熊猫的世界原来不只是黑与白

 　　When it comes to pandas, you probably thought things were strictly¹ black and white.

　　一提到大熊猫，你可能会以为只有黑色和白色。

　　But meet Qi Zai, an extremely rare brown and white panda whose colourful appearance has left scientists scratching their heads.

　　但看看七仔，它是一只极其罕见的棕白色相间的大熊猫，它彩色的外表使科学家也摸不着头脑。

　　While every bit as a cute as others of his species, he is a very special bear because there have only been five sightings of brown-white pandas since 1985.

　　虽然与其他大熊猫相比它的可爱程度不减，但它很特殊，因为自从1985年以来只发现了5只棕白相间的大熊猫。

　　熊猫的世界原来不只是黑与白

　　Now aged² five, he was found as a two-month-old cub³, weak and alone, by researchers in a nature reserve in Qinling Mountains in China after his mother had apparently⁴ disappeared into the jungle.

　　现在它5岁了。在中国秦岭自然保护区被研究人员发现时，它还只是一只两个月大的幼崽，很虚弱、很孤单，当时它妈妈似乎已经消失在丛林中了。

　　For his own safety, they took him to the nearby Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue, Breeding and Research Centre where he was given medical treatment and fed on panda milk saved by the centre’s staff from other pandas.

　　为了它的安全，研究人员把它带到了附近的陕西省珍稀野生动物抢救饲养研究中心，在那儿对它进行药物治疗，用中心的员工从其他熊猫那儿留下的熊猫奶喂养它。

　　He has since grown into the fine, eye-catching specimen⁵ he is today.

　　此后，它便长成了现如今这健康、引人注目的样子。

　　These photographs were taken by Katherine Feng, an American vet⁶ and member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, who was delivering veterinary supplies to the centre donated by the US charity Pandas International.

　　这些照片是由凯瑟琳·冯拍摄的，她是一位美国兽医，同时也是国际自然保护摄影师联盟的一员，她正为这个中心运送美国大熊猫国际慈善团体捐赠的兽药。

　　She was granted special permission to photograph him during the recent visit.

　　在她最近一次来访期间，获得特许给这只大熊猫拍照。

　　Qi Zai - who is also known as ‘seventh son’ by staff at the centre - is the same size and weight and has the same habits as other pandas with the usual black and white fur.

　　七仔（也被这个中心的员工称为“第七个儿子”）和其他常见的黑白相间毛色大熊猫有着相同的大小、体重和习惯。

　　Scientists at the centre say further studies are necessary to unravel⁷ the mystery of why the brown and white pandas occur.

　　这个中心的科学家说有必要进行深入研究，来解开棕白相间大熊猫的产生之谜。

　　The panda population in the Qinling Mountains is small and isolated⁸ with an estimated figure of between 200 and 300.

　　秦岭大熊猫数量较少，估计在200只至300只之间。

　　Some experts at the centre have suggested that the brown fur could also have some links with the area’s unique geographical⁹ and climatic conditions, saying the soil and water in the area might influence the hair pigments¹⁰ of the pandas.

　　这个中心的一些专家表明，棕色皮毛可能也与这个地区独特的地理和气候条件有关，比如说这一地区的土壤和水可能会影响大熊猫的毛色。

1 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

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 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

10 pigments   

n.（粉状）颜料( pigment的名词复数 )；天然色素

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls. 古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。 来自辞典例句
• The original white lead pigments have oxidized and turned black. 最初的白色铅质颜料氧化后变成了黑色。 来自辞典例句