【BBC南太平洋】漂流者 15

英语自学网

【本集内容简介】
    在南太平洋并没有荒岛这一回事。它们也许是地球上最偏僻，但2万余个岛屿个个都被开拓了，从新几内亚，天堂鸟的家园，部落野蛮的成人仪式将年轻的战士变成鳄鱼人，到斐济，法属玻利尼西和夏威夷。
　　这是最后漂流者的故事，从咸水鳄和巨鳗到冠鬣蜥和怪蛙，为了成功不顾一切到达数千哩远的岛屿。这些旅程是很好的功绩。据估计每6万年才有一个物种到达夏威夷。难以相信，这么多的开拓者到达这些受到大自然像龙卷风和海啸接二连三粗暴打击的岛屿。
　　南太平洋首次人类，玻利尼西亚人的航行，难以忘怀。这些旅程的确是最伟大的探索行动，甚至可以断言，他们永远地改变了南太平洋的大自然。
听写形式：全文听写，采用英式拼法
Hint:
eel
Solomon/Solomons
New Guinea
echidna
The eels are highly prized by the locals. These Solomon Islanders hand feed them, not to fatten them up for dinner, but to encourage them to stick around. By scavenging on whatever's decaying here, the eels clean the islanders' precious pools of drinking water. And over time, the honorary guests have become tame. One day, these adult freshwater eels will return to the sea to spawn, after which they'll die. For now, they're as good as pets. Away from the coast, animals are thin on the ground. The Solomons have only a quarter of the reptiles and birds that New Guinea has. For mammals like echidnas and kangaroos, the water proved too great a hurdle. But some mammals did make it here. When it comes to reaching new islands, flying must surely have been the easiest way to get there. But the 60 miles between New Guinea and the Solomons still proved a formidable challenge for many winged creatures. With their four-foot wingspans, giant fruit bats succeeded where other fliers failed.当地人非常珍惜鳗。所罗门岛民人工喂养它们，不是为了养胖它们加餐，而是鼓励他们逗留在此。这些鳗会吃掉这里所有的腐败物，从而清洁岛民们宝贵的饮用水池。并且随着时间的推移，这些尊贵的客人变得驯服了。某一天，这些成熟的淡水鳗将会回到海里去繁殖，接着就会死去，但目前它们几乎是宠物一样的存在。远离海岸，动物稀少。所罗门只有新几内亚1/4的爬行动物和鸟类。对于针鼹和袋鼠这样的哺乳动物来说，水确实是一个非常大的障碍。但仍有一些哺乳动物成功到达这里。说到去往新的岛屿，飞行绝对是最容易达到目标的方法。但新几内亚与所罗门之间的60英里即使对许多有翼动物来说也依然是项艰巨的挑战。因为有着四尺翼展，大果蝠成功地到达了其它飞行动物无法到达的地方。