Tippi: The Little Girl Who Talks to Animals

Tippi: The Little Girl Who Talks to Animals

Tippi in Africa

Tippi: I know all about nature. I know the tracks; I always know where I’m going, and I never get lost, never ever. It’s my power, it’s from the magic. Since I hardly ever see any children, my friends are the animals.

We mustn’t kill animals; if we kill them there will never be any more and that would be really sad. I don’t kill animals; I’m a child; I don’t have any weapons; I don’t have anything—I’m just a child in the 1)jungle. Those three 2)giraffes are under my 3)spell: one of them looked at me, then the other two looked at me, they’re already my friends. But lions they can’t look at me, never ever, they just want to eat me.

Father: Yeah sure, Tippi. What’s your magic, Tippi?

Tippi: It’s all the power to be friends with the animals so even snakes and lions can’t hurt you. The magic is to think about the God of Love who protects the animals, so they are not sad and can’t die, it’s the power to protect everything, the sun, the sea, and all the life that exist in the world even the universe. My god protects them all.

Mother: Look at the 4)herd¹, Tippi.

Tippi: The 5)zebras are kissing, it’s wonderful! All the animals are wonderful!

Mother: Look at the birds over there. There are thousands of them, Tippi.

Tippi: You know birds can fly very far away to the edge of the world.

Tippi in Australia

Debra and several of her friends are working toward helping² the 6)koala population of Australia through a series of 7)constructive³ and 8)innovative⁴ programmes.

Koala is the 9)aboriginal⁵ term that means “doesn’t drink.” What is interesting about koalas is that almost their entire 10)intake⁶ of water comes from the 11)eucalyptus⁷ leaves that it eats. When the forests are destroyed, this 12)eliminates both the koala’s primary food source and home. While the koala is protected, the forests are not.

Debra: In this forest all the trees have got different animals, koala, 13)possums, 14)sugar gliders⁹, flying foxes—practically everything that you think of in the Australian bush is in this national park, so we just have to remember that this tree is very important to it, and to human beings as well. We have to keep the trees to make the air healthy.

Over millions of years, the koalas adapted to living high up in the eucalyptus branches where they are safe from their natural 15)predator¹⁰.

Today Tippi gets the chance to release this young koala they’ve named Vicky. It is an emotional experience: many of the staff have come to know and love this 16)cuddly¹¹ little creature as it fought its way back to health. Saying goodbye is never easy.

Tippi: Good luck, be careful with the dogs and the cars. Be happy, Vicky.

When you get close to the koalas in the trees, they climb even higher on the  17)elastic¹² branches. If there is a lot of wind they hold on very tight like if they were in the middle of a storm. When they move their head they seem to give up but they don’t let go; they fight against the wind which makes them look funny. It’s very soft, I’d like to take you with me but I know I can’t.

Debra’s dream is that humans and koalas can live in harmony. I think that she will succeed, she has such a passion for her work.

Debra: Well, Tippi, we’ve made a pretty good team, haven’t we? It’s been lovely to have you in the bush with me and I’ll look forward to you coming back.

Tippi: I hope we see each other again.

Debra: I hope so too, Tippi; I’m sure we will and do you love koalas as much as I do?

Tippi: Yeah, for me the vision of koalas is innocence¹³. I wish that people will stop cutting the trees down.

Debra: So do I, Tippi. With you and all the children that you’re going to teach to love the koalas, I think maybe we won’t be so stupid in the future, so we’ll look forward to saving the koala together, hey?

Tippi: Yeah.

Debra: Let’s have a look at this beautiful sunset.

注释：
1) jungle [5dVQN^l] n. 丛林
2) giraffe [dVi5rB:f] n. 长颈鹿
3) spell [spel] n. 符咒，魅力
4) herd [hE:d] n. 兽群，牧群
5) zebra [5zebrE] n. 斑马
6) koala [kEu5B:lE] n. 树袋熊（音译名为“考拉”）
7) constructive [kEn5strQktiv] a. 建设性的
8) innovative [5inEuveitiv] a. 创新的，革新的
9) aboriginal [7AbE5ridVEnEl] a. 土著的，原来的
10) intake [5inteik] n. 引入的量
11) eucalyptus [7ju:kE5liptEs] n. [植]桉树
12) eliminate [i5limineit] v. 排除，消除
13) possum [5pCsEm] n. [动]袋貂
14) sugar glider⁸ 短头鼠鼯
15) predator [5predEtE] n. 掠夺者，食肉动物
16) cuddly [5kQdli] a. 令人想拥抱的，喜爱抚摸的
17) elastic [i5lAstik] a. 弹性的

