VOA标准英语2010年-India Adds Elephant to List of Nationa

India will declare the elephant a national heritage animal, to focus more attention on the need to conserve¹ the species, whose numbers have been dwindling².

India is home to more than half the Asian elephants left in the wild, making it a critical battleground for the survival of the animal. It is the animal on which kings once rode and which carried warriors³ to the battleground. Outside popular hotels in towns and cities frequented by tourists, bedecked elephants still give visitors a ride.

But conservationists have raised the alarm, saying India's 26,000 elephant population is under threat.

A recent report by a government-appointed panel says the elephant has failed to receive the kind of attention given to endangered species such as the tiger, because the decline in its numbers has not been as dramatic.

Mahesh Rangarajan is lead author of the report by the Elephant Task Force. He says the elephant does not face a crisis of numbers, but a crisis of attrition.

 
AP
An idol⁴ of Hindu Lord Ganesh is placed into a passenger train as it is transported from a workshop in Mumbai, India, 05 Sept. 2010
 

"Up to now the emphasis has been on assessing how many elephants there are," said Rangarajan. "As you are aware, elephant is a long-lived species and it is equally important as it is to know number, to know the age classification. We may have a population of say a 100 elephants with very few young calves⁵ or the calf⁶ mortality may be very high. Similarly the sex ratio may be skewed."  

As with other endangered species, the prime threat to the elephant is the loss of their habitat. Villages and farms are pushing closer to the edges of forests. Roads and rail networks are expanding to cater⁷ to the needs of development. Industrial and mining projects are reaching far-flung areas.

Conservationists say elephants are particularly vulnerable because they need huge tracts⁸ of land to support them. But forests are getting fragmented, restricting the animals to smaller areas.

Vivek Menon at the Wildlife Trust of India says they have asked the government to create a network of 88 protected "forest corridors" which will allow elephants to travel safely between forested areas in search of food.

"These are not huge chunks⁹ of land. They are just narrow strips of land which connect larger habitats. Because they [elephants] are large, they need huge amounts of food," Menon said. "If you leave them in one place, they eat the forest out. If you allow them to move, this allows the forest to come back and then get back. It is a natural cycle."

Conservationists have also emphasized the need to curb¹⁰ poaching by giving forest guards better training and more modern equipment. The male elephant, which has tusks¹¹, has been targeted for its ivory. This has drastically skewed the ratio between male and female elephants and, in some places, there is only one male left for as many as 100 female elephants.     

The government has said it will soon declare the elephant as a national heritage animal. This will give these animals the same importance as is presently given to tigers.

Conservationists say that India is in a unique position to save the elephant because of a centuries-long cultural association with the animal. In the Hindu majority nation, one of Hinduism's most popular gods, Ganesha, has an elephant head.

Menon of Wildlife Trust of India says the elephant is seen as a wise, sagacious animal across the country's diverse cultures and communities.

"It is not only Hindus who have respect for the animal," Menon added. "Among tribal¹² communities in the northeast, they have a word which roughly translates into elder brother for the elephant. In Kerala, Hindus, Christians¹³ and Muslims use the elephant in religious processions. It is something that, from childhood, people tend to love not fear."

Conservationists are optimistic that, if adequate measures to protect the elephants are taken, it will avert¹⁴ the kind of crisis which is faced by species such as the tiger and ensure that Asian elephants overcome the threat they face.

1 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

2 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

3 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

4 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

5 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

7 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

8 tracts   

大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文

参考例句：

• vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
• There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。

9 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

10 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

11 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

12 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

13 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

14 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。