英语听力：Wild China 美丽中国：彩云之南-2

 The Dai now live in the borders of tropical Vietnam and Laos, but their legends tell of how their ancestors came here by following the rivers from mountain lands in the cold far north. Lying at the far eastern end of the Himalayas, the Hengduan Mountains form Yunnan's northern border with Tibet. Khawa Karpo, crown of the Hengduan Range, is a site of holy pilgrimage, yet its formidable peak remains¹ unconquered.

 

Yunnan's mountains are remote, rugged² and inaccessible³. Here the air is thin, and temperatures can drop below minus 40 degrees. This is home to an animal that's found nowhere else on earth—the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. It's found only in these few isolated⁴ mountain forests. No other primate⁵ lives at such high altitudes, but these are true specialists. These ancient mountain dwellers⁶ have inspired legends. Local Lisu people consider them their ancestors, calling them "the wild men of the mountains".

 

During heavy snowfalls, even these specialists cannot feed. This seems a strange place for a monkey. Between snows, the monkeys waste no time in their search for food. At this altitude, there are few fruits or tender leaves to eat. 90% of their diet is made up of the fine dry wisps of a curious organism. Half fungus⁷, half plant, it's lichen⁸. How have monkeys, normally associated with lowland jungle, come to live such a remote mountain existence?

 

This is not the only remarkable⁹ animal found within these isolated high peaks. A Chinese red panda, solitary¹⁰ and quiet, it spends much of its time in the treetops. Despite its name, the red panda is only a very distant relative of the giant panda. It's actually more closely related to a skunk¹¹.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

3 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 primate   

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。

6 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

8 lichen   

n.地衣, 青苔

参考例句：

• The stone stairway was covered with lichen.那石级长满了地衣。
• There is carpet-like lichen all over the moist corner of the wall.潮湿的墙角上布满了地毯般的绿色苔藓。

9 remarkable   

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。

10 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

11 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。