爱和动物谈心的蒂皮

蒂皮在非洲

蒂皮：我熟悉大自然的一切，我认识动物的足迹，我总能辨明方向，而且从没迷过路。我有这种能力，它来自于魔法。我一直就没怎么看到过小孩子，因此我的朋友都是动物。

我们决不能杀害动物，要不然这个世界上就不再有动物了，这将是令人痛惜的。我不杀动物，我是个小孩子，我没有任何武器，我一无所有——我只是一个丛林中的小孩。那三只长颈鹿也中了我的魔咒了：其中一只向我望过来，其它两只也看过来了，它们已经是我的朋友啦。但是狮子不会看着我的，决不会，它们只想吃了我。

爸爸: 是的，那当然了，蒂皮。你说的魔法是什么呢，蒂皮？

蒂皮：这是一种神奇的力量，让你和动物成为朋友，甚至蛇和狮子都不能伤害到你。这种魔力就是想一想保护动物免受伤害和死亡的爱神，这种魔力可以保护世间万物，太阳，大海，世上甚至是宇宙里存在的一切生物。我的神庇佑它们。

妈妈：蒂皮，看那些野兽。

蒂皮：斑马在亲嘴哩，太美妙了。所有的动物都妙不可言。

妈妈: 蒂皮，看那边的鸟儿，有成千上万只呢！

蒂皮: 鸟儿可以尽情翱翔，它们可以飞到天边。

蒂皮在澳洲

黛布拉和她的几个朋友正努力通过一系列具建设性与创造性的计划帮助增加澳大利亚的考拉数量。
“考拉”在当地土著的语言里是指“不喝，不饮”。考拉有趣的地方是，其身体摄取的所有水分几乎全部来自它们食用的桉树叶。当森林被砍伐，考拉的主要食物来源和栖身之所都被摧毁。如今，虽然考拉受到保护，但森林却没有。

黛布拉: 在这片森林里，所有的树木都是不同种类动物的栖身之地，像考拉，袋貂，短头鼠鼯，狐蝠——几乎所有你能想到的澳洲丛林里的动物在这个国家公园里都有。我们必须记住这种树对考拉很重要，对人类也很重要。我们必须保护树木来使得空气清新健康。

很久很久以来，考拉习惯了高高地在桉树枝上生活，这样它们可以免受天敌的捕食。
今天蒂皮有机会将这只他们起名为维基的考拉放回大自然。这是一次感人的经历：这只小考拉在工作人员的料理下终于恢复了健康，康复过程中许多工作人员慢慢了解并喜爱上了这个可爱的小生命。就要说再见了，大家都依依不舍。

蒂皮：祝你好运，小心狗和汽车，开心点，维基。

当你在树丛中慢慢靠近考拉的时候，它们会爬上更高的柔韧的树枝。当大风来的时候，它们会紧紧地抓住树枝，仿佛它们正经受暴风雨的洗礼。当它们晃动脑袋的时候，看起来好像是要放弃了，但它们决不会松手。它们与大风作战的样子看起来很滑稽。考拉的身体很柔软。我想带你（考拉）一起走，但我知道我不能这么做。
黛布拉的梦想就是人类和考拉能够和睦相处。我相信她会成功的，她对自己的工作充满热情。

黛布拉：嗯，蒂皮，我们已经组建了一支相当出色的团队，不是吗？有你和我在这丛林里一起工作太好了。我期盼你下次再来。

蒂皮：我希望与你再见面。

黛布拉：我也是，蒂皮。我相信我们会再见的。你是不是和我一样喜爱考拉呢？

蒂皮: 是的。对我来说，考拉意味着纯洁天真。我希望人们不要再砍伐树木。

黛布拉: 我也是，蒂皮。有了你喜欢考拉，将来再通过你告诉孩子们要爱护考拉，我相信以后人们不会做出像现在这么愚蠢的事了。让我们期待人们同心协力地拯救考拉，好吗？

蒂皮：好的。

黛布拉：让我们一起看看这美丽的落日吧。

 

1 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。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。

6 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

7 eucalyptus   

n.桉树，桉属植物

参考例句：

• Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains.桉树油可以很好地缓解肌肉的疼痛。
• The birds rustled in the eucalyptus trees.鸟在桉树弄出沙沙的响声。

8 glider   

n.滑翔机；滑翔导弹

参考例句：

• The glider was soaring above the valley.那架滑翔机在山谷上空滑翔。
• The pilot managed to land the glider on a safe place.那个驾驶员设法让滑翔机着陆到一个安全的地方。

9 gliders   

n.滑翔机( glider的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The albatross is the king of gliders. 信天翁是滑翔鸟类之王。 来自《用法词典》
• For three summers, may bested and improved their gliders. 他们花了三个夏天不断地测试、改进。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

10 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

11 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

12 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

13 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。