VOA慢速英语2022--在阿联酋举办骆驼比赛庆祝沙漠文化

In the UAE, a Camel Contest Celebrates Desert Culture

Even as the Omicron version of the coronavirus spreads, camel owners from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar recently traveled to the United Arab Emirates.

They brought with them 40,000 of their most beautiful camels for the Al Dhafra Festival, an event that celebrates desert culture.

Camel beauty is decided¹ based on appearances agreed upon generations ago. Only female camels take part because males fight too much, experts said.

A five-man jury decides the winners.

One of the organizers, Mohammed al-Muhari, described what judges were looking for as hundreds of camels were being shown.

Necks must be long and thin, cheeks wide and hooves large, he told The Associated Press. Lips must hang down. The camels must walk tall.

"It's not so different from humans," al-Muhari said.

Some breeders have tried to cheat. They use banned injections to grow the camel's lips, soften² the face and increase the size of the camel's back.

Festival spokesman Abdel Hadi Saleh would not say how many breeders had been banned over measures to change a camel's appearance. All camels have detailed³ medical examinations before entering Al Dhafra Festival.

Since Emirati investigators⁴ began using X-rays and other devices a few years ago, Saleh said the number of cheaters has fallen.

"We easily catch them, and they realize getting caught, it's not worth the cost to their reputation," he said.

A great deal is at stake. Al Dhafra Festival offers the top 10 winners in each category prizes from $1,300 to $13,600.

At the main Saudi contest, the most beautiful get high prices. Camels change hands in deals worth millions of dirhams, a local form of money.

But breeders say it is not only about the money.

Saleh al-Minhali is a camel-owner from Dubai.

"It is a kind of our heritage and custom that the (Emirati rulers) revived," he said. Revive is a term that means to bring back.

Gone are the days when camels were important for daily life in the country.

However, experts say Emiratis are increasingly searching for meaning in the past. This includes Bedouin traditions that were common before the UAE became a nation 50 years ago.

Rima Sabban of the Zayed University in Dubai said, "Younger Emiratis who have identity issues are going back to their heritage to find a sense of belonging."

Sabban added, "The society developed and modernized⁵ so fast it creates a crisis inside."

Festivals across the country celebrate the camel's importance. Al Dhafra also features falcon⁶ racing⁷, camel dancing and a camel milking contest.

Each category in the 10-day contest is divided into two types of camels: Mahaliyat, the tan breed that comes from the UAE and Oman, and Majaheen, the darker breed from Saudi Arabia.

For hours, judges studied each camel, writing lists of the animal's body parts for scoring purposes. Breeders shouted to surprise camels so they would look up and show off long necks.

As the sun set over the sands, the winning breeders were called to accept their prizes. Camels were crowned with gold and silver-lined cloth.

"We've received over 40 prizes (in various camel contests) this year alone," said Mohammed Saleh bin⁸ Migrin al-Amri as he held four from the day, including two golds.

After that, he jumped into his vehicle and the victory parade of vehicles and camels disappeared into the desert.

Words in This Story

hooves – n. plural⁹ the hard covering on the foot of an animal (such as a horse or pig)

breeder –n. a person who keeps and takes care of certain kinds of animals to produce more of that animal with the same qualities

reputation –n. the common opinion that people have about someone

at stake –phrase in a position to be lost or gained

category – n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

heritage –n. the traditions, beliefs and deeds that are part of the history of a group or nation

1 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。

2 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 modernized   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的过去式和过去分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• By 1985 the entire railway network will have been modernized. 等到1985年整个铁路网就实现现代化了。
• He set about rebuilding France, and made it into a brilliant-looking modernized imperialism. 他试图重建法国，使它成为一项表面华丽的现代化帝业。

6 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。

7 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

8 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

9 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。