国外媒体:四川熊猫宝贝们的新生活

A Visit to Quake-Survivor Giant Pandas in Chengdu Giant Panda Base

Black and white, pudgy and cute, China's national treasure, the giant panda, is popular around the world. But during last year's May 12 earthquake, two giant pandas died, and the Wolong Nature Reserve, the home for Giant Pandas suffered severe damage. How are the pandas faring a year after the disaster? Yunfeng tells the story of Chengdu's Giant Panda Breeding Centre where a few pandas from Wolong that survived the quake settled.

Thousands of people visit the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base each day to see its lush vegetation, bamboo groves¹, and most of all, the giant pandas.
A Korean tourist, with the Chinese name Quan Rongren, says it is the first time for him to see giang pandas.

"I like giant pandas very much. They are very cute, clumsy and naughty."

Micah Smith from the United States came with his classmates from Sichuan University.

"With other students from Sichuan University, we went to places where the earthquake struck, and we handed out stuff to some of the school students. We came here to check out the pandas. (They seem) pretty nice. I wish they were more awake, because many of them are sleeping. The baby pandas seem very active. They are playing with each other."

Four pandas at the Chengdu Panda Base were transferred from the Wolong Nature Reserve after the earthquake. Wolong was only 11 kilometers from the epicenter and suffered severe damage. It was once home to 63 giant pandas. After the quake, the body of one giant panda was found, while another still remains² missing. All giant pandas from Wolong have been transferred to reserves in other provinces.

Zhang Hemin(张和民), director of the Wolong Nature Reserve, tries to hold back tears when he recalls the scary experience a year ago.

"The earth was shaking, and the giant pandas were too scared to move. They just huddled³ together. Their psychological injury was immense."

Zhang is known as the "father of giant pandas" in China. Since 1983, he has dedicated⁴ his time and talent to researching the breeding and protection of giant pandas. He says he considers pandas to be family members.

Zhang has spent most of his time with the pandas, studying them and playing with them and has developed a deep affection for them. He says it was painful to see pandas pinned under rolling rocks, to see them trying to flee to safety and to meet their frightened eyes.

Zhang says it usually takes two weeks for giant pandas to get used to a new environment. But to attend to their psychological needs, he and his co-workers have been using 'Ai Xin Wei Yang' or 'Caring Breeding' techniques since the earthquake.

And Zhang has this to say,

"We caress⁵ them more and talk to them more, and whenever we want to communicate with them, we bend down to avoid talking to them from a higher position. Now, we are glad to see that these giant pandas have almost recovered their old spirits."

Tan Wen, who has nearly 10 years of experience in raising pandas, was designated the caretaker of the four newcomers from Wolong. He has treated the four quake-survivor pandas with extreme care and comes to the base very frequently to check on them.

"I think what's most important for a panda caretaker is the sense of responsibility. To really get along with them, there is no recipe other than to let them know that you really care about them. When they got the message and started to behave, I felt so rewarded. If they get sick, I will find the vet⁶ who is available 24 hours. But I myself still can't help worrying about them."

Zhang Hemin says he hopes the giant pandas at Chengdu can move back into their new home near Wolong soon.

"You know, Wolong is a nature reserve, and those pandas were used to living in nature, not in parks or breeding centers, so it must be a little bit uncomfortable for them. I hope they will move into their new home as soon as possible."The new Giant Panda Nature Reserve will be built in Gengda Village, 10 kilometers from the former Wolong Nature Reserve. Experts spent months selecting Gengda village, which they believe provides the best geographic⁷ conditions, resources and safety conditions for the pandas.

The construction of the Gengda reserve will start in July. It is estimated that the project will cost more than 1.4 billion yuan, or some 200 million U.S. dollars. Donations from different countries, non-governmental organizations, international companies and the Hong Kong government are providing most of the funds for the project.

Here is Zhang Hemin again.

"The support from the Hong Kong government encourages us. And we are so thankful to people who have always cared about China's giant pandas. We'll live up to their expectations to rebuild a new cozy⁸ home for the giant pandas in the shortest time possible."

Zhang also says the recovery and reconstruction⁹ project is a systematic¹⁰ project that includes assessments¹¹ and mitigations of geological hazards caused by the earthquake as well as the recovery of local vegetation.

Pandas usually mate in March and April. At that time, they climb from the bottom of mountains to the peaks to nourish themselves with fresh bamboo shoots before they deliver their cubs¹² in August or September.

To ensure the giant pandas have an uninterrupted "green zone," Zhang and his fellow workers are relocating more than 870 households situated¹³ on the mountain in Gengda Village.

Of all the myths about giant pandas, one of the most beautiful ones goes like this: Four young shepherdesses were killed while trying to rescue a panda from a leopard¹⁴. When the other pandas heard what had happened, they decided¹⁵ to hold a funeral to honor the girls' sacrifice.

At that time, the giant pandas were pure white. To honor the deceased girls, the pandas wore black armbands at their funeral. They were so sad that they began to cry. As their tears rolled down their faces, the dye from the black armbands began to run and mingle¹⁶ with their tears.

As the pandas rubbed their eyes, the black dye made big spots. In their grief, they clutched their ears and began hugging one another closely. The black dye marked the areas where the pandas touched themselves and each other. The pandas vowed¹⁷ never to wash off the black dye as a reminder¹⁸ of the girls and the sacrifice they made.

It's not known how long this myth has been around in Southwest China, but if these giant pandas do have thankful hearts, they will definitely remember those who have cared for them especially after the May 12 earthquake and those who are still working hard to rebuild them a safe and comfortable home.

1 groves   

树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

4 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。

5 caress   

vt./n.爱抚，抚摸

参考例句：

• She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。
• She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。

6 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

7 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

9 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

10 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

11 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

12 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

14 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

17 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

18 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。