英语听力：自然百科 体验魅力东非

 Hi, I am Paddy Kim. Today, we’re heading to East Africa, famous for sights like the Serengeti Plain, but there’s a whole lot more of this place than just safaris(野生动物园) and savanna（大草原）. It is also home to mountain jungles, fiery² volcanoes and the Great Rift³ Valley(东非大裂谷), a place where scientists have discovered some of the oldest evidence of human life anywhere on the planet.

 

East Africa, a gateway⁴ to a whole other world, among the most popular places to visit are Kenya(肯尼亚) and Tanzania(坦桑尼亚), but more and more travelers are also heading to Uganda(乌干达) and Rwanda(卢旺达). And if you are open to exploring, check out Ethiopia(埃塞俄比亚).

 

The high season takes place during the dry months from June to August, and then from December to February, that’s usually the best time to go on safari¹（探险旅行,狩猎旅行） to spot wildlife. And you probably won't be disappointed, not only can you look out for lions, leopards⁵, rhinos⁶, elephants and African buffalo(非洲水牛), but you could witness an event unlike anything, anywhere else on the planet -- the Serengeti migrations⁸.

 

The earth shakes as over a million wildebeests（牛羚）, zebras and gazelle(葛氏瞪羚) cross the Serengeti following the raids.

 

From their winter feeding grounds in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the herds⁹ migrate to their summer feeding grounds in Maasai Mara National Reserve（马赛马拉国家公园） in Kenya, and then make their return trip back again. With the herds, come the hunters. But no matter what obstacles or dangers the herds may face, migration⁷ continues. Over 90,000 visitors come each year to watch the age-old spectacle, so for a front row see to the greatest show on earth, be sure to book well in advance.

 

For wildlife watching, it’s a little bit more up-close and personal, head west to see the rare mountain gorilla¹⁰（山地大猩猩）. There are only about 700 of these creatures left on the planet, you’ll find about half of them in Uganda in BWINDI National Park. About a hundred and twenty live in RWANDA in PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS. The critically endangered mountain gorilla is a highlight of one of the world's richest ecosystems¹¹. Permits to see these fantastic creatures range from 250 to 500 dollars and some of the money goes toward protecting this fragile habitat.

 

Strict rules are in place controlling how close tourists can get, and how much time they can spend with the gorillas¹². But even just a few moments of being within eyeshot of a mountain gorilla will be a thrill to last a lifetime.

  

If you're interested in more trekking¹³(跋山涉水), how about climbing 19,000 feet? Tanzania holds the continent's tallest mountain-- Mount Kilimanjaro. From the nearby city of Arusha, you can hire guides and porters and set out for Kilimanjaro’s snowy summit. To allow trekkers to adjust to the altitude, the climb takes about a week, but requires no special training or equipment, and the views all along the way are breathtaking.

 

For something a little out of this world, head for the soda¹⁴ lakes(碱湖) of western Kenya. At Lake Bogoria(伯郭日亚湖), Nakuru（纳库如湖） and Magadi(玛噶地湖), the salt water bubbles with steam and sulfur¹⁵. Algae¹⁶ thrive in this harsh Eden, attracting millions of hungry flamingoes（火烈鸟）. Fresh water springs and lakes attract other wildlife both familiar and bizarre(奇异的). With the ringside seat by the lake shore, you’re practically guaranteed one-of-the-kind wildlife experiences.

 

Want a stray from the beaten path? Head to Ethiopia, its rugged¹⁷ mountains have guarded Africa’s oldest independent nation for thousands of years. Near its northern border, the city of Aksum, holds ruined palaces and towering obelisks¹⁸ from the Aksumite Empire. Pilgrims journey to Aksum’s Chapel¹⁹ of St. Mary of Zion where they believe the Ark of the Covenant²⁰ is kept.

 

Religion has shaped Ethiopia literally²¹. In nearby Lalibela, eleven churches were hand carved out of mountain rock, the mountains hold other treasures too, hiking in the Simien mountains(瑟门山), you can spot animals found nowhere else, Ethiopian wolves that have evolved to be solo hunters, and troops of Gelada baboons（狮尾狒）, they graze like herds of cattle.

 

After all that hiking and trekking, a little chilling out might be in order. And there’s plenty of rooms to spread out and relax on East Africa’s shores. Coastal²² towns such as Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa and Zanzibar, are home to pristine²³ （原始状态的）beaches, flourishing coral reefs and a view into traditional ways of life that go back for centuries.

 

You’ll find that English is widely spoken in many major tourist areas, where clothes that are light, long and loose. They’ll help protect you from the sun and fit in with local customs. Traveling on safari to remote locations is slow, so make sure to budget extra time for getting around the countryside. It will be well worth it.

1 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

2 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

3 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

4 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

5 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

6 rhinos   

n.犀牛（rhino的复数形式）

参考例句：

• There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
• The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句

7 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

8 migrations   

n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It foundered during the turmoils accompanying the Great Migrations. 它在随着民族大迁徙而出现的混乱中崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Birds also have built-in timepieces which send them off on fall and spring migrations. 鸟类也有天生的时间感应器指导它们秋春迁移。 来自互联网

9 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

10 gorilla   

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。

11 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

12 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 trekking   

v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的现在分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水

参考例句：

• She can't come pony trekking after all because she's in a delicate condition. 她结果还是不能坐小马车旅行，因为她已怀孕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We spent the summer trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas. 我们整个夏天都在喜马拉雅山的山麓艰难跋涉。 来自互联网

14 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

15 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

16 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

17 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。

18 obelisks   

n.方尖石塔，短剑号，疑问记号( obelisk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One passes under pyramids and obelisks, all on a heroic scale. 试译：一个人经过规模宏大的金字塔和方尖石塔。 来自互联网
• He told me to seek them through secret obelisks. 它告诉我可以通过隐匿的方尖塔找到它们。 来自互联网

19 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

20 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

21 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

22 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

23 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。