VOA慢速英语2021 澳洲流浪羊剪下35公斤羊毛

Sheep do not normally¹ make news, but video of a sheep with a huge amount of hair in Australia has been popular on social media.

羊通常不会成为新闻主角，但澳大利亚一只长着厚重羊毛的羊的视频在社交媒体上很受欢迎。

The sheep had gone wild years ago. A member of the public found him 60 kilometers north of Melbourne. The person contacted Edgar's Mission² Farm Sanctuary³ near Lancefield, Victoria. The sanctuary rescues and takes care of animals that are lost or abandoned.

这只羊几年前就流落荒野了。一名市民在墨尔本以北60公里处发现了这只羊。市民联系了维多利亚兰斯菲尔德附近的埃德加教会农场收容所。这处收容所救治并照料那些走失或被遗弃的动物。

The rescuers named the sheep Baarack. Kyle Behrend is the communications manager at the Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary.

救援人员给这只羊取名叫“巴拉克”。凯尔·贝伦德(Kyle Behrend)是埃德加教会农场收容所的通讯经理。

"It would appear Baarack was once an owned sheep," said Behrend. He had belonged to an owner before since he had a mark on his ear called a tag⁴, "however these appear to have been torn out by the thick fleece around his face."

“看来巴拉克曾经是有主人的，”贝伦德说道。因为羊的耳朵上有一个标记，所以以前属于某一位主人，“然而这些标记似乎被羊脸上厚重的羊毛扯掉了。”

Sheep's hair, called wool, needs to be cut every year, Behrend said. If it is not, the wool grows out of control and becomes very heavy. This was the first time that Baarack's hair was cut, or shorn, in many years. Sheerers removed 35 kilograms of wool from the sheep.

贝伦德表示，羊的毛发每年都需要剪掉。否则，就会发疯似的生长，日渐厚重。这是多年来巴拉克第一次剪毛。剪毛工从羊身上剪下35公斤羊毛。

Behrend said, Baarack's feet, or hooves, "were in great condition from running over the rocks in the forest. He was underweight, and due to all of the wool around his face he could barely⁵ see."

贝伦德指出，巴拉克的蹄子，“因为常年在森林里的岩石上行走，所以状态很好。它的体重过轻，脸上长满了毛发，几乎什么都看不见。”

Baarack is now settling in with other rescued sheep at the sanctuary, Behrend said. He added, "All goes to show what incredibly resilient and brave animals sheep really are and we could not love them anymore if we tried."

贝伦德表示，巴拉克现在正在收容所和其他获救的羊一起生活。他补充说，“这一切都表明，羊的坚韧和勇敢多么令人动容，如果试着去爱它们，就会对它们爱不释手。”

Words in This Story

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

abandoned –adj. left by the owner; left without protection or care

fleece – n. the woolly coat of a sheep

shorn – v. to cut off an animal's hair.

resilient – n. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens

1 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

2 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

3 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。

4 tag   

n.标签，附属物，名称，谚语；vt.附以签条，尾随，添饰，指责，连接；vi.紧随，尾随

参考例句：

• Please tag your baggage.请在你的行李上贴上标签了。
• The clerk attached a price tag to each article.店员给每一件商品系上标价签。

5 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。