万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-07-25&07-26, 禁止喂鸟（在线收听） |
| As tourist attractions go, San Francisco's wild parrots can be frustratingly unpredictable, the 200 birds can often be seen swooping near Telegraph Hill, but there is only one place where they show up like clockwork . At 5:30 every afternoon they return to a small park surrounded by high-rises where for the past couple of years, outstretched hands have offered sunflower seeds. ( Awesome) Here in the midst of the urban jungle , two species mingle and share , exchange for a little food, the parrots bring a lot of happiness. "I was having a bad day, and I wanted to talk to the parrots." "So this is, this is therapy, isn't it?" "Yeah it's kinda nice." There is no doubt the parrots are loved, but it's feeding them, loving them too much, robbing them of the ability to survive on their own. One bird-lover especially disturbed is Mark Biddner . His book and documentary film The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill, made the birds famous in the first place. While he once fed the birds, he says now the flock is thriving and should not depend on humans. "My whole thing is to keep them wild, not to make them into like a circus actor." Biddner's worries reached City Hall ,so starting today parrot feeding in San Francisco is banned. We visited it when feeding was still legal and found plenty of ruffled feathers. "I think law enforcement has better things to do with their time than to be policing a bunch of people trying to feed some birds" When the new law takes effect. This could mean a misdemeanor charge and a-hundred-dollar fine, so if the cops show up, it could be the bird-feeders, who, take flights. The city it seems is determined to bite the hands that feed the parrots. John Blackstone, CBS News, San Francisco. --------------------------------------------- like clockwork: With machinelike regularity and precision; perfectly. misdemeanor: <美>(=misdemeanour)[律]轻罪, 与 felony 相对。 |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/wanhuatong/2007/42050.html |