VOA慢速英语2018--游客们体验古老的猎鹰游戏

Tourists Experience the Ancient Sport of Falconry

Falconry is an old tradition in many parts of the world, including Western Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Now, it is becoming a tourist activity at hotels and other places in the United States, from Vermont to Colorado to California.

The ancient sport of using birds of prey² to hunt wild animals has existed for at least 4,000 years. Experiences designed for the tourism industry do not usually involve hunting. They center on the flight of the birds and their return to their human trainers.

During a demonstration³ for visitors to the Woodstock Inn in Vermont, a professional falconer teaches about birds of prey and the history of falconry. He also flies a trained Harris’s hawk⁴. Then, he helps interested observers fly the hawk themselves.

Bouchaine Vineyards in California started using falconers in 2016 to stop birds from eating their crops. Vineyard visitors were pleased to see the hawks⁵ fly and work with their trainer. So, the company decided⁶ to offer guests that experience as part of a wine-tasting and lunch.

“It’s amazing to showcase the birds, and to be able to actually hold a glove out and have a falcon¹ land on your hand,” said employee Chris Kajani. He said the falconry program also gives the vineyard good publicity⁷.

At New England Falconry in Vermont recently, a young Harris’s hawk named Audubon launched from a high place. He flew through the wind, over a grassy⁸ field, straight to falconer Jessica Snyder’s hand. She then treated the 1-year-old hawk to a piece of meat.

“He has fun out here,” she said. She also noted⁹ that the bird “has about 10 times the sight ability of an average human.”

The Harris’s hawk has brown feathers and yellow legs with long black talons¹¹. Its strong eyesight enables it to spot prey on the ground below. The Harris’s hawk, which hunts in groups, is considered the most social bird of prey. However, each has its own personality, Snyder said. Falconers attach an electronic device to their birds so they can be found if they do not return from a flight.

Growth in the use of hunting guns almost ended falconry, which arrived in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Sheldon Nicolle, president of the North American Falconers Association, said it is generally an activity of wealthy people. But, Nicolle said there are now 20 or 30 places to enjoy falconry experiences in the U.S.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

falconry- n. the sport of hunting with hawks

tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

prey – n. an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food

vineyard – n. a field where grapes are grown

glove – n. a covering for the hand that has separate parts for each finger

hawk – n. a kind of bird that kills other birds and animals for food

platform – n. a flat surface that is raised higher than the floor or ground

feather – n. one of the light growths that make up the outer covering of the body of a bird

talon¹⁰ – n. one of the sharp claws on the feet of some birds

antenna¹² – n. a device (such as a wire or a metal rod) for sending or receiving radio or television signals

1 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

5 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

6 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。

7 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

8 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 talon   

n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物

参考例句：

• Can you get a little tighter with the talon?你能不能把摄像探头固定住不动？
• This kind of spice is made of eagle's talon and has a unique flavor.这种香料味道独特，是用鹰爪作原料制成的。

11 talons   

n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部

参考例句：

• The fingers were curved like talons, but they closed on empty air. 他的指头弯得像鹰爪一样，可是抓了个空。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命
• The tiger has a pair of talons. 老虎有一对利爪。 来自辞典例句

12 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。