环球英语 — 317：Elephant Art

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Sao is 35 years old. She is from Thailand. She is training to be a painter. On her first day at training, she chooses a painting brush. She picks it up. She holds the brush carefully. Her trainer, Theung, has placed paper on the ground in front of her. He softly² encourages her to try. "You can do it!" Sao thinks for a moment, but throws the brush on the ground.
Theung encourages Sao again: "Pick it up. You can do it." Sao finally picks the brush up. She stands still for a moment. It is as if she is deciding what to do. She bends down and touches the brush to the paper at her feet. She holds the brush straight out and takes a step back. On the paper, there is now a beautiful bright blue line. Theung smiles. "Well done!" He is proud of his new student.
Voice 2
You may think this sounds simple - any teacher leading a student. But there is something a little unusual with this situation. Sao is an Asian elephant, standing³ over two and a half meters tall. Elephants are huge creatures. These animals have long noses called trunks. So why is this animal learning⁴ to paint?
Voice 1
This is the work of the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project. This group aims to help elephants in need, and teach them new skills. But they also encourage people to ask questions about art. Who can make art? What gives art meaning? Can animals like elephants really make true art? Today’s Spotlight is on the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project - the AEACP.
Voice 2
Elephant art is not a new idea. In the United States, elephants in zoos have painted for many years. One elephant, Ruby⁵, has raised thousands of dollars for her zoo. Another elephant, Renee, inspired two artists to train Asian elephants to paint.
Voice 1
These artists are Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. They are originally from Russia. Komar and Melamid met Renee in 1995. They were surprised at her painting skills.
Voice 3
“The elephant’s trunk is amazing. It can move extremely well. And of course, elephants are extremely intelligent, so Renee had a really impressive⁶ command of the painting brush.”
Voice 2
Komar and Melamid worked with Renee to develop a special method of teaching⁷ elephants to paint. They brought their teaching method to Asia. And about two years later, they began the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project.
Voice 1
Komar and Melamid knew about the tragic⁸ situation many elephants in Thailand face. Many elephants in Thailand have been part of the logging⁹ industry for many years. Loggers cut down trees from forest land. Elephants are powerful and intelligent. These trained, or domesticated¹⁰, elephants are the perfect helpers to carry away large cut down trees.
Voice 2
But in January, 1989, the Thailand government banned logging. Logging was destroying too many forests. Many elephants did not have work. Neither did their care-takers, or mahouts. Trained elephants cannot survive again in the wild. They depend too closely¹¹ on people. So, many elephants and their mahouts had to beg for money on the city streets. Komar and Melamid wanted to help these animals. Melamid explains.
Voice 3
“We gave them the chance to have a second job, to become artists.”
Voice 1
Komar and Melamid first worked with Asian elephants in 1998. In that year Komar and Melamid opened their first art academy¹² for elephants in Lampang. At this school, trainers could encourage elephants to paint. The trainers provided¹³ painting materials. And the elephants provided the art! But Komar says that not every elephant has this skill.
Voice 3
“Only a few elephants like to paint - perhaps 10 or 20 percent. But the ones that do like it cannot be stopped. So we really do not have to do anything except give them the materials and the idea. The elephants do the rest.”
Voice 2
The Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project provides training, care, food, and shelter for domesticated Asian elephants. They provide simple training and painting materials for the elephant artists. Then they show and sell the elephant art all around the world.
Voice 1
Art experts have discovered some very interesting things about elephant art. Elephants from similar areas have similar styles of painting. For example, elephant paintings from north Thailand use bright simple colors like blue, red and yellow. But in central Thailand, many elephants prefer to paint with darker colors like deep purple, black, and dark green.
Voice 2
Demand for elephant art is big. Even in its first few years, the AEACP was very popular. In March, 2000, the AEACP sold elephant art in New York. These paintings raised over 75,000 dollars for elephants. In 2001, 42,000 visitors saw elephant art in Sydney. This event raised 27,000 dollars.
Voice 1
And where does this money go? It goes back to the elephants! The AEACP uses the money to take care of the domesticated elephants in the academies¹⁴. But it also uses the money to support elephants in the wild. The money helps to protect the natural environment of wild elephants. They use the money to help other groups too. These groups work against the illegal killing¹⁵ of elephants.
Voice 2
Finally, money raised by elephant art also helps train and educate mahout care-takers. The mahouts learn the best ways to train and care for elephants. They also learn ways to keep the elephants safe. The mahouts also earn money from helping¹⁶ the elephants paint. This means better care for the community of people and elephants!
Voice 1
But elephant art is also a chance to think about what art really is. Are these elephants truly making art? Does an elephant think about what he or she is painting? Does the elephant give the art real meaning? Does the painting need meaning to be beautiful? These are questions art experts all around the world are asking. Melamid believes that elephant art is art. He says,
Voice 3
“Unlike people, elephants will never be influenced by the market. They make art with a truly innocent¹⁷ eye.”
Voice 1
So what is the future for elephant art? No one really knows. But Komar and Melamid have a dream.
Voice 3
“We want to cover the world with these academies. We want to have thousands of elephants making art every day. This is our dream. To have elephants produce the same amount of art that humans do. Why not?”
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

5 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

6 impressive   

adj.给人深刻印象的，感人的

参考例句：

• This cinema is so impressive that we can't help crying.这影片如此感人以至我们禁不住流下泪来。
• The suit made him look especially impressive.他穿上这套衣服真精神。

7 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

8 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

9 logging   

n.伐木搬运业；记录，存入；航行日志v.砍伐树木(log的现在分词)

参考例句：

• All these measures were calculated to prevent water-logging by rainstorm or mountain torrents. 这些措施都是为了预防暴雨或山洪造成的涝灾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They cleared large tracts of forest for farming, logging and ranching. 他们清除了大片的森林以经营农耕、采伐与畜牧。 来自辞典例句

10 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

12 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

13 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

14 academies   

n.专科学校( academy的名词复数 )；研究院；（苏格兰）中等学校；（美国）私立学校

参考例句：

• The millitary academies are also enjoying halcyon years, attracting more and better-qualified students. 军事院校因招收的学生数量多了，质量好了，年头也很好过。 来自辞典例句
• But international students can also attend the nation's five service academies. 而留学生也可以参加国立五个军事院校学习。 来自互联网

15 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 innocent   

adj.无罪的，清白的；无害的；天真的，单纯的

参考例句：

• I'm not quite so innocent as to believe that.我还不至于简单到相信那种事的地步。
• I was very young,and very innocent.我那时非常年轻，幼稚无知。