VOA标准英语2009-'Elephant Odyssey' Links Modern Animals to A

Visitors to the California city of San Diego can enter a world of elephants, jaguars², camels and other modern animals whose distant cousins lived in North America. The San Diego Zoo's "Elephant Odyssey³" is a new exhibit that shows the links between ancient and modern wildlife.
　
An elephant at the San Diego Zoo

Zoo visitors get a close-up look at modern animals in their natural setting, complete with a 520,000 liter pool and waterfall.

A herd⁴ of seven elephants impresses visitors, but there are 30 species here, from lions to South American rodents⁵ called capybaras, which are found along river banks. They live here much as they would in the wild.

Rick Schwartz, called the ambassador for Elephant Odyssey, says the $45 million exhibit adds another dimension to the usual zoo displays, the element of time.

"You know, we are really well known for our bio-climatic zone. You go into an area and you are really immersed in their environment, other animals, birds, and the plant life too. Elephant Odyssey takes it one step further. We transverse through time, and we open up the dialogue of what used to live right here in Southern California 12,000 years ago," he said.

He says modern animals are seen alongside statues of their ancient relatives. "We used to have the Columbian mammoth⁶, which is a direct relative of the Asian elephant; saber tooth cat, we have represented by the jaguar¹; American lion, which was much larger than any lion species we have today, is represented by our African lion. There were also ground sloths⁸, the size of bears. We now have a three-toed sloth⁷ here representing that species. The list goes on and on," he said.

A replica⁹ tar¹⁰ pit filled with animal bones shows how scientists learn about the region's past. "These fossil digs are mock fossils of what has been found right here in San Diego and (the city of) Hemet, Los Angeles, and throughout Southern California and the Southwest," he said.

Architect Steve Fobes designed the three-hectare exhibit, which offers a side-by-side view of modern and ancient species from the last Ice Age in the late Pleistocene period. "In this area in particular, where we are standing¹¹, Mammoth Passage is an opportunity for the public to see the elephants close up and in close proximity¹² to the statuary that we have made of the Columbia Mammoth that was here back in the Pleistocene, so they can compare the size of the two animals. You see the sculptures with the live animals right behind them," he said.

Visitors can get close to the animals, and see them interact with their keepers.

Zoo officials say this exhibit teaches the importance of conservation. Schwartz notes that an ancient bird, the California condor¹³, has survived to the present day. It was at risk of extinction¹⁴ in the 1980s but was saved, in part by efforts of the San Diego Zoo. Living California condors¹⁵ are part of this exhibit. "We would like to talk about conservation - where are these species headed? Are they going to go the way of their ancestors, or are we doing something about it?," he said.

The zoo is collaborating¹⁶ with the organization Elephants Without Borders, based in Botswana, to preserve elephant habitats throughout Africa.

1 jaguar   

n.美洲虎

参考例句：

• He was green with envy when he saw my new Jaguar car.看见我那辆美洲虎牌新车，他非常妒忌。
• Should you meet a jaguar in the jungle,just turn slowly,walk away.But slowly,never look back.你在丛林中若碰上美洲虎，就慢慢转身走开，可一定要慢，切莫回头看。

2 jaguars   

n.（中、南美洲的）美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jaguars are largely nocturnal creatures. 美洲虎基本上是夜行动物。 来自辞典例句
• Jaguars (Panthera onca) once ranged from southern South America to theUnited States. 美洲虎曾经分布在北美洲南部和美洲南部。 来自互联网

3 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

6 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

7 sloth   

n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散

参考例句：

• Absence of competition makes for sloth.没有竞争会导致懒惰。
• The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.大部分时间里树懒都是倒挂在树枝上。

8 sloths   

懒散( sloth的名词复数 )； 懒惰； 树獭； （经济）停滞。

参考例句：

• Mummies of pleistocene ground sloths, with original skin, hair, tendons and claws have been found. 还发现了保存原有皮肤，毛发，腱和爪的更新世时期地面树懒的木乃伊。
• He was inspired by fossils of armadillos and sloths. 犰狳和树懒化石让他获得了灵感。

9 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

10 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

13 condor   

n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币

参考例句：

• The condor soars above the mountain heights.禿鹰翱翔于高山之上。
• A condor prepares to fly in Colombia.一只兀鹰在哥伦比亚准备振翅高飞。

14 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

15 condors   

n.神鹰( condor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What would our condors feed on if no one was in danger? 你不发生危险，那我们秃鹰吃啥呢？ 来自互联网
• Yo mama so fat she has been declared a natural habitat for Condors. Yomama是如此之肥，她被定为秃鹰的自然栖息地。 来自互联网

16 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。