英语听力：自然百科 缅甸的流浪者-海上吉普赛人

 In the waters of Andaman Sea, off the coast of Miyama, a group of sea nomads¹ has made their life among these remote islands for centuries, known as the Moken. Their origins are mysterious. The Moken's extraordinary ability to reap the bounty² of the sea has allowed them to live a life apart. As hunter gatherers of the sea, they catch fish, gather sea urchins³ as low tide and dive deep for shellfish at high tide. The Moken are born on the sea, learning to swim before they can walk. Their aquatic⁴ skills are enhanced by their ability to see underwater twice as clearly as the rest of us. It helps them find and collect tiny shellfish on the sea floor.

 

Tonight, one of the young Moken women is diving for pencil sea urchins which venture out in the dark. Diving at night, she has to be careful to sharp coral and spiny⁵ sea urchins. Moken have been known to dive as deep as 75 feet without masks or scuba⁶ gear, staying underwater for extended periods. A good haul means the pencil urchins can be sold at market for cash. Although the Moken are very good at living on the ocean, there are still a few necessities the waters can't provide. They must occasionally buy rice, cooking oil, and diesel⁷ fuel to run their boats. 

 

Reaching civilization, they do business with a one local merchant the Moken trust. He's married to a Moken woman and understands their world intimately. Village life has attracted many Moken to leave the sea, while others feel they'll be forced to settle by the country's brutal⁸ regime, but this group doesn't find civilization enticing⁹. Supplies in hand, they are happy to return to the sea. While many Moken have left the seas, tradition remains¹⁰ strong with this clan¹¹, as they continue to carve out a living from this remote Eden.

1 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

3 urchins   

n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆

参考例句：

• Some dozen barefooted urchins ganged in from the riverside. 几十个赤足的顽童从河边成群结队而来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him "Yellow Fellow." 别人说他是黄胆病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

4 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

5 spiny   

adj.多刺的，刺状的；n.多刺的东西

参考例句：

• This is the Asiatic ornamental shrub with spiny branches and pink blossoms.这就是亚洲的一种观赏灌木，具有多刺的枝和粉红色的花。
• Stay away from a spiny cactus.远离多刺仙人掌。

6 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

7 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 enticing   

adj.迷人的；诱人的

参考例句：

• The offer was too enticing to refuse. 这提议太有诱惑力，使人难以拒绝。
• Her neck was short but rounded and her arms plump and enticing. 她的脖子短，但浑圆可爱；两臂丰腴，也很动人。

10 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。

11 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。