2006年VOA标准英语-Bats Are a Major Tourist Attraction in Austin,

By Greg Flakus
Austin, Texas
04 August 2006
 
watch Austin Bat Colony report

 
A bat in the Austin, Texas colony 
  
In many parts of the world, bats rank with snakes, spiders, scorpions¹ and other members of the animal kingdom that are regarded as "creepy" or even dangerous. But research has shown that bats are not very dangerous. In fact, they occupy an important place in the ecosystem². There are few places in the world where the flying mammals are more popular than the southwestern U.S. city of Austin, Texas, home of the world's largest urban bat colony.

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The Congress Avenue bridge is a summer home for Mexican freetail bats   
  
The story of Austin's love affair with bats starts here at the Congress Avenue Bridge, which spans Town Lake. This busy bridge joins the Texas state capitol and downtown area with south Austin.

But what makes this structure so special is what exists underneath³ and what emerges every night during the summer.

This is the home of an estimated million and a half bats.

Construction work done on the bridge more than 20 years ago resulted in expansion slots, about 40 centimeters deep, that are now occupied by migrating Mexican freetail bats. The bats like these spaces for nesting, so every year hundreds of thousands of bats return here from their winter stay in Mexico.

 
Brent Lyles 
  
Brent Lyles is a representative of the Austin-based Bat Conservation International, a private research and education group. He says many people are fascinated by bats once they overcome their fear.

"Bats are really mysterious and, in a sense, that is part of the mystique about them, I think that is part of what attracts some people to bats. It is because they are mysterious."

When the bats first came, the local newspaper, the Austin American Statesmen, ran alarming headlines. Some people saw the bats as a threat. But Bat Conservation International convinced the public and local officials that the bats were a benefit.

"Ten years later, the Austin American Statesman was running headlines that said, 'Attention bat lovers, the furry⁴ friends are back.' Today we get 100,000 people every year watching the bats come out," said Mr. Lyles.

bats swarming  
  
The bat emergence⁵ is at its peak during the summer months here. It can be viewed all along the shoreline, as the bats move out in search of moths⁶ and other insects to eat. The newspaper funded the park near the bridge that is a major viewing site.

Brent Lyles says many local people come back again and again to enjoy the spectacle. "They are on their tenth visit. They have their favorite spot they like to watch the bats from. They bring folks down here when they come from out of town. You know, it is neat because it is an attraction that runs itself in a way. Bat Conservation International comes out here on the weekends in the summer to talk to people about the bats. But really it is the people of Austin that make this attraction work."

"The kids just really love it," says one local dad. "They say, 'Let's go see bats!' And it is cheap, cheap entertainment."

"Oh, I am absolutely amazed," says a first-time visitor. "I want to come back. I read the statistics on the number of bats here. I always knew there were many, but I never knew they were so beautiful and I plan to come back."

Every night the bats eat 15 tons of corn earworm moths that pose a threat to nearby cotton fields. So their value to agriculture may be even greater than the roughly 10 million dollars they bring to Austin every year as a tourism attraction.

Brent Lyles tells us, "Attitudes are changing about bats. So many people say, 'Oh, bats -- my grandfather used to shoot them, but I know that they are good to have around.' "

1 scorpions   

n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You promise me that Black Scorpions will never come back to Lanzhou. 你保证黑蝎子永远不再踏上兰州的土地。 来自电影对白
• You Scorpions are rather secretive about your likes and dislikes. 天蝎：蝎子是如此的神秘，你的喜好很难被别人洞悉。 来自互联网

2 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

3 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

4 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

5 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

6 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》