英语听力—环球英语 909 Dogs and Humans

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Rena Dam.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
There is a large square stone near a river in Northern Wales². Grass and trees surround it. This gray stone marks where someone is buried. One side of the burial³ stone is covered with writing. It tells this story:
Voice 3
“In the 13th century the son of the king of North Wales had his home here. His name was Prince Llewelyn. One day Prince Llewelyn went out hunting. He went without his faithful⁴ dog, Gelert. When Llewlyn came home, Gelert joyfully⁵ ran and jumped to meet him. But the dog was covered with blood. The Prince was frightened. Quickly, he ran to find his son. He found the baby’s bed empty. The blankets and floor were covered with blood. Llewelyn felt insane⁶ with anger. He thought his dog had killed his baby. He quickly killed Gelert with his sword⁷. The dog’s dying⁸ cry was followed by a baby’s voice. The Prince searched and discovered his son. The boy was not hurt. But next to the baby lay the dog-like body of a large wolf. Gelert the dog had killed this wild and fierce⁹ animal. The Prince was full of regret. People say he never smiled again. The prince buried Gelert here.”
Voice 2
The dog Gelert and the wolf may have looked very similar. But they did not treat the people around them in the same way. Today’s Spotlight is on dogs and their relationship with humans.
Voice 1
So what made Gelert and the wolf so different? Many years ago, dogs and wolves were the same. But about 14,000 years ago, some wolves began to change. They were no longer as wild. No one knows exactly how this happened. Angus Phillips of National Geographic¹⁰ Magazine thinks it may have happened like this:
Voice 4
“Some wolves moved close to human cooking fires after smelling something good to eat. Then they worked to get closer to groups of humans. They did this by being helpful or proving they would not hurt people. The humans might have used the wolves’ better hunting skills to help them hunt animals. The wolves could warn¹¹ humans of danger at night.”
Voice 2
Humans and wolves both lived in groups. The groups usually had a leader. The smaller, weaker wolves knew how to obey the wolf leader. So it was easy for them to learn to obey a human leader. Both humans and these smaller wolves got something good from this relationship. Angus Phillips explains the result:
Voice 4
“Over thousands of years. . .humans kept the large, rough¹² wolves out of the human camps. This led to the development of different kinds of dogs that were more friendly to people. They began to look different than wolves. . .They were generally smaller than wolves, with a shorter nose.”
Voice 1
Today, there are about 400 different kinds of dogs. People can see many of these kinds of dogs at dog shows. At these shows, people bring their dogs to compete for a prize. The dogs run, walk and do tricks for judges. Some of the dogs are as tall as the waist¹³ of a person. Others are small enough to be carried in one hand. Some dogs have long hair that reaches to the ground. Others have no hair at all.
Voice 2
Dogs can be very different in size, shape and colour. Peter Tyson works¹⁴ for the science magazine NOVA. He explains why there are so many kinds of dogs:
Voice 5
“There are so many kinds of dogs mainly because of human and not natural selection¹⁵...Through the late 19th century, humans would mate¹⁶ dogs for special skills they wanted.”
Voice 1
Humans mated or bred¹⁷ dogs such as the greyhound for hunting. This dog is thin and very fast. It can run for a long time without getting tired.
Voice 2
Humans have also bred dogs to work with the police. In Thailand, police use the dog’s good sense of smell to look for land mines. Other dogs work on farms. They help farmers who have many sheep or cows. These herding¹⁸ dogs help move and protect the animals.
Voice 1
Dogs are trained to work with humans in many ways. But humans also breed¹⁹ dogs for something other than work. Peter Tyson of NOVA explains:
Voice 5
“It was not until the late 1800s that breeding²⁰ for looks more than for behaviour began. Breeders wanting to design the perfect breed are the reason why today we have so many different looking dogs.”
Voice 2
Humans have spent a lot of time and effort breeding different kinds of dogs. But most dogs are not show dogs. Most dogs do not even work. Today, the most common use of a dog is for friendship. Some people even consider their dog to be a part of their family. Scientists are finding²¹ that dogs can even understand human emotions.
Voice 1
Around the world today there are more than 400 million dogs. But their relationship with people is not always close. Some of these dogs do not have a home. They are strays²³. They live on the streets and often eat garbage. Diana Bharucha is from Bangalore, India. She started a program called ‘Stray²² Dogs Free Bangalore.’ She says that dogs should have a home with a human master. If not, she thinks that the dogs should be killed in a way that does not cause them pain. Diana told the newsmagazine ‘Citizens Matters’:
Voice 6
“If the dog population continues to increase, they will go back to living in a group and turn wild. They will start hunting like wild animals. This will be a danger for human life.”
Voice 2
Rajesh Shukla also lives in Bangalore. He does not want to kill the stray dogs. He offers a different solution:
Voice 7
“If the city begins a waste management system that works well, the food for stray dogs will be limited. This will limit the number of stray dogs in the area.”
Voice 1
Humans are still learning²⁴ how to live together with dogs. This relationship can be wonderful but difficult - like in the story of Prince Llewelyn and his dog Gelert. But people will continue to share their lives with man’s best friend: the dog.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 Wales   

