VOA标准英语2015--动物园动物展出自己的艺术作品

 

Zoo Animals Show Their Artistic¹ Sides 动物园动物展出自己的艺术作品

The pursuit of happiness is so important, America's founding fathers put it in the Declaration of Independence. Any zookeeper will tell you animals need enrichment, just like humans do.

So painting and music are part of the Smithsonian National Zoo's program to keep the animals happy.

Francois, a sloth² bear, began his artistic career two years ago. He has a unique way to paint, using his breath. His keeper, Stacey Tabellario, said that although it might look odd, it's actually a very natural behavior.

Sloth bears "have got big, big lungs, and they can suck things up and then in the same breath they can exhale³ a huge amount of air," she said. "So we took this natural behavior of the exhale. We stuff up one of those tubes full of paint and ask them to exhale through it.  And that expels all of the paint onto the canvas, making these really cool paintings.”

Animal artists come in all shapes and sizes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. They use a variety of techniques to create masterpieces with nontoxic, water-based paint.  Many use their paws or claws. Apes will use paintbrushes.

But like humans, not every animal wants to paint, said small-mammals keeper Kenton Kerns.

"Painting is absolutely a choice," he said. "So if it is very clear to us if an animal does not want to do a painting session ... we will stop right away.  We will choose other animal(s) and give them an opportunity to do it.”

Tabellario said 24-year-old Francois seems to enjoy expressing his inner artist.

“When I set up the materials for painting activity, he comes and sits next to them and waits until we are ready to start painting," she said. "I also see where his eyes go, that he does see the paints come out of the tube and land on the canvas. ”

Music is also part of the arts enrichment program. Tabellario, who is the zoo's Enrichment and Training Committee chair, says physically⁴ and mentally stimulating⁵ activities are an integral part of the daily care. Trainiers have a lot of tools — everything from tablet computers to toys in the enclosures.

The program offers other benefits as well, Kerns said.

“Every interaction between keeper staff and their animals creates some sort of bond," he said. "And hopefully, especially enrichment sessions like this create a stronger bond.”

The one-of-a-kind works of art created by the animals are popular with zoo visitors and are sold at the zoo’s fundraising events.

1 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

2 sloth   

n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散

参考例句：

• Absence of competition makes for sloth.没有竞争会导致懒惰。
• The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.大部分时间里树懒都是倒挂在树枝上。

3 exhale   

v.呼气，散出，吐出，蒸发

参考例句：

• Sweet odours exhale from flowers.花儿散发出花香。
• Wade exhaled a cloud of smoke and coughed.韦德吐出一口烟，然后咳嗽起来。

4 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

5 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。