英语PK台 第783期:动物穿上义肢 快乐玩耍

 Dialogue 1

MARK: Hey Jingjing, I remember you told me about a dog that was up for adoption¹. Did it ever find a good home?

马克: 嗨，京晶，我记得你跟我说过有只小狗需要被领养。它找到一户好人家了吗?

JINGJING: Yes, actually; and luckily the owners are very generous.

京晶: 嗯找到了, 而且幸运的是，它的新主人非常慷慨。

MARK: That's always good. But what's so special about these owners?

马克: 慷慨总是好的。不过这家新主人有什么特别之处呢?

JINGJING: Hold on a second. I'll show you the picture.ie

京晶: 等一下，我给你看张照片。

MARK: Huh? Why does that dog have wheels instead of hind² legs?

马克: 咦? 为什么那只狗没有后腿而是装着轮子?

JINGJING: Well, after the operation, its legs recovered somewhat, but had too much nerve damage to be used. So, the vet³ made this little cart.

京晶: 因为手术后，它的腿虽然恢复了一些，但是神经损伤太严重了，无法正常使用。所以兽医给它做了这个小车。

MARK: Oh, I see it's fastened on. So the dog runs on its front legs and wheels around.

马克: 哦，我看到它的身子和小车被固定在一起了。所以这只狗是运用它的前腿和轮子走动。

JINGJING: Yeah. It can really move too. Let me show you the video.

京晶: 是的。它能移动得很好。我来给你看个视频。

MARK: Oh, wow. That's so cool, a disabled dog can still play fetch.

马克: 哇哦，这太酷了，一只残疾的狗居然还能玩叼取飞盘的游戏。

JINGJING: Definitely. It likes going for walks—and plays happily with other dogs.

京晶: 完全没问题。它喜欢散步，也喜欢和其他狗狗一起快乐地玩耍。

MARK: Ok, I have to ask: is everything all right, down there, in terms of going to the bathroom?

马克: 好吧，不过我想问一下，它自己上厕所方便吗?

JINGJING: I'm not really sure how much control it has. I forgot to ask. But the owners told me they are pretty careful what they feed it.

京晶: 我不确定它自己能控制多少，我忘了问了。但它的主人告诉我，他们会非常小心地选择喂它的食物。

MARK: I bet that helps keep the mess to a minimum. What's its name?

马克: 我敢说这有助于把麻烦降到最低。这只狗叫什么名字?

JINGJING: You'll never guess.

京晶: 你肯定猜不到。

MARK: Hmm, is it Hawking⁴?

马克: 嗯，它不会叫霍金吧?

JINGJING: What?! Are you psychic⁵ or something? That's what they call him, after the famous physicist⁶.

京晶: 天呐? ! 你是先知还是怎么的? 这真是他的名字，是以著名的物理学家命名的。

MARK: Haha. I'm just happy to know Hawking has a loving and humorous home.

马克: 哈哈。我很高兴知道霍金有一个充满爱和幽默的家庭。

New words : 习语短语

up for adoption

可以被领养的状态

available for new owners/parents

vet 兽医

doctor for animals (veterinarian, or veterinary physician)

play fetch

投掷寻回游戏

a game between humans and animals: throw a ball or a stick, the animal runs and gets it

keep the mess to a minimum

避免过于杂乱

avoid too much mess

Are you psychic or something?

你是怎么猜到的？有心理神通吗？

How did you guess? You had no way of knowing.

Dialogue 2

JINGJING: Mark, if you're interested in bionic pets, I can share a movie with you.

京晶: 马克，如果你对仿生宠物感兴趣，我可以和你分享一部电影。

MARK: Bionic pets? You mean, like that wheelchair fitted up for that dog, Hawking?

马克: 仿生宠物? 你是说，就像那个装了轮椅的叫霍金的狗狗那样的?

JINGJING: Yes, but not limited to wheelchairs. The movie is called My Bionic Pet. It's a PBS documentary made in 2014.

京晶: 是的，但不仅限于轮椅。这部电影叫《我的仿生宠物》。是美国公共电视台2014年制作的纪录片。

MARK: Wow, so that includes prosthetics, then?

马克: 哇，那其中包括义肢了?

JINGJING: Yes, but not just that either. I don't remember if it was in the movie or on a website I saw, but there was a sea turtle that researchers outfitted⁷ with something like a diving suit. It only had one flipper⁸ and could only swim in circles. After getting help from human friends, it could fend⁹ for itself in the wild.

京晶: 是的，但也不仅限于此。我不记得是在电影里还是网站上看到过，有研究人员给一只海龟穿上了量身定制的潜水服。它原来只有一只鳍，只能绕着圈游泳。在得到人类朋友的帮助后，它就可以自己在野外生存下去了。

MARK: Wow, so this is not just for pets.

马克: 哇，所以仿生学不仅限用于家养宠物。

JINGJING: No. A lot of bionics are used for farm animals. I remember seeing a sheep with a prosthetic front leg.

京晶: 对。许多仿生学被用于农场动物。我记得看到过一只羊踩着一条义肢前腿。

MARK: Did it have a wheel?

马克: 它也带轮子吗?

JINGJING: No. But they were able to fashion the knee joint¹⁰ and make the hoof¹¹ as much like a natural one as possible.

京晶: 没有。但他们能够制作膝关节部位，并使蹄子尽可能看起来和真的一样。

MARK: That's great technology. Stuff like that must cost an arm and a leg, though.

马克: 这真是伟大的技术。不过这样的东西肯定要花很多钱吧。

JINGJING: A lot of people buy health insurance for their pets and livestock¹². That helps pay for bionics in the rare cases when it's needed.

京晶: 有很多人都为他们的宠物和牲畜买了健康保险。这有助于在意外的情况下支付仿生学的费用。

MARK: Hmm. I guess, next time I get a dog or a cat, I'll have to think about buying health insurance.

马克: 嗯，我想下次我养狗或养猫的时候，就会考虑买健康保险了。

JINGJING: It's a good thing to have. Anyway, I'll send you that movie later, along with some cute pictures of bionic animals.

京晶: 这是件好事。不管怎样，我稍后会把那部电影和一些仿生动物的可爱图片一起发给你。

MARK: Ok, thanks Jingjing.

马克: 好的, 谢谢京晶。

New words : 习语短语

fitted up 量身定制

helped with an object that was specially designed for the person or animal that will use it

prosthetics 义肢

man-made hands, feet, arms and legs

fend for itself 存活，照料自己

survive, defend itself, live pretty well

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

3 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。

4 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

5 psychic   

n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的

参考例句：

• Some people are said to have psychic powers.据说有些人有通灵的能力。
• She claims to be psychic and to be able to foretell the future.她自称有特异功能，能预知未来。

6 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

7 outfitted   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They outfitted for the long journey. 他们为远途旅行准备装束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They outfitted him with artificial legs. 他们为他安了假腿。 来自辞典例句

8 flipper   

n. 鳍状肢，潜水用橡皮制鳍状肢

参考例句：

• The seal's flipper is homologous with the human arm. 海豹的鳍肢与人类的手臂同源。
• It's almost like a flipper action as she kicks down. 她向下踢腿时有鱼鳍的效果。

9 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 hoof   

n.(马，牛等的)蹄

参考例句：

• Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间，他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
• I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。

12 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。