2006年VOA标准英语-Camels Make a Comeback in Texas

By Greg Flakus
Kerrville, TX
21 November 2006
 
watch TX Camel Corps¹ report

The state of Texas is associated around the world with the image of cowboys mounted on horses herding² longhorn cattle, but at least one Texan prefers to mount a different sort of animal when he goes on treks³ through his state's wilder desert regions.  They are camels and, as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Kerrville, Texas, they are not entirely⁴ new to the Lone⁵ Star state.

These hump-backed creatures are not very common in Texas, but their legacy⁶ goes back to the 1850s, when the U.S. Army tried to introduce them here for transporting supplies across the dry plains.

 
Doug Baum sits alongside of a camel
Native Texan Doug Baum became fascinated with camels while working at a zoo and later investigated the Texas Camel Corps history. "None of the soldiers would ride. There was quite a cultural bias⁷ towards the camels, sadly. But the Turks and Greeks and Arabs who were hired to teach the soldiers absolutely rode the camels."

Helping⁸ Baum with the re-enactment of the old army camel corps is the great grandson of one of the soldiers who served in the unit -- Gilbert Tafolla.

He helps bring history presentations to life by dressing⁹ in the garb¹⁰ of a 19th century army scout¹¹.  "It is really rewarding to know that something like this happened in your family and the historical value is just unlimited¹², you cannot even explain it."

Doug Baum says such events help educate children about history and these animals that most of them have only seen in pictures. "Kids are so innocent. They don't have prejudices yet.  They don't know that camels are mean and nasty and they bite and they kick and spit. So it is wide open. You can teach them about it and you can teach them about the other cultures."

 
But educational presentations are only a small part of what Doug Baum does with the six camels he has acquired. "The main way I make a living with my camels is doing what nomads¹³ have been doing for 5,000 years and that is carrying stuff and or people around on their camels.  I offer multi-day camel treks in the Chihuahuan desert in the trans-Pecos of Texas, also in the Sinai in Egypt."

It was in Egypt that Doug Baum gained most of his knowledge of camels.  He went there to learn from the Bedouin people, who have worked with camels for centuries, and was warmly received. "The Arab world is known for its hospitality; the entire Bedouin culture is built on hospitality and the obligation of hospitality and generosity¹⁴."

Doug Baum says he did learn a lot about camels, but he also had a cross-cultural experience that changed his outlook on life. "This Bedouin man, Sala bin¹⁵ Suleiman, took me into his home for a month and, again, what I got from a camel standpoint is immeasurable; what I got from a personal standpoint is more, still."

Doug Baum goes back to the Sinai every year to visit his Bedouin friends and to lead tours of the area on camelback.  Back home, Baum says he also brings his view of the Arab world to people who may have a distorted view of the culture.

"I feel like a bit of an ambassador. I feel like a disciple¹⁶. Working with camels in America, I am already the myth-buster. It is just my lot in life and if somebody has misperceptions about Arabs and Muslims and the people I have been blessed to create family bonds with, I feel an obligation to try to dispel¹⁷ those myths."

Doug Baum has also lent his camels to historical re-enactments and several motion picture productions here in Texas.

1 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

3 treks   

n.远距离行走 ( trek的名词复数 )；长途跋涉，艰难的旅程（尤指在山区）v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的第三人称单数 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水

参考例句：

• And visiting companies and completing job treks are becoming much more important in the job search. 参观公司、进行实地考察在找工作中变得重要得多。 来自互联网
• These range from treks around Mont an ascent of North Africa's highest mountain, Mount Toubkal. 参与者是徒步绕勃朗峰，然后攀登北非最高峰托布卡尔山。 来自互联网

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

10 garb   

n.服装，装束

参考例句：

• He wore the garb of a general.他身着将军的制服。
• Certain political,social,and legal forms reappear in seemingly different garb.一些政治、社会和法律的形式在表面不同的外衣下重复出现。

11 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

12 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

13 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》

14 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

15 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

16 disciple   

n.信徒，门徒，追随者

参考例句：

• Your disciple failed to welcome you.你的徒弟没能迎接你。
• He was an ardent disciple of Gandhi.他是甘地的忠实信徒。

17 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。