[说]某事
参考例句:
  • Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
  • The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。
32 munched c9456f71965a082375ac004c60e40170     
v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She munched on an apple. 她在大口啃苹果。
  • The rabbit munched on the fresh carrots. 兔子咯吱咯吱地嚼着新鲜胡萝卜。 来自辞典例句
33 nibbled e053ad3f854d401d3fe8e7fa82dc3325     
v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的过去式和过去分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬
参考例句:
  • She nibbled daintily at her cake. 她优雅地一点一点地吃着自己的蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Several companies have nibbled at our offer. 若干公司表示对我们的出价有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
34 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
35 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
36 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
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TAG标签:   英语听力  听力教程  英语学习
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