英语听力：自然百科 仙人掌 peyote

 Outsiders call it peyote. The Huichol, an indigenous¹ tribe in western Mexico, call it hikuri, and they teach their children to use it. While most societies outlaw² this consciousness-altering drug, Mexico permits the tribe to use it as the central experience of their religion. The Huichol believe peyote leads the spirit world. To get there, they must set out on a pilgrimage, one that starts with a legend.

 

At the dawn of time, a Huichol hunter stalked a blue deer. He shot straight, but the animal fled across the desert. In its tracks, cactus³ plants budded. Ever since, the Huichol have visited this sacred desert collecting peyote from the cactus.

 

It is harvest season. Tomorrow the tribe will travel to the distant desert. Parents would explain the journey to children, who will taste the holy cactus for the first time. First, they must fast. And tonight, as with every night on the road, they will go without sleep.

 

Before entering the land of the blue deer, minds and bodies must be ready for the sacred trip. Their quest takes the Huichol far from their homes in the remote Sierra Madres to the Chihuahua Desert in western Mexico. The tribe shaman Don Hesups(音) hopes to pass on this tradition and all its rituals to his children, seven-year-old Francisco and baby Hesusida(音).

 

The Huichol once made the journey on foot, a trip that took 45 days. Now they live in a world of property lines and must travel by highway, many leaving their village for the first time. Three days into the journey, they reach their destination.

 

Pure in mind, chastened in body, the pilgrims prepare to taste the food that summons the gods. With symbolic⁴ arrows, the Huichol reenact their creation story. In this ritual, a cactus achieves godhood, the incarnation of the mystical blue deer. The Huichol hunt as if for a wild animal. They believe only the pure mind can see the deer's new form.

 

The pilgrims easily find the first peyote buttons, perhaps heralding⁵ a good crop. Though they gather a year's worth of peyote, the Huichol treat the land with care. They know it takes these slow-growing succulents four years to get as big as a dime⁶.

 

In his father's footsteps, Jose Luis quickly learns the art of gathering⁷ buttons along with the art of being Huichol.

 

“My son is learning the songs and legends of our people. We are not going to live forever. As soon as one grows older, one dies. But your path continues through your children. That is how we live on. And that is why I bring him as a child, to learn from the land.”

 

Fathers and sons receive the first dose. As their parents did, adults share the peyote with their children. True visions demand that the pilgrim chew long into the night. The peyote takes hold. Their senses send them on a journey, not across the land but inside their heads. Guided by the shaman, they enter the spirit world and encounter their god.

 

The path of peyote is not a boulevard of cheap thrills. The ritual recollects⁸ the creation of the world, a time of beauty and peace. Their offerings have pleased the dear god. Until they return for the next harvest, he bestows⁹ his blessing¹⁰.

 

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

3 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

4 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

5 heralding   

v.预示( herald的现在分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• It is the heralding of a new age of responsibilities. 那预示着一个充满责任的新时期的开始。 来自互联网
• Streaks of faint light were rising, heralding a new day. 几道淡淡的晨曦正在升起，预示新的一天的来临。 来自互联网

6 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 recollects   

v.记起，想起( recollect的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• All are recollects, all are felt, all only not once putting behind. 一切只是回忆，一切只是感觉，一切只是卜曾的忘却。 来自互联网
• Recollects hardware information on this computer. 重新收集关于这台计算机的硬件信息。 来自互联网

9 bestows   

赠给，授予( bestow的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Second, Xie Lingyun bestows on basic subject and emotion connotation. 谢灵运赋的基本主题及情感内涵。
• And the frigid climate bestows Heilongjiang rich resources of ice and snow. 寒冷的气候赋予了其得天独厚的冰雪资源。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。