英语听力—环球英语 1127 Flying with Birds

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Colin Lowther.

 

　　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

 

　　The baby stork² is lost. He was flying with many other birds, including his parents. They were migrating³ - making their yearly⁴ trip north. But because he is just a baby, the little stork could not fly fast enough. The other birds left him behind. Now he is in danger. There are wild animals in the area. He is not strong enough to escape from them. And he is getting hungry. Big vultures also fly above him. They are waiting for him to die. All hope seems lost. Then, all at once, another group of storks⁵ appear. They too are flying to the north. With them he is safe, and he flies away with them.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This is part of a recent television series from the BBC. It is called “Earth Flight”. This series shows the world through the eyes of birds. It follows birds as they migrate⁶, hunt and raise young. The filmmakers travelled and filmed very close to the birds. Today’s Spotlight is on “Earth Flight”, and the way filmmakers captured⁸ these amazing images.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　“Earth Flight” is a series of six programs. Each program covers a different continent. And the last program shows HOW the filmmakers made the series. It took the filmmakers three and a half years to complete the filming. And they used many different ways to film.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In one part, cameras follow barnacle geese as they migrate through the United Kingdom. The geese live in the United Kingdom during the winter. Then they migrate north for the summer months. Several million geese make this trip to have their babies. They fly in groups in the shape of a large V. They change places with each other to protect the birds that are less strong.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The camera seems to float next to these birds as they fly. One camera operator⁹ later said that the birds were close enough to touch! They were flying with the birds. But they did not frighten the birds. Instead, they were part of the V. This was because of one man: Christian¹⁰ Moullec.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Christian Moullec lives in France. Since 1996, he has been raising barnacle geese and other birds. The birds live in his home, with his family. He and his family raise the birds from eggs. He is like a mother to the birds. They even sleep in the same room with him and his wife! When it is time for them to fly, he flies with them.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Moullec uses a very small, light airplane. It is like a little chair, with wings, and a small engine behind. The birds can see him clearly, and can fly close to him. Moullec uses this “microlite” to guide the birds on their yearly migration¹¹. He does this for one simple reason. The number of barnacle geese has been decreasing. They are in danger of dying¹² out completely, and becoming extinct¹³. By raising birds this way, and training them, Moullec and his family can help increase the numbers of geese again.

 

　　He told the Daily Mail newspaper,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“My wife and I have worked to save a kind of wild goose. It is on the edge of becoming extinct. We are working to establish new groups in other good places across Europe.

 

　　I thank the birds for the gift they have given me. This gift is to observe them in flight.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The filmmakers from Earth Flight wanted to work with Moullec, to show the barnacle geese migration. So they flew with him. They held heavy cameras and flew right next to the geese. The film shows the birds as they fly over the city of London and across the United Kingdom. Viewers experience, in a small way, what Moullec experiences when he flies with the geese.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Filmmakers used similar methods with other geese in North America. In each place, the methods were a little different. With the geese in North America, filmmakers also attached small cameras to trained geese. These images show what the goose is seeing as it travels. It shows the goose’s images of New York City, for example. The geese fly through this great city. The tall buildings send up great gusts¹⁴ of wind, blowing air high. The geese float on this air, and it gives them a short break - even while they fly!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But this method only works¹⁵ with particular kinds of birds. Vultures are big, heavy birds. They live in many parts of the world. They also fly high in the air, looking for food. They eat meat - animals that have died. The filmmakers wanted to film them as they flew. But they could not train vultures in the same way that Moullec had trained his geese. So they tried a different method.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　They made a model vulture. This vulture would look like a real bird to other vultures. It would fly, and the filmmakers could control its movements. And it would carry a camera. The camera recorded many amazing images of the other vultures. Then, the filmmakers brought the model back to the ground. It had survived surprisingly well. The model only lost its nose!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But the model was not enough. The filmmakers also trained a real vulture to fly from a small microlite airplane. Like the North American geese, the vulture carried a camera. Then, they released¹⁶ this vulture among wild vultures in Africa. The camera recorded the vultures hunting and nesting - images that could not be recorded in any other way.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The filmmakers used this method with many other birds, including condors¹⁷ in South America. But they also used normal nature photography to capture⁷ some amazing images. Huge eagles stealing fish from hairy bears in the far north of America. A tiny swallow catching¹⁸ an insect. Macaws flying through the jungle.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In each situation, the filmmakers show the life and experience of birds. The first words in the series are: “It is a dream of many, to fly like a bird”. To make these programmes, men have learned¹⁹ to fly with the birds.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　To see videos from the Earth Flight series, visit our website, http://www.radioenglish.net You c.an see video of the geese, the vultures, and many others.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Flying with Birds’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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 stork   

n.鹳

参考例句：

• A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。
• He is very glad that his wife's going to get a visit from the stork.他为她的妻子将获得参观鹳鸟的机会感到非常高兴。

3 migrating   

v.迁移，移往( migrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mudflats offer a winter home to thousands of migrating swans. 泥滩成为成千上万只迁徙的天鹅越冬的场所。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many Asians are migrating to the West. 许多亚洲人移民去了西方国家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

5 storks   

n.鹳( stork的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Meg and Jo fed their mother like dutiful young storks. 麦格和裘像一对忠实的小鹳似地喂她们的母亲。 来自辞典例句
• They believe that storks bring new babies to the parents' home. 他们相信白鹤会给父母带来婴儿。 来自互联网

6 migrate   

vi.（候鸟等）迁徙，移居（国外），迁移

参考例句：

• Many birds migrate south for the winter.冬天时，许多鸟类迁徙南方。
• The rich people often migrate in winter to Florida.有钱的人常在冬季搬迁到佛罗里达州去。

7 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

8 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

9 operator   

n.（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员

参考例句：

• He is a computer operator.他是个电脑操作员。
• The telephone operator connected us.话务员给我们接通了电话。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

12 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。

13 extinct   

adj.灭绝的，不再活跃的，熄灭了的，已废弃的

参考例句：

• All hopes were extinct.所有希望都破灭了。
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。

14 gusts   

一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作

参考例句：

• Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
• Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。

15 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。

16 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

17 condors   

n.神鹰( condor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What would our condors feed on if no one was in danger? 你不发生危险，那我们秃鹰吃啥呢？ 来自互联网
• Yo mama so fat she has been declared a natural habitat for Condors. Yomama是如此之肥，她被定为秃鹰的自然栖息地。 来自互联网

18 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

19 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。