VOA标准英语2010年-Bulls Butt Heads in Annual Korean Spri

A fight at the Cheongdo bullfighting festival

There is not much that can stop an 800-kilogram bull in a bad mood … except, perhaps, another bull with a similar disposition¹.  In South Korea, an annual Spring ritual has lots of people cheering for a battle of the bovines. 

In the small South Korean town of Cheongdo, this large stadium almost seems out place.  But every year, it comes alive for just one purpose.

The Cheongdo bullfighting festival attracts country and city dwellers² alike - not by pitting bull against man, but by squaring off bull against bull.

In match after match, bulls bump heads and lock horns, with the loser being the first to turn away.

Bull-on-bull combat is not unique to Korea.  It also exists in Southeast Asian nations and on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Still, many Koreans have a special place for it in their hearts.

"I really miss these fights when they aren't going on," said a female spectator. "It's so much fun to watch, to see which ones win and lose."

"When my bull wins, it is as if our Korean team has just won a medal in a world competition," said a bull owner. "That feeling is what attracts owners like me into bull fighting.  Bulls, unlike other animals, don't bite.  They fight with raw muscular strength. [In human terms, it's like wrestling.]"

Sometimes the fight is over before it begins - like when a bull runs away from his opponent, dragging his owner behind him. Other times, the bulls face off for 20 minutes or more. The referee³ declares a victory when he feels certain that one bull has been scared off by another. 

The fighting causes plenty of cuts and bruises⁴ that the owners have to treat.  That has drawn⁵ criticism from some animal rights groups.

But owners say the bulls are pampered⁶ with special foods and grooming⁷, and that the training increases their overall well-being⁸.

Nam Ho-kyung, president of the country's biggest domestic cattle association, says the event rallies pride in his industry.

"Korean cows, or hanwoo, are a unique species in the world that lives only in Korea," said Nam Ho-kyung. "Raising them and holding fights between them are both part of our history.  The Hanwoo species is recognized as having great physical power and stamina⁹."

In high-tech¹⁰ modern South Korea, the fights remind many of that history of a simpler farming past.
 

1 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

2 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》

3 referee   

n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人

参考例句：

• The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
• The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。

4 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 pampered   

adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lazy scum deserve worse. What if they ain't fed up and pampered? 他们吃不饱，他们的要求满足不了，这又有什么关系？ 来自飘（部分）
• She petted and pampered him and would let no one discipline him but she, herself. 她爱他，娇养他，而且除了她自己以外，她不允许任何人管教他。 来自辞典例句

7 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

8 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

9 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

10 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。