新奇事件簿 美国马戏团禁用大象

One of the largest circus companies in the USA will soon no longer have performing elephants as part of its shows. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus said it would stop using elephants by 2018. All the 43 animals it currently uses will be moved to an animal conservation centre in Florida. There, the giant creatures will live out their retirement¹. The decision came after a lot of protests from the public. One hundred years ago, people thought it was OK for animals to perform to please humans. However, the world is different today and people are more worried about the lives of the animals. The circus will continue touse other animals, such as camels, dogs, horses, lions and tigers.

美国最知名的马戏团之一宣布将不会再使用大象进行表演。林林兄弟和巴纳姆和贝利马戏团称他们将会在2018年之前停止使用大象。目前，所有表演的大象将会转移到佛罗里达的动物保护中心。这些庞然大物将会在那里退休。这一决定是因为公众提出了抗议。100年前，人们认为使用动物来取悦人类是可以实现的。但是，如今的世界不同了，人们对动物的生命更加关注。马戏团还将使用其它如骆驼、狗、马、狮子以及老虎等动物。

Circuses have been criticised for many years by animal rights activists² and the public who care about the treatment of animals. Jessica Johnson, a spokeswoman for PETA (People for the Ethical³ Treatment of Animals) explained how elephants have a bad life in circuses. She said: "Many of the elephants are painfully arthritic⁴, and many have tuberculosis⁵, so their retirement day needs to come now." Many cities and towns in the USA have banned the use of elephants for entertainment. This has made it hard for circuses to travel around the country. Owners of the circus company said the decision to stop using elephants was not easy but understood that: "There's been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers."

近些年，动物权利保护人士以及公众对马戏团进行了多方批判，公众更加关注的是人们对待动物的方式。善待动物组织发言人杰西卡·乔森向人们解释了动物在马戏团生活的艰苦状况。她说：“许多大象都有严重的关节炎，所以许多还患有肺结核，所以它们的退休时间需要提前。”许多批判家以及一些美国乡村都禁止使用大象作为娱乐工具。这使得马戏团很难在美国开展巡演。一家马戏团的负责人称这样的决定是很艰难的，但是也是可以理解的，他称：“顾客的心态有了不少的改变。”

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 arthritic   

adj.关节炎的

参考例句：

• Somehow the geriatric Voyager 2, arthritic and partially deaf, managed to reach Neptune. 得了关节炎而且局部变聋、衰老的“旅行者2号”最后总算抵达海王星。 来自百科语句
• Femoral head ostectomy is a surgery performed on severely arthritic dogs. 股骨断截骨术’都是针对关节炎严重的狗狗的手术。 来自互联网

5 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。