英语听力：Wild China 美丽中国：彩云之南-9

 Ailaoshan is of the Hani tribe from the mountain village of Mengsong. Roasted, the tender shoots he gathers will make a tasty dish. The Hani have many uses for the different bamboos they grow and find in the forest around. Though flexible enough to be woven, bamboo has a higher tensile strength than steel. Succulent when young, in maturity¹ it’s tough and durable², ideal for making a table, and strong enough for a pipe to last a lifetime. The people of the Southwest China have found an extraordinary number of ways to exploit this most versatile³ of plants.

 

Part of bamboo’s phenomenal success is that it’s so tough that few animals can tackle it. Yet bamboo does come under attack, a bamboo rat. Feeding almost exclusively on bamboo, they live their entire lives in tunnels beneath the forest. The thinner species of bamboo are easy to attack and pull below. She has a fantastic sense of smell and can sniff⁴ out the fresh growth through the soil.

 

Bamboo spreads along underground stems. By following these, new shoots are found. Once a shoot is detected, she snips⁵ it free and drags it down into her burrow⁶. This female has a family. At just a few weeks old, the youngsters can already tackle the hardest bamboo stems and are eager to try.

1 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

2 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

3 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

4 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

5 snips   

n.（剪金属板的）铁剪，铁铗；剪下之物( snip的名词复数 )；一点点；零星v.剪( snip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• With a few quick snips of the shears he pruned the bush. 他用大剪刀几下子就把灌木给修剪好了。 来自辞典例句
• Pick up the snips of cloth and thread from the floor. 拾起地板上的布片和线头。 来自辞典例句

6 burrow   

vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞

参考例句：

• Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
• The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。