n.威尔士(在大不列颠岛西南部)

参考例句：

• The company are opening up a new factory in Wales.公司将在威尔士开一家新工厂。
• She teaches English at the University of Wales.她在威尔士大学教英语。

3 burial   

n.埋葬，埋藏，掩埋

参考例句：

• The priest prepared the body for burial.牧师给死者作安葬准备。
• The Premier's burial was a solemn occasion.总理的葬礼是个庄严的场面。

4 faithful   

adj.守信的，忠实的，如实的，可靠的

参考例句：

• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever.他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。
• We must be honest and faithful to the people.我们对人民必须忠诚老实。

5 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

6 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

7 sword   

n.剑，刀剑，武力，杀戮

参考例句：

• The soldier cut at his enemy with his sword.那位士兵用自己的剑向敌人砍去。
• With a sweep of his sword he cut through the rope.他用剑一挥把绳子砍断了。

8 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

9 fierce   

adj.凶猛的，残忍的；狂热的，强烈的

参考例句：

• The soldiers got ready for a fierce battle.战士们准备进行一场恶战。
• What he said met with fierce opposition.他的话语遭到激烈反对。

10 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 warn   

vt.警告，注意，远离；vi.提醒

参考例句：

• I must warn you that my patience is almost at an end.我必须警告你我已经没有耐心了。
• If you warn me in advance,I will have your order ready for you.你若预先通知我，我就能给您准备好了。

12 rough   

adj.粗糙的；粗略的，大致的；粗野的，粗暴的

参考例句：

• It's just a very rough translation.这只是一篇非常粗糙的译稿。
• His reply was a bit rough.他的答复过于粗鲁了一点。

13 waist   

n.腰，腰部，腰身，背心

参考例句：

• The coat is a bit tight at the waist.这件上衣腰身瘦了点。
• The sound is from the waist of a violin.声音是从小提琴的中间部分发出的。

14 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

15 selection   

n.选择，挑选，精选品，可选择的东西

参考例句：

• We left the selection of the team to the captain.我们把挑选队员的工作交给了队长。
• The shop has a fine selection of cheeses.那家商店有各种精美乳酪可供选购。

16 mate   

n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配

参考例句：

• Where is the mate to this glove?这副手套的另一只在哪儿？
• She has been a faithful mate to him.她一直是他忠实的配偶。

17 bred   

生育( breed的过去式和过去分词 )； 繁殖； 孕育； 导致

参考例句：

• a well-bred young lady 一位有教养的少女
• Both the twin brothers were born and bred in London. 这对双胞胎兄弟是在伦敦长大的。

18 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

19 breed   

n.品种，种类；vi.繁殖，产仔；vt.养殖，产生

参考例句：

• The parents are trying to breed their son a musician.这对父母尽力要把儿子培养成为音乐家。
• This breed of horses is both tall and heavily grown.这种马既高且大。

20 breeding   

n.繁殖

参考例句：

• the breeding of horses 马的饲养
• This area of the city has become a breeding ground for violent crime. 这个市区已成为暴力犯罪的滋生地。

21 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

22 stray   

n.走失的家畜，浪子；adj.迷途的，偶然的；vi.迷路，彷徨

参考例句：

• We couldn't identify the stray child.我们不能辨认出这个迷途孩子的身份。
• Please don't stray from the subject.请不要离开本题。

23 strays   

v.走失( stray的第三人称单数 )；偏离正题；走入歧途；（已婚者或有固定关系者）有外遇

参考例句：

• There are lots of waifs and strays living on the streets here. 这里有很多露宿街头的无家可归者。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• My wife is always inviting various waifs and strays from work to our house.She seems to attract them. 我妻子总是邀请公司里各种各样的单身男女到家中作客，他们很愿意和她交往。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。