英语PK台 第422期:中东猛禽竟能坐飞机

 　　Falcons² on a plane: First class treatment for birds of prey³

　　飞机上见特殊乘客：中东猛禽持护照坐头等舱

　　Have you ever boarded a flight dreading⁴ who might be your neighbor for the next few hours? Maybe they'll snore, or encroach on your personal space, or perhaps it'll be a screaming baby. This week, a photograph of a cabin full of the treasured birds went viral on social media. Passengers flying on Qatar, Emirates, Etihad or Royal Jordanian Airlines, however, have a unique type of neighbor to worry about—the pet falcon¹.

　　坐飞机时，你是否也会担心，在接下来的几个小时里陪伴着你的邻座究竟会是谁？他也许会鼾声如雷，侵占你的地盘，又或者等待着你的是一个呱呱啼哭的婴儿。本周，一张机舱内坐满珍奇鸟类的照片在网络上走红。乘坐卡塔尔航空、阿联酋航空、阿提哈德航空或者约旦皇家航空的乘客也许要提前做好心理准备了，你的隔壁有可能坐着一位特殊的乘客——宠物鹰。

　　On these Middle Eastern airlines, the birds—which have their own passports—are permitted to fly, most often perching on their owners' arms. Between 2002 and 2013, the government issued more than 28,000 falcon passports. In the Middle East, falcons are the ultimate status symbol.

　　在这些中东地区的航班上，（拥有自己的护照的）鸟类是允许乘坐飞机的，大多数的时候它们都栖落在主人的胳膊上。2002至2013年间，政府共签发了超过两万八千张鸟类护照。在中东，鹰是地位的最高象征。

　　Cultural expert Nasif Kayed, from The Arab Culturalist, told CNN falcons can cost anywhere between 2,000 dirhams ($544) and 70,000 dirhams ($19,058). And it's become routine for some falcon owners to have their birds join them, un-caged, aboard flights—no matter if they're traveling in first class or economy.

　　来自阿拉伯文化院的专家纳西夫?凯告诉我们，宠物鹰耗价2000迪拉姆（544美元）到70000迪拉姆（19058美元）不等。对于一些鹰主人来说，与他们的爱宠一起乘坐飞机，不论是在头等舱还是经济舱，已经是一件习以为常的事情。

1 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

2 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

3 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

4 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。