英语听力：自然百科 澳洲野骆驼繁殖成灾

Camels are not usually associated with Australia, but Australia is home to the largest herd¹ of feral camels in the world. About 12,000 dromedary camels were brought to Australia in the mid² 19th century to carry people and supplies during the exploration and development of the interior, but after the advent³ of the automobile⁴, they were abandoned and left to fend⁵ for themselves. The camels adapted very well on their own. Today, the camels are found scattered⁶ throughout the interior, from Western Australia to Queensland. Recent research shows that the total population has reached staggering numbers.

 

Well, there's in excess of a million camels in Australia, wandering around various isolated⁷ outback locations and they are doing significant environmental and infrastructure⁸ damage. We estimate the infrastructure damage to be in the vicinity of 14 million a year.

 

Wherever they go, feral camels leave a trail of destruction, with fences knocked down, waterholes fouled⁹ and vegetation stripped bare. Ferguson says camels are quite choosy about what they eat, preferring bush fruits over plain grass. If the population is not radically¹⁰ diminished, it's thought that the camels could permanently¹¹ destroy Australia's delicate desert ecosystem¹².

 

The Australian government is preparing for a camel control program which is now in the planning stages. Cattle ranchers have long been at odds¹³ with the roaming camels, which are viewed as competition for grazing areas. About 25,000 camels are killed each year here, and much of the culling¹⁴ is carried out by marksmen in helicopters and on the ground.

 

And I suppose with the numbers being so high, any that you take off is an improvement to what's already there.

 

That can't control a population that's exploding.

 

In South Australia alone we have 200,000 feral camels. That number is projected to double in the next 10 years. The damage they cause to, well, the environment is extraordinary.

 

The long-term aim is to reduce the camel population by as much as two thirds. It seems the camels, once indispensable in building the outback's infrastructure and delivering supplies, have overstayed their welcome.

1 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

2 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

4 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

5 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

6 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

7 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。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 fouled   

v.使污秽( foul的过去式和过去分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏

参考例句：

• Blue suit and reddish-brown socks!He had fouled up again. 蓝衣服和红褐色短袜！他又搞错了。
• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories. 整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。

10 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

11 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

12 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

13 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

14 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分