英语听力：自然百科 环球风情：南非游

 Hi, everyone. I'm Patty Kim. Today we're headed for Southern Africa, a place that holds something for every traveler, for every budget: cosmopolitan¹ cities, world-class safaris³, not to mention record-setting sites that'll take your breath away. Here's where you'll find some of the world's wildest places as well as some of its rarest creatures.

 

Chances are if you're heading to this region, you're heading for the most popular stop: South Africa. But there is a whole slew（大量） of other places like Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Malawi that also have plenty to offer to travelers.

 

When is the best time to go? Generally during the cooler, drier months from around May to October, though parts of South Africa are pleasant all year round.

 

With an abundance of national parks and game reserves in Southern Africa, a safari² should be at the top of any traveler's to-do list. The wide variety of terrains⁴, savanna⁵, desert, forest, wetland and highland⁶ provide an even wider variety of animals and places to encounter them.

 

The original safari hunters made a list of the toughest animals to hunt, the big five: lions, leopards⁸, rhino⁹, elephants, and Cape¹⁰ buffalo¹¹. Today's modern safari spotters might soon discover that while elephants and even lions are easy to catch sight of, many other animals, including the elusive¹² leopard⁷, are a little harder to find.

 

Sharpen your eyes and your odds¹³ with a few simple tips: go out at dawn and dusk when animals are most active; head for water where animals come to drink; make sure to look near and far, left and right, on tree branches and underfoot. With a bit of practice, you'll capture some amazing photographs.

 

Some of the best-known parks and game reserves in the region include South Africa's Kruger Park, Namibia's Etosha, Zambia's Luangwa National Parks, and Botswana's Moremi Wildlife Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta¹⁴, stretching over 6,000 square miles, the largest inland delta in the world.

 

The Okavango River once fed into a large lake now vanished under the Kalahari Desert. When the seasonal¹⁵ floodwater surge over the land, they create a labyrinth¹⁶ of channels and thickets（茂密丛林） brimming with wildlife.

 

For more record-setting attractions, head west into the Namib Desert. One of the oldest deserts in the world, this thin strip of sand along the Namibian coast is home to some of the world's largest sand dunes¹⁷. Undulating waves of sand stretch for up to 30 miles in length, reaching a thousand feet in height. The slopes hold the animals uniquely evolved for this alien landscape.

 

On the Zambezi River you can canoe or kayak(划皮船) along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Just be careful when you hear the rumbling¹⁸ of water. Its name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, or the Smoke that Thunders, better known as Victoria Falls. At some 350 feet high and a mile wide, it's considered by some as the largest waterfall in the world.

 

The Zambezi River flows eastward¹⁹ into Mozambique and out to sea. Across the Mozambique Channel are Africa's Indian Ocean islands, including Comoros, the Seychelles, Mauritius, the French island of Réunion, and Madagascar. Each island competes for best tropical paradise, and it's easy to see why.

 

When you're ready to wind down, head to cosmopolitan Cape Town and pamper(纵容) yourself with some fine dining and samples of local wines.

 

Remember, Southern Africa is big, nearly the size of the continental²⁰ United States. No matter where you plan to travel, city, plains, falls or desert, you're bound to have an unforgettable adventure.

1 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

2 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。

3 safaris   

n.游猎，陆路旅行（尤指在东非或中非）( safari的名词复数 )；类似游猎的假日旅行

参考例句：

• I've had too many safaris with rich dentists to listen to any more suicidal ideas. 我已经带过太多有钱牙科医生的狩猎队，我不能再听取任何自杀性建议了。 来自电影对白
• Camel diving safaris are a popular attraction in South Sinai. 骆驼的潜水之旅是南西奈一个受欢迎的景观。 来自互联网

4 terrains   

n.地形( terrain的名词复数 )；地面；地域；地带

参考例句：

• Scientists call these pieces exotic or suspect terrains. 科学家们把这些小陆块叫外来或嫌疑地块。 来自辞典例句
• In the western of China are intricate terrains and many hilly regions. 我国西部地区地势复杂，多丘陵。 来自互联网

5 savanna   

n.大草原

参考例句：

• The savanna is also the home of meat-eaters--the lion,leopard,and hyena who feed on the grasseaters.大草原也是食肉动物的家乡--狮子、豹、鬣狗--它们都是以草食动物维持生命的。
• They sped upon velvet wheels across an exhilarant savanna.他们的马车轻捷地穿过一片令人赏心悦目的大草原。

6 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

7 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

8 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

9 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

10 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

11 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

12 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

13 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

14 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

15 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。

16 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

17 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

18 rumbling   

n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词

参考例句：

• The earthquake began with a deep [low] rumbling sound. 地震开始时发出低沉的隆隆声。
• The crane made rumbling sound. 吊车发出隆隆的响声。

19 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

20 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。