英语听力：自然百科 环球风情：巴西

 Hello, I am Petty Kim. We're packing our bags for Brazil on a journey that'll take us from some fabulous¹ beaches to the unspoiled depths of the Amazon rainforest. Not to mention, one of the biggest festivals in the world.

 

Roughly the size of the continental² United States, there is a lot more of Brazil's geography that meets the eye.

 

The Amazon rainforest covers about half the country, but there is plenty of room left over for savanna(平坦的大草原), wetlands, and some of the most amazing coastlines you'll ever see. No wonder that's where the majority of Brazilians live, in cities that are both historic and modern.

 

The country's largest and wealthiest city, Sao Paulo. The commercial hub of Brazil, Sao Paulo also competes for the title of cultural centre with its northern neighbor, Rio de Janeiro.

 

But you can't really blame them for the rivalry³. Rio's got to be one of the most exciting cities in the world. For a breathtaking view of it, take the cog railway up to the top of Corcovado Mountain, where the 130-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooks the city. From there, you can see all across Rio, Guanabara Bay and over there the city's famous beaches. At spots like Ipanema and Copacabana, the beaches become the city's great equalizer.

 

Here you’ll find rich and poor, old and young, locals and visitors all coming to enjoy the sun and the sand.

 

But like anywhere you go in the city, crime can sometimes be a problem. So make sure you don't attract unwanted attention from thieves. Keep your valuables and your passport back at the hotel. And as tempting⁴ as those moonlit walks on the beach maybe, stick to the beaches in the day.

 

In the evening, Rio's busy nightlife awakens⁵ to the sounds of samba. The musical style is Rio original, and you'll be sure to hear it throughout the city, especially at carnival⁶.

 

For four days before the start of Lent, citizens across Brazil host carnival festivals. But Rio's is the most famous and the largest. Its 6 million residents, known as Cariocans, combined with over half a million tourists to transform Rio into a city live street party.

 

It collimates with the samba parade, where samba schools compete with elaborate floats and in costumes. The festivities go on until dawn and the crowds finally go home before beginning the plan for next year's carnival.

 

Moving inland from the coast, the city sounds melt away. This is ranch⁷ country. Brazilian cowboys, called Pantaneiros, lead their herds⁸ across the vast savannas⁹.

 

But with the coming of the seasonal¹⁰ floods, an area of the size of France becomes the world's largest wetlands, called the Pantanal. It's a safari¹¹ spotter's paradise with alligators¹², jaguars(美洲虎) and macaws(金刚鹦鹉).

 

It would rank as Brazil's richest landscape if it wasn't overshadowed by its larger neighbor to the north--the Amazon.

 

Nearly 1/5 of the world's free flowing fresh water runs through its river basin. Its bottom is so deep, large sea vessels¹³ can journey upriver for over 1,000 miles. It is, without exaggeration, referred to as the ocean river.

 

Many places along its banks make excellent jumping-off points for jungle treks¹⁴. The rainforest's crowed canopy¹⁵ hums and buzzes with life if you are quick enough to spot it. It's estimated that one in ten mammal species on the planet live in the Amazon.

 

Many native tribes still live in the forest. Some allow guests to experience their way of life. Here time slows down to the rise and fall of the river, in a place found nowhere else on earth.

 

When planning a trip to the Amazon, the best times to come are during the dry season, which varies north and south of the equator. In most other places, the tourist high season is during Brazil’s summer between December and February.

 

Many people speak some degree of English, but if you wanna meet the locals, don't forget to pack that Portuguese¹⁶ phrase book.

 

If you are on a schedule, the best and safest way to check out sights around the cities is by taxi. And the best way to get around the country is by plane. With more time on your hands, you can hit the road or take a trip down the river. But no matter how much time you've got, a trip to Brazil will make the most of it.

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

4 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

5 awakens   

v.（使）醒( awaken的第三人称单数 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• The scene awakens reminiscences of my youth. 这景象唤起我年轻时的往事。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The child awakens early in the morning. 这个小孩早晨醒得早。 来自辞典例句

6 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

7 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

8 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

9 savannas   

n.（美国东南部的）无树平原( savanna的名词复数 )；（亚）热带的稀树大草原

参考例句：

• Therefore the jungles and the savannas know of no juvenile delinquency! 因此，丛林和荒原里没有“少年犯罪。” 来自辞典例句
• My soul flits away into the virgin forests and to the savannas. 我的灵魂飞向森林中的处女地和广漠的平原。 来自互联网

10 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

11 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

12 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

13 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 treks   

n.远距离行走 ( trek的名词复数 )；长途跋涉，艰难的旅程（尤指在山区）v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的第三人称单数 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水

参考例句：

• And visiting companies and completing job treks are becoming much more important in the job search. 参观公司、进行实地考察在找工作中变得重要得多。 来自互联网
• These range from treks around Mont an ascent of North Africa's highest mountain, Mount Toubkal. 参与者是徒步绕勃朗峰，然后攀登北非最高峰托布卡尔山。 来自互联网

15 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

16 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。