新西兰小狗学开车 8周掌握驾驶技能

 　　For the four-legged competitors, two months of hard work-and a fair few treats-ensured they were raring to get on the racetrack.So when the big day rolled around, the only ones likely to get hot under the collar were any bystanders who spotted¹ a Mini hurtling towards them with a dog at the wheel.

　　对于四条腿的赛车手，两个月的刻苦训练加上一点小奖励就能保证他们站起来昂首踏上赛道了。当比赛当日降临时，唯一可能变得激动起来的就是那些旁观着它们驾驶Mini在赛道上疾驰的人们了。

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　　Two mutts made history yesterday by driving a car down a racetrack. Ten-month-old Porter put his paws to the pedals first, steering³ the Mini down the straight and then turning a corner.

　　两只狗狗昨天创造了历史：成功在赛道上奔驰。十个月的波特先是把爪子放在油门上，把Mini开出了一道直线，然后来了个漂亮的转弯。

　　He was followed by Monty, an 18-month-old giant schnauzer cross, who completed the same feat⁴.As the Mail reported last week, the pair-along with one-year-old beardie-had been taking driving lessons, which began with them learning to steer² a wooden cart pulled along on a string by their trainers.

　　在它后面完成了同样动作的是蒙蒂，一只18个月的巨型雪纳瑞杂交犬，。正如邮报上周报道的，这一对加上一只一岁的小狗一起上了驾驶课，它们最初的课程是学习驾驶一辆由训练员拉着的木制小车。

　　In just eight weeks, they progressed to driving a real car-a modified Mini in which they sat on their haunches in the driver’s seat.Their front paws were on the steering wheel, while their back paws were on levers attached to the accelerator and the brake.

　　仅仅八周之后，它们就能驾驶真车了。狗狗们的座驾是一辆改良后的Mini，它们可以挺直腰板坐在驾驶位上，前爪搭在方向盘上，后爪则放在连着油门和刹车的控制杆上。

　　After successfully manoeuvring the car around a lab, the leading two were challenged to a racetrack test-drive which was broadcast live online.They were strapped⁵ in with seatbelts and then followed commands from their trainers, who walked in front of the car.

　　成功地在实验室开了一圈之后，表现较好的两只狗狗可以挑战一次赛道的试驾了，这次试驾还在网络直播。它们被系上安全带，然后听从着走动在赛车前面的训练员的口令。

　　The dogs were all rescued by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Auckland, New Zealand. The charity came up with the idea to train them to drive to prove how intelligent they were.

　　这些狗狗都是由奥克兰（新西兰港市）的动物保护协会所救出来的。这个协会试图通过训练狗狗学会驾驶来证明它们是很聪明的。

　　Animal trainer Mark Vette, who schooled the dogs, said: ‘They are great dogs, each with their own distinct personality.You wouldn’t believe any dog could learn to drive a car on its own but we’ve proven through our understanding of animal psychology⁶ and our specialised training methods that intelligent creatures can adapt to the situation they’re in.

　　训练狗狗们的马克·维特说：“它们都非常棒，每只狗狗都很有自己的个性。你可能不会相信狗狗能自己学会开车，但是通过对动物心理的了解以及特殊的训练方法，我们证明了聪明的动物是能够适应它们所处的环境的。”

　　'It really is remarkable⁷ and we are so proud of the achievements of our dedicated⁸ training team and the incredible SPCA driving dogs.’Before the racetrack challenge, he explained that they treated the training like a ‘film shoot’, in reference to his work in the movies.

　　“这项成就确实是很了不起的，我们也为敬业的训练团队和这些狗狗感到骄傲。”当赛道挑战来临之前，他说基于他在电影中的工作，大家都把这项训练当做“拍电影”一样。

　　He added: ‘We train the dogs to do different actions, touch is the first thing and then we teach them to touch the different objects with the right paw and left paw. They’ve all come through at this point and they’re all going really well.’

　　他又补充道：“我们训练狗狗做出不同的反应，首先是抚触，然后我们教它们用右爪和左爪触摸不同的物体。它们都适应的非常好，进步也很快。”

　　The charity behind the stunt⁹ now hopes that the public will be so impressed that they will be keen to adopt rescue dogs.

　　协会希望人们在看到狗狗如此的“绝技”之后能够深受感触，从而去收养被协会救出来的狗狗。

　　SPCA Auckland chief executive Christine Kalin said: ‘I think sometimes people think because they’re getting an animal that’s been abandoned that somehow it’s a second-class animal.

　　奥克兰动物保护协会主席克里斯汀·卡林说，“有时候人们认为他们收养的被人遗弃的狗就是二等动物了。”

　　'The dogs have achieved amazing things in eight short weeks of training, which really shows with the right environment just how much potential all dogs from the SPCA have as family pets.’

　　“在短短八周的训练中，狗狗们能有如此惊人的成就，这就说明只要有合适的环境，动物保护协会救下的狗狗和家养宠物一样有潜力。”

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

3 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

4 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

5 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。