美国国家公共电台 NPR--Las Vegas pastor spends his free time catching unwanted rattlesnakes

Las Vegas pastor¹ spends his free time catching² unwanted rattlesnakes

Transcript³

Tim Agnello rounds up rattlesnakes in his neighbors' yards. He finds places in the dessert with enough food, water and shade and then releases the rattlers.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Tim Agnello is a man with a hobby - a hobby that's not for everyone.

TIM AGNELLO: I was catching snakes probably when I was 3 years old, but it was when I was 11 years old that I caught my first rattlesnake. And man, I was hooked⁴.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

That's the hobby - catching rattlesnakes. He can't forget the feeling of grabbing⁵ his first.

AGNELLO: Your nerves just kind of woo, and your stomach drops. And it's kind of scary at first, but it's super exciting.

INSKEEP: Yeah. My nerves would also just kind of woo. That first time, he was with a friend who did not share his excitement.

AGNELLO: I tell my friend, hey, there's a rattlesnake under this board, and he starts freaking out, and he's running around like a crazy person. But I was really thrilled by it and was trying to catch it and finally got it into a coffee can.

FADEL: Agnello has been grabbing rattlesnakes ever since. He works as a pastor in Las Vegas and was looking to do some kind of community service when he heard an announcement on the news.

AGNELLO: Hey, rattlesnake season is coming. Everybody be careful. And I thought, well, I could be of service

INSKEEP: Soon, Agnello was passing out flyers talking with animal control and posting on social media, offering to come to people's homes and remove snakes.

AGNELLO: You know, if I can come in and encourage people and get their snakes, I thought that would be a good way for me to use my own personal skill set to help our community.

FADEL: And he does it for free.

AGNELLO: Most people don't want to do it, and for those who do do it, they charge an arm and a leg, which I don't think is right.

INSKEEP: He takes the risk of getting bitten in an arm or a leg but says he's doing three to four house calls a day.

AGNELLO: We don't kill the snake, so it's kind of a rescue for them. I think it's important to keep them alive and to keep them part of the ecosystem⁶.

FADEL: Agnello finds places in the desert with enough food, water and shade and then releases the rattlesnakes back into the wild.

1 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 hooked   

adj.钩状的，弯曲的

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肺潜水。
• He hooked his arm round her neck and pulled her head down. 他一只胳膊钩在她的脖子上，把她的头拉低。

5 grabbing   

v.抢先，抢占( grab的现在分词 )；（尤指匆忙地）取；攫取；（尤指自私、贪婪地）捞取

参考例句：

• The plane was grabbing for altitude. 这架飞机在抢占高度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sprang to his feet, grabbing his keys off the coffee table. 他一跃而起，从茶几上一把抓起自己的钥匙。 来自辞典例句

6 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。