2分钟英语课堂：濒临灭绝的动物 Endangered Animals
濒临的西伯利亚老虎
Jack: Amelie, is the tiger skin in your house real?
杰克：艾米，你们家的虎皮是真的吗
Amelie: Yeah, that’s real. My granny says it’s the skin of a Siberian tiger.
艾米：恩，是的，我奶奶说这是西伯利亚虎的虎皮
Jack: Oh! The Siberian tigers are the largest living felids! Unfortunately there are only a few hundred alive now.
杰里：哦，西伯利亚虎是最大的动物，很不幸，现在存活的只有几百头了
Amelie: I know. My great-grandfather was a hunter and he hunted it. I really wish he hadn’t.
艾米：我知道，我的曾祖父是个猎手，这是他猎得的。我真的希望他没有捕猎
Jack: Well, it’s not your fault. I’m sure you don’t like to hurt animals.
杰克：好吧，这不是你的错。我相信你不喜欢捕猎动物
Amelie: No Jack, I don’t. I love animals. I’m an animal rights activist in fact.
艾米：不，我不会。我喜欢动物。实际上是动物保护活动分子
Jack: Why do you still keep that skin in your house?
杰克：为什么你们家还有这张虎皮
Amelie : I can’t help it. My parents think it’s a souvenir from their ancestor.
艾米：我无能为力。我的父母说这是祖先留下的纪念物
Rhinos!
犀牛
Amelie: I’ve never seen a real rhino. They look like dinosaurs, right?
艾米：我从没见过一头真正的犀牛。它们是不是看起来像恐龙
Jack: No Amelie! Rhinos are mammals, dinosaurs were reptiles. Rhinos look like Rhinos.
杰克：不是的，艾米。犀牛是哺乳动物，恐龙是两栖动物。犀牛就是犀牛
Amelie: Oh, I am sorry. I haven’t seen a dinosaur either.
艾米：抱歉。我也没见过恐龙
Jack: That’s because dinosaurs are extinct.
杰克：那是因为恐龙已经灭绝了
Amelie: But we still have Rhinos around, don’t we?
艾米：但是我们还有犀牛呢，不是吗
Jack: Yes, but very few. If it continues like that, they will become extinct too.
杰克：是的，但是很少了。如果继续这样下去的的话，它们也会灭绝的
Amelie: What’s happening to them?
艾米：它们怎么了
Jack: People are cutting down the jungles, and hunting them for their horns. It’s a shame.
杰克：人们砍伐雨林，捕捉犀牛获得牛角，噢，真糟糕
Amelie : (sigh) It’s terrible. When will human beings learn to be human?
艾米：哎，糟糕。什么时候人类才能正常点呢
The Largest Mammal.
最大的动物
Nina: The blue whale is the largest creature on Earth.
妮娜：蓝鲸是世界上最大的哺乳动物
Vincent: A blue whale is an incredibly large mammal! Its tongue is as heavy as an elephant!
文森特：一条蓝鲸大的不可思议。它的舌头和一头大象一样重
Nina: Wow! My granny used to say that we could even live inside its stomach.
妮娜：哇，我的奶奶经常说我们可以在它的胃里生活
Vincent: Not really, Nina. That happens only in tales.
文森特：不一定，妮娜。那只是发生在童话故事里
Nina: Maybe. Well, I’ve heard that blue whales are dying.
妮娜：或许吧。我听说蓝鲸已经濒临灭绝了
Vincent : Actually they are being murdered.
文森特：实际上它们一直被捕杀
Nina : Murdered? By whom?
妮娜“捕杀?谁捕杀的
Vincent : By greedy and cruel people who hunt them for their meat.
文森特：贪婪和残忍的人类为了吃它们的肉捕杀它们
Nina : That’s awful.
妮娜：太残忍了
What Can I Do?
我能做点什么
Nina: I’ve been thinking, Amelie.
妮娜：我一直在想，艾米
Amelie : About what Nina?
艾米：想什么
Nina : How can I help stop animal cruelty?
妮娜：我们应该如何停止对动物的暴行
Amelie : Well, we are not the government, but there are some things we can do to make a difference.
艾米：恩，我们又不是政府，但是我们依旧可以做点什么
Nina : Like?
妮娜：比如?
Amelie : I don’t wear leather jackets or shoes. Nor do I wear fur. I use synthetic alternatives.
艾米：我从不穿皮夹克或皮革的鞋子。我也不穿皮草。用人工合成的皮草代替
Nina : That’s a great idea! I will do that too. Is there anything else?
妮娜：好主意，我也会那样做，还有别的吗
Amelie : Well, I talk to my friends and the people I know about these issues. Just helping to spread the awareness.
艾米：恩，我和我的朋友和我认识的人都说这些问题。这样有助于扩大保护动物的意识
Nina : I know. You made me aware of the way we treat animals.
妮娜：我知道。你也用这种办法让我理解了保护动物
Amelie : If you can minimize your own impact on the lives of the animals, and also ask your friends to do it, you’ll be making a great difference, Nina.
艾米：如果你可以减少我们的生活对动物的影响，同时要求你的朋友也这样做，那么你将会作出很大的改变，妮娜
Nina : Thanks, Amelie. I will remember that.
妮娜：谢谢你，艾米，我会记住的
