环球英语 — 304：Bears

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
October 2007. It was late at night in a forest in Pennsylvania, the United³ States. The camp was quiet. A fourteen year old boy was sleeping in his tent. The boy’s name was Chris Malasics. Suddenly, he heard the sound of his tent tearing. What was it? It was a large hairy⁴ animal, a bear. Its sharp white teeth were shining in the moonlight. Chris saw the bear standing⁵ up on its back legs. It was trying to tear his tent down.
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we talk about bears. We tell the reasons why bear populations are being destroyed. We look at why people are so afraid of them. And we explore ways for bears and humans to live together in peace. But first we tell more of Chris Malasics’ story.
Voice 1
Chris Malasics was not camping alone. He was with a group of boys and camp leaders. But the bear went to Chris’ tent. He was very frightened when he saw it. Then he remembered his leaders’ earlier advice. They had told him what to do in case of a bear attack. So he moved his body into the shape of a ball. And he played dead. He hoped the bear would leave him alone. But this did not happen. Chris felt a sharp pain in his leg. The bear started throwing him around.
The leaders heard the bear’s sounds. They started to make loud noises by hitting metal pans⁶ together. And one leader ran to the group’s bus. He turned the lights of the bus on and off. He kept doing this. And he kept making noises until the bear went away. The leader ran to see if Chris was all right. He took the boy to hospital. Chris only had a few minor⁷ injuries. He was happy that he had survived a bear attack. He even said he would go camping again!
Voice 2
Bear attacks cause the public to be frightened of bears. Many people believe that bears are fierce⁸ creatures waiting to hurt them. But animal experts say the truth is very different. Bears do not look for people to attack. In fact, they usually try to avoid people.
Voice 1
A bear may attack people if it believes it is in danger. Or it may attack if it wants to protect its territory⁹. Female¹⁰ bears with their young can be particularly fierce. And old or wounded¹¹ bears can be dangerous. It is harder for them to find food.
Voice 2
But people and bears mostly come into conflict¹² when bears are surprised by people. For example, a bear may meet a person while it is searching for food. This is what happened when the bear attacked Chris. Other campers have had similar experiences.
Voice 1
There are rules that can help campers avoid attacks. Experts suggest that campers put their food, food waste, cooking and cleaning materials up a tree or on a stick called a bear pole. The bear pole should be four metres high or taller. Then the camp and tents should be a safe distance from the bear pole. Often people make the mistake of taking a little food into their tent with them. The bears can smell the food. And the smell excites¹³ them.
Voice 2
Bears live in many parts of the world - in Asia, North and South America and Europe. There are many different kinds of bears. But all bear populations are greatly decreasing. For thousands of years growing human populations have taken over land where wild animals live. So bears’ natural feeding ground has greatly decreased. In much of Western Europe, bears have almost completely¹⁴ died out. In other parts of the world such as Alaska and Russia, there are large numbers of bears. However, humans living there are continuing to occupy more territory. As bears look for food, they meet more and more humans.
Voice 1
Bears often cause problems for farmers. Bears may damage crops and property¹⁵. They particularly like berries¹⁶ and roots. Sometimes they attack farm animals. So many farmers see bears as dangerous creatures that need to be killed.
Voice 2
However there are other solutions for farmers. They do not need to kill bears. They can protect their crops and animals with electric fences¹⁷. Electric fences shock bears - but they do not hurt them. Then bears quickly learn to avoid the areas where the fences are.
Voice 1
Electric fences were invented in the 1930s. In the past they were difficult to work with. But all the time they are being improved. And they have helped many farmers. However some farmers cannot pay the high cost for the fences.
Voice 2
There are other things farmers can do. They can put their animals in covered shelters¹⁸ at night. Or they can make sure that humans are there to protect the animals at all times. Bears do not usually come near farm animals if humans are nearby.
Voice 1
Other people are not afraid of bears. They see bears as a way to make money. In China, people want the dark liquid bile from one of the bear’s organs - its gallbladder. They remove the bile from the gallbladder in a process that is often painful. Many bears even die from it. The bile is used in Chinese traditional medicines. The medicines are for pain, sicknesses, and diseases¹⁹ including cancer. People will pay a lot of money for bear bile. They even call bear bile liquid gold.
Voice 2
It is illegal²⁰ to kill wild bears in China. But it is not illegal to raise bears on bear farms for their bile. Often these bears are treated very badly. And animal experts say that many bear farmers capture²² wild bears too. The bile from wild bears is more valuable.
Voice 1
Other people do not kill bears for money. They kill them for sport. In countries such as Canada, the United States and Russia, it is legal²¹ for hunters to kill bears. They say bear populations are large enough to support hunting. And governments permit²³ limited numbers of bears to be killed. But many people want bear hunting to stop completely. They do not believe hunters should be permitted²⁴ to hunt bears at all.
Voice 2
Governments have the power to stop bear farming²⁵ and hunting. They can work together to stop people from selling bear products on the international market. They can help to educate people on the value of having bears around in the years to come. But until governments get serious about protecting them, bears will continue to be in danger.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

