VOA慢速英语2020--泰国的音乐家为猴子演奏

When British musician Paul Barton performs in central Thailand lately, his energetic listeners react wildly. Some pull his hair or jump on his piano. Others steal his music.

The behavior is normal, however, because these crowds are truly wild --- wild monkeys to be exact.

Barton plays often to the animals in Lopburi, an area known for its populations of wild macaque monkeys. The pianist hopes the music shows bring calm to the animals during the coronavirus crisis¹.

The disease² has caused problems for the monkeys, too. They are hungry. The restrictions³ on tourism mean fewer people come to see the monkeys and feed them.

"We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly. And when they eat properly they will be calmer and will not be aggressive," said Barton, 59, a long-time Thailand resident⁴.

Barton has played at four sites in Lopburi, including at an ancient Hindu temple, a store and an old movie theater.

The macaques quickly surround Barton when he plays Greensleeves, Beethoven's Für Elise and Michael Nyman's Diary of Love. Some of the creatures sit on his chair, while others climb up his body and touch his head.

"A wonderful opportunity to see the wild animals just being themselves," said Barton, from Yorkshire in northern England.

But, Barton keeps his attention on his performance, even as a small monkey runs over his hands on the instrument. Other monkeys take control of his music papers.

"I was surprised to play the piano and find that they were actually eating the music as I was playing it."

But, he added, "I wasn't going to let those things distract⁵ from the project which is to play the music for these wonderful macaques."

The monkeys are Barton's latest animal fans. Past wildlife audiences included elephants living in special protected areas.

Barton hopes to raise awareness⁶ of the monkeys' hunger. At the same time, he hopes to study their behavior as they react to classical music.

"It's possible that the music can play a part of the rehabilitation⁷ process," he said.

Words in This Story

properly – adv. in a way that is acceptable⁸ or suitable

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

distract – v. to take (attention) away from someone or something

rehabilitation – n. to bring (someone or something) back to a good condition

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 resident   

a.居住的，居留的；住校的，住院的

参考例句：

• I've been resident in this place for five years. 我已经在这个地方住了五年。
• They engaged a resident tutor. 他们聘用了一名住家的家庭教师。

5 distract   

vt.分散注意力，转移注意力，使分心

参考例句：

• Don't distract my attention.不要分散我的注意力。
• It was all a ploy to distract attention from his real aims.那纯粹是障眼法,用以分散人们对他真正意图的注意力。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

8 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。