美语情景对话 第1355期:Birds Don't Fly 不会飞的鸟(2)

Todd: Yeah, I know that, you don't have snakes, but I know that snakes when they got into Guam they like decimated the bird population.

托德：我知道新西兰没有蛇，不过蛇进入关岛以后大幅减少了那里的鸟类数量。

Rachel: Yep. That's what would happen and that's why New Zealand immigration customs is very strict about what kind of animals you can bring in. We don't even have snakes in zoos.

蕾切尔：对。可能会发生这种事，所以新西兰入境海关严格限制可带入新西兰的动物种类。新西兰连动物园里也没有蛇。

Todd: That's smart.

托德：这很明智。

Rachel: Michael Jackson famously came to New Zealand in the 1980's and wanted to bring his pet snake with him and he wasn't allowed to.

蕾切尔：上世纪80年代，迈克尔·杰克逊来新西兰时想带着他的宠物蛇，可是他没有获得允许。

Todd: Oh, good on you.

托德：哦，你们做得真好。

Rachel: There were no exceptions to that rule.

蕾切尔：这项规定没有例外。

Todd: Are there any other birds that don't fly? For example do you have penguins?

托德：还有其他不会飞的鸟吗？你们有企鹅吗？

Rachel: Oh, yes, there's lots of penguins in New Zealand.

蕾切尔：哦，有，新西兰有很多企鹅。

Todd: In the south right?

托德：在南方，对吧？

Rachel: Yeah, in the south. Oh, they come up to the north sometimes.

蕾切尔：对，在南方。哦，企鹅有时也会去北方。

Todd: Really, that far north?

托德：是吗？遥远的北方吗？

Rachel: Yeah, occasionally. The big colonies are down south.

蕾切尔：对，它们偶尔去。它们主要的聚居地在南方。

Todd: Ah, that's amazing. How cool. Any other birds that don't fly?

托德：啊，不错。真酷。还有其他鸟类不会飞吗？

Rachel: Not that I can think of off the top of my head. I'd have to look it up on the Internet.

蕾切尔：现在我能想到的就这些了。我需要去网上查一下。

Todd: No, that's still though ... that's quite a few. That's so nice.

托德：不用了，你已经说了很多了。不错。

Rachel: The most famous was the moa of course.

蕾切尔：当然最有名的是恐鸟。

Todd: The moa?

托德：恐鸟？

Rachel: Which is an ostrich sized bird.

蕾切尔：体型和鸵鸟差不多。

Todd: Oh, really.

托德：哦，真的吗？

Rachel: Yeah, but they were ... they were killed off before Europeans arrived in New Zealand.

蕾切尔：对，不过在欧洲人到新西兰以前，恐鸟就被杀绝了。

Todd: Oh, easy hunting.

托德：哦，很容易被捕杀。

Rachel: They were easy hunting. Yeah. And a big feast.

蕾切尔：它们很容易捕杀。对。然后享受盛宴。

Todd: It's funny how when you go to a place, you really want to see like a local animal, so last year I went to the Middle East. I went to U.A.E and Oman, and I just wanted to see a camel. I wanted to see a camel so bad, and I thought like I'd go down the road..

托德：有意思的是，每去一个地方，你都想看到当地的动物，去年我去了中东。我去了阿联酋和阿曼，我想看看骆驼。我非常想看骆驼，我本以为我在路上就会看到。

Rachel: Everyone drives a Mercedes these days.

蕾切尔：最近所有人都开奔驰车了。

Todd: and there'd be a camel, and I was kind of going out in the countryside. I wasn't just in the city, and I never saw a camel, and I was asking people that work there, and they're like, "yeah, you do see them" but I was just so heartbroken that I never saw a camel.

托德：我以为路上就会有骆驼，我去了乡村。我没有只在城市游览，我从没见过骆驼，我问当地的工作人员，他们说，“嗯，你会看到的”，可是让我心碎的是，我并没有看到骆驼。

Rachel: Ooh!

蕾切尔：哦！

Todd: It's one of my favorite animals. I just think they look so cool, so when I go to New Zealand, I have to make sure I see a kiwi.

托德：骆驼是我最喜爱的动物之一。我认为骆驼看上去非常酷，我想我去新西兰的时候，一定要确保我能看到几维鸟。

Rachel: But you'll have to go to the kiwi house.

蕾切尔：那你要去几维鸟园。

Todd: The Kiwi House.

托德：几维鸟园。

Rachel: The Kiwi House it's called. Or just look up zoos.

蕾切尔：几维鸟园。或者去动物园。

Todd: And they got 'em?

托德：那些地方有吗？

Rachel: Yep, they got 'em there. But you won't just see them driving around.

蕾切尔：有，那里有几维鸟。你在路上开车时是不会看到几维鸟的。

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重点讲解：
1. bring in 带进来；引进；
We can even bring in books and magazines from home.
我们甚至能把家里的书和杂志带进去。
2. no exception 不例外；无例外；
Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception.
每个人都应该遵守纪律，你也毫无例外。
3. off the top of one's head 不加思索地；来不及思索地；
Then standing up to recite the poem, I found myself doing it off the top of my head!
然后，我站起来背那首诗。我发现自己不加思索地脱口而出。
4. kill off 被全部杀死；被灭绝；
Their natural predators have been killed off.
它们的天敌被全部杀死。