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VOA新闻杂志2024--Florida's Snake Hunters

时间:2024-09-10 02:21:59

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(单词翻译)

It is after midnight when the windshield fogs up on Thomas Aycock's pickup1 truck. He smiles as he slowly drives through the sawgrass and down dirt roads deep in the Florida Everglades.

His foggy windshield confirms what he knows. When the dew point drops in the middle of the night, it is perfect time for pythons.

"I catch more pythons when that happens," Aycock said. The retired2 U.S. Army veteran always takes part in the Florida Python Challenge. The wildlife commission runs the 10-day event. The aim is to get people interested in finding and catching3 the snakes.

There is a reason for the timing4 of the event. Pythons usually hatch from their eggs each August before finding their way into the swamp.

Aycock works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He has hunted Burmese pythons in the Everglades for 11 years. Aycok loves snakes. And he loves preserving the Everglades. He understands the "greater ecological5 issue with these pythons."

The invasive Burmese pythons are doing very well in Florida's preserved wetlands. Pythons have no natural predators7. And they are threatening Florida's native snakes and mammals. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates tens of thousands live in South Florida.

The snakes are destroying local wildlife. In one 2012 study, the USGS found that populations of raccoons had declined by 99.3 percent, opossums by 98.9 percent and bobcats by 87.5 percent since the early 2000s. Controlling this hungry snake, scientists say, is a critical goal.

More than 600 hunters took part in this year's challenge. Their goal is to beat last year's top total of 209 pythons killed. The hunter who kills the most wins $10,000.

The competition is designed to create understanding about Florida's python problem. It has succeeded in doing that. The event has drawn8 famous people and has led to some reality television shows.

But the need for python control remains9 urgent.

Since 2017, Florida has been paying about 100 contractors11 to catch the snakes year-round. That project is shared by the wildlife agency and the South Florida Water Management District. Through 2023, more than 18,000 pythons have been removed from the wild. Contractors like Aycock have removed about 11,000.

The pay is average. Hunting along backroads pays $13 an hour. Walking through the swamp pays $18 an hour. Contractors also get paid per snake: $50 for the first 1.2 meters in length, plus more for longer snakes.

"You're not going to make a living doing this full-time12. There's no way you could do it," Aycock said.

Florida does not permit hunters to use firearms to kill pythons. Catching them is a hands-on exercise.

Aycock goes into the wetlands to check on known hatching spots and grabs at them when he can. But mostly he drives down empty roads at night, shining a strong light into the swamps.

He says these bug-filled drives help his mental health. Sometimes he brings along fellow members of the Swamp Apes, a mental health non-profit organization for veterans. The group catches invasive snakes in the wild, clears overgrown areas, and works toward environmental preservation13.

The group's founder14, Tom Rahill, is also a snake hunting contractor10. He knows the swamp so well that he can smell a python's "musk15" odor. He says he can feel when a snake is near.

There is an art to catching a snake, the hunters say. The methods change from hunter to hunter. Some use a snake hook and then jump on them before putting them into bags. Rahill likes using his hands -- if the snake is calm enough.

"Instead of jumping on the snake, you just kind of gently get up to it and then just pick it up," he said.

But the snakes are not always calm. Sometimes a hunter needs a helper to keep the snake uncoiled until it calms down and can be contained to prevent escape.

Once the snakes are caught, the hunters have 24 hours to take them to the wildlife agency. It is illegal for any person other than a licensed16 contractor to transport a live, invasive snake.

Aycock takes them home first to be "humanely17 killed."

"That's the part of the job that I really just ... hate," he said. "I hate having to kill snakes."

Words in This Story

fog (up) - v. when small particles of water floating in the atmosphere are near the ground and on surfaces

hatch - v. to emerge from an egg, chrysalis, or pupa

swamp - n. wet spongy land often partly covered with water

invasive - adj. tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner: such as

preserved - v. to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction

predator6 - n. an animal that obtains food mostly by killing18 and eating other animals

native - adj. living or growing naturally in a particular region

contractor - n. a person who contracts to perform work or provide supplies at a certain price or within a certain time

coiled - v. to wind into or lie in loops, rings, or a spiral : uncoiled - v. to unwind from a coil and become straight

licensed - adj. having permission granted by competent authority to engage in a business or occupation or in an activity otherwise unlawful


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pickup ANkxA     
n.拾起,获得
参考例句:
  • I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。
2 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
3 catching cwVztY     
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。
4 timing rgUzGC     
n.时间安排,时间选择
参考例句:
  • The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
  • The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。
5 ecological IrRxX     
adj.生态的,生态学的
参考例句:
  • The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
  • Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.
6 predator 11vza     
n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者
参考例句:
  • The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
  • Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴,它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。
7 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 );奴役他人者(尤指在财务或性关系方面)
参考例句:
  • birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
  • The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
9 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
10 contractor GnZyO     
n.订约人,承包人,收缩肌
参考例句:
  • The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
  • The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样,有几分要看地势而定。
11 contractors afd5c0fd2ee43e4ecee8159c7a7c63e4     
n.(建筑、监造中的)承包人( contractor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后,接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 full-time SsBz42     
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
参考例句:
  • A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
  • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。
13 preservation glnzYU     
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持
参考例句:
  • The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
  • The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。
14 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
15 musk v6pzO     
n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物,香猫
参考例句:
  • Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
  • She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。
16 licensed ipMzNI     
adj.得到许可的v.许可,颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
  • Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗?
17 humanely Kq9zvf     
adv.仁慈地;人道地;富人情地;慈悲地
参考例句:
  • Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味? 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何,中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网
18 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

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