4 hairy   

adj.多毛的，毛状的，长毛的

参考例句：

• The bear's chest is hairy.那只熊的胸部毛茸茸的。
• I can see a hairy monster.我能看见一个多毛妖怪。

5 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。

6 pans   

n.平底锅( pan的名词复数 )；（天平的）秤盘；马桶；盘状凹地（尤指盆地）

参考例句：

• Pots, pans, kettles and mops are kitchen utensils. 锅、盘、壶及拖把是厨房用具。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She clashed these pans down on the floor. 她将这些盘子哗啦一声摔在地上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 fierce   

adj.凶猛的，残忍的；狂热的，强烈的

参考例句：

• The soldiers got ready for a fierce battle.战士们准备进行一场恶战。
• What he said met with fierce opposition.他的话语遭到激烈反对。

9 territory   

n.领土，领地，版图，地区，活动范围

参考例句：

• Resources in plenty can be found in this territory.这一地区能找到大量自然资源。
• Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。

10 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

11 wounded   

adj.受伤的；n.伤员

参考例句：

• The wounded man let out a cry of pain.伤员发出一阵痛苦的叫喊声。
• She attended on the wounded soldier day and night.她日夜护理着负伤的战士。

12 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

13 excites   

v.使兴奋( excite的第三人称单数 )；激发；刺激；使紧张不安

参考例句：

• Strong coffee excites your nerves. 浓咖啡使你神经兴奋。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Strong coffee excites your nerve. 浓咖啡使神经兴奋。 来自辞典例句

14 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

15 property   

n.财产，所有物，所有权，性质，特性，（小）道具

参考例句：

• He has made over his property to a hospital.他已将财产转交给了一家医院。
• Oil has the property of floating on water.油有浮在水上的特性。

16 berries   

n.浆果( berry的名词复数 )；（葡萄，番茄等）浆果；干果仁；干种子

参考例句：

• Birds feed on nuts and berries in the winter. 鸟类靠坚果和浆果过冬。
• We went here and there looking for berries. 我们四处寻找浆果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 fences   

n.栅栏( fence的名词复数 )；（障碍赛马中的）障碍物；买卖赃物者；击剑（术）v.围以栅栏( fence的第三人称单数 )；搪塞；支吾；回避

参考例句：

• It's a pity we didn't mend our fences with the colonel. 可惜我们还没有和上校先生调整好关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He fences well, as she had noticed before. 正如她以前观察到的一样，他善于周旋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 shelters   

n.居所( shelter的名词复数 )；避难所；（无家可归者或受虐待者的）收容所；遮蔽

参考例句：

• During the blitz we spent the night in underground shelters. 空袭期间，我们在防空洞过夜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall shelters the garden from the north wind. 围墙给园子挡住了北风。 来自辞典例句

19 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

20 illegal   

adj.不合法的，非法的，犯法的

参考例句：

• I don't want to get mixed up with any illegal organization.我不想与任何非法组织有牵连。
• It's illegal for people under 17 to drive a car in Britain.在英国，不满17岁的人驾驶车辆是违法的。

21 legal   

adj.法律的，依照法律的，合法的，法定的，正当的

参考例句：

• He is my legal adviser.他是我的法律顾问。
• This is partly a political and partly a legal question.这个问题部分是政治问题，部分是法律问题。

22 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

23 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

24 permitted   

允许( permit的过去式和过去分词 )； 许可； 许用

参考例句：

• Radios are not permitted in the library. 图书馆内不许使用收音机。
• Entrance is permitted only on production of a ticket. 出示门票才可进入。

25 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。