VOA慢速英语2021--土耳其男子与天鹅坚守着几十年的友谊

Most people who keep animals choose to have dogs, cats, fishes or small birds. But, Recep Mirzan keeps a different animal on his farm in Western Turkey.

The 63-year-old retired¹ postal² worker has a swan, a large and long-lived bird found in many parts of the world.

Mirzan rescued the swan from a dangerous situation many years ago. Mirzan and a group of friends were driving in their car when they saw an injured swan with a broken wing. Mirzan immediately took the swan with him to protect her from predators³. He kept her in the car until that afternoon when he was able to take the swan to his home.

"Since I love animals, I said to myself that I should take her home instead of leaving her as prey⁴," Mirzan told The Associated Press.

He named the swan Garip. It means "strange" in the Turkish language but is also used to describe a person who has had difficulties in their life. After Garip's broken wing improved, she remained with Mirzan. Mirzan is not married and has no children, so the swan is like a child to him.

When Garip is out of her pen, an area that is used to keep her protected, she follows Mirzan wherever he goes. Garip has been living on Mirzan's farm in the Karaagac area of Turkey, bordering Greece, for the past 37 years.

Garip has never tried to run away from Mirzan's farm.

According to the group Swan Sanctuary⁵, in Britain, swans live in the wild for only about 12 years. But in protected environments, they can live up to 30 years.

Words in This Story

postal – adj. relating to or involved in the sending, handling, and delivery⁶ of mail

predators – n. an animal that lives by killing⁷ and eating other animals

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

sanctuary – n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

6 delivery   

n.交付；投递；分娩；解救者；演讲的风格

参考例句：

• The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递。
• He was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy.他受雇于当地杂货店当送货员。

7 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。