实战口语情景对话 第269期:The Kiwi 几维鸟

 Todd: OK, Leonard, now, when most people think of Kiwi, at least Americans, we think of the fruit. 

托德：里昂纳多，大部分人，至少是大部分美国人在说到Kiwi这个词的时候认为是奇异果。

Leo: Right, right. Also in Japan as well. 

里奥：没错，的确是这样。当然日本也是这样。

Todd: Oh, really! OK. But, uh, people from New Zealand are called Kiwis not because of the fruit I take it. 

托德：哦，真的吗！但是，新西兰人所称的Kiwis并不是我认为的那种水果。

Leo: That's right. That's right. The nickname¹ for New Zealanders is Kiwi, and actually the Kiwi bird... Kiwi is actually a Maori name, and Maori are the native people of New Zealand. 

里奥：没错，没错。新西兰的代名词就是几维鸟……几维是毛利语，毛利是新西兰的原住民。

Todd: Oh, wow! 

托德：哦，哇！

Leo: And so Kiwi, the pronunciation of Kiwi K-I-W-I KEE-WEE, Maori has similar pronunciation to the Japanese language, ah, ee, uu, eh, oh. They pronounce the vowels². 

里奥：所以几维鸟，发音是K-I-W-I KEE-WEE，毛利语的发音和日语的发音很相似，ah, ee, uu, eh, oh。他们的元音也是这种发音。

Todd: OK. I'm..what is Kiwi? 

托德：嗯。那几维鸟是什么呢？

Leo: A kiwi is a nocturnal bird, which only walks, it doesn't fly. 

里奥：几维鸟是一种在夜间活动的鸟，它们只能走路，不会飞。

Todd: OK. So nocturnal means it only comes out at night. 

托德：好。那在夜间活动的意思就是它们只在夜晚出来活动吗。

Leo: Right. Right. And in the deep forest. Actually, you'd never see a Kiwi if you went to New Zealand, unless you went to the zoo. 

里奥：对，对。而且是在森林深处活动。实际上，如果你去新西兰的话，你是看不到几维鸟的，除非你去动物园。

Todd: Oh, really! 

托德：哦，真的吗？

Leo: Right! 

里奥：没错！

Todd: OK. 

托德：好。

Leo: And the brown Kiwi is the most, uh, rarest of them all. They're only I think, there are less than one thousand brown kiwis left. 

里奥：褐几维鸟是数量最稀少的种类。我想，褐几维鸟的现存数量不足1000只。

Todd: Wow. So.. 

托德：哇。那……

Leo: It can only be found in New Zealand. 

里奥：只有新西兰才有。

Todd: Ok. OK. maybe I missed it but can it fly.

托德：好。嗯。我想我刚才好像听漏了，它能飞吗？

Leo: No, no it can't. 

里奥：不，不能飞。

Todd: It can't fly. 

托德：不能飞呀。

Leo: It can only walk. 

里奥：它只能走。

Todd: Wow, so it only comes out at night...in the deep forest and it can't fly. 

托德：哇，所以它夜间在森林深处活动，而且不能飞。

Leo: You'd be surprised. If you go to New Zealand, uh, there are over twenty different types of birds that walk. 

里奥：你一定感到很吃惊。如果你去新西兰，会看到有20余种不同种类的几维鸟在散步。

Todd: Really! That's fascinating. Well, thanks for telling us about the Kiwi. 

托德：真的吗！那真吸引人，谢谢你跟我们分享几维鸟的信息。

Leo: You're welcome. 

里奥：不客气。 

1 nickname   

n.绰号，昵称；v.给...取绰号，叫错名字

参考例句：

• She called me by my nickname.她叫我的外号。
• Why do you fasten such a nickname on her?你为什么给她取这样一个绰号？

2 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册