VOA标准英语 Cambodian Spiders Under Threat

Giant spiders might not look appetizing, but in Cambodia they are considered a delicacy¹. First eaten by starving refugees during the Khmer Rouge² era in the late 1970s, they are now a popular snack in Cambodia. They are so popular their numbers are now in decline.
　
A live spider in Skun, Cambodia, 14 Mar³ 2009

People travel from all over Cambodia to the town of Skun, north of the capital Phnom Penh, to eat giant spiders.

Black, hairy and about the size of your palm, they build their nests in the forests around the small town. Every day thousands are sold in the town's big spider market.

Fried in garlic and herbs, the spiders are piled high on wooden trays and sold to passing motorists.

Giant spiders are an important source of income for this poor farming community. In an area where most people earn about $1 a day, each spider costs about 50 cents. But despite their high cost, many Cambodians are reluctant to give up their favorite treat.

Spider catcher Youk Sambath says that nothing tastes as good as spider meat.

He says it is so delicious - it tastes a lot like fish, but also crunchy like a crab⁴.

As well as being eaten, spiders are marinated in rice wine, which is sold as a healthy tonic⁵.

Local farmer Yeam Soun says spider wine is good for your health:

He says when he drinks spider wine it makes his muscles feel better and his blood run well, and besides that, he says, he just loves the taste.

Local historian Tek Nem says the taste for spiders began during the Pol Pot regime when they were eaten by starving refugees:

He says that at that time there was little to eat and people survived on two cups of watery⁶ soup a day. So, he says, they began to eat things like geckos, scorpions⁷ and giant spiders and that is when they discovered how good they taste.

Spiders have become so popular in Cambodia that some fear that they could be hunted to extinction⁸. Although exact figures on the spider population are unclear, local sellers confirm their numbers are in sharp decline.

Spider seller Ni Chanmom blames farmers for destroying the spider's nests:

She says that there were a lot of spiders until farmers began to cut and burn the forest where the spiders build their nests. She says that when that happened the spiders ran away and nobody knows where they went.

With over-hunting and slash⁹ and burn agriculture continuing to accelerate, there are concerns that Cambodia's giant spiders could be wiped out altogether.

Without urgent measures to protect them, Cambodia's favorite treat could become a thing of the past.

1 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

2 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

3 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

4 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

5 tonic   

n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的

参考例句：

• It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
• Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。

6 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

7 scorpions   

n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You promise me that Black Scorpions will never come back to Lanzhou. 你保证黑蝎子永远不再踏上兰州的土地。 来自电影对白
• You Scorpions are rather secretive about your likes and dislikes. 天蝎：蝎子是如此的神秘，你的喜好很难被别人洞悉。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。