導(dǎo)讀
哥倫比亞的Olive Ridley海龜在每年9月到來年1月間到太平洋沿岸海灘產(chǎn)卵赦肃。掠食者和偷獵者影響了海龜正常繁殖，動物保護(hù)組織為此邀請志愿者到海灘撿海龜?shù)翱弑粒山M織統(tǒng)一人工孵化后再將小海龜放生回大海脖咐。這個活動曾孵化了8萬多只小海龜瓜浸，卻一度因為部分動物保護(hù)者的反對而中止，好在2015年9月又重新開啟秋冰。作者也是在9月中旬抵達(dá)哥倫比亞來體驗這項撿海龜?shù)暗闹驹刚呋顒又僖澹酥猓诿磕甑?月到10月間丹莲，還可以參與觀鯨光坝、海豚，參觀瀑布甥材、海釣盯另、觀鳥、皮劃艇等活動鸳惯。
當(dāng)?shù)厝擞媚ν休d我來到荒蕪的沙灘，我們趴在沙灘上叠萍，打著手電芝发，距離正在產(chǎn)卵的海龜那么近，甚至可以看到他們褶皺的下腹苛谷。而這段經(jīng)歷更刺激的辅鲸，是我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了不遠(yuǎn)處的手電光束，開始還擔(dān)心是遭遇了偷獵者腹殿，好在對方是專職的動物保護(hù)者独悴。證實了彼此都不是偷獵者后，我們把撿到的75個海龜?shù)敖唤o了他們锣尉。
也許不久的將來刻炒，新建機場和奢侈酒店，以及隨之而來的大批游客自沧，會把眼前這片看似荒蕪卻蘊藏著豐富多樣物種的海灘搞得面目全非坟奥，變成遠(yuǎn)離自然原生態(tài)的旅游勝地。想到這兒，我忍不住再上去摩托車爱谁，找尋更多的海龜去了……
第一步：解決高頻單詞
discharge [d?s't?ɑrd?]
vt. 解雇／vi. 卸貨／排放
desert [(for v.) d??z??t; (for n.) 'd?z?t]
vt. vi. 遺棄／逃跑／n. 沙漠／adj. 荒涼的
suspend [s?'sp?nd]
vt. vi. 延緩／懸干古纭／暫停
pry [pra?]
vt. vi. n. 刺探／撬動
splash [spl??]
vt. vi. n. 飛濺
spot [spɑt]
vt. vi. 認(rèn)出／n. 地點／adj. 現(xiàn)場的
plunge [pl?nd?]
n. vt. vi. 投入／陷入
delve [d?lv]
vt. vi. 鉆研／n. 洞穴
intensify [?n't?ns?fa?]
vi. vt. 強化／激烈
glare [ɡl?r]
vi. vt. 瞪眼／n. 耀眼的光
第二步：精讀重點段落
Searching for turtles on Colombia’s undiscovered coastline
[1] Two pearl white eggs drop into the dark sand pit. A string of silvery discharge follows.
Lying on our stomachs, chins resting on the cool sand, we shine our flashlights onto the nesting sea turtle that’s burrowed into this deserted area of Colombia’s Pacific Beach.
pit 深坑／凹陷
string 線／一串
discharge 排放／卸貨
chin 下巴
burrow 挖地洞／探索
[2] We’ve counted 41 eggs when my guide Martin switches off his flashlight and covers mine with his other hand. “Shhh,” he whispers. We twist our heads to the left. Two faint lights flicker in the distance. “Quick,” Martin says, grabbing a plastic bag. “We must hurry.”
flicker 閃爍／搖曳
[3] This olive ridley sea turtle is one of hundreds that from September to January clambers onto these Pacific beaches to lay eggs. But due to scavenger dogs and poachers, population is in decline. So I’ve come to the small fishing town of El Valle to lend a helping hand.
olive ridley sea turtle/ the Pacific ridley sea turtle
clamber 攀登
scavenger 食腐動物/清道夫
poach 偷獵/竊取
[4] I arrive mid-September at El Almejal eco-lodge. At its gated entrance, four giant palm trees cradling bunches of coconuts stand like guards outside a palace. Two chirping yellow birds swoop across my brow as I hop burning sand into the shade of my cabin. Inside, a fluorescent green lizard, with the head of a punk rocker, scampers up the wall and into the open bathroom.
Cradle 搖籃/撫育
Chirping （鳥或昆蟲）嘰嘰喳喳聲
Swoop 猛撲/突然襲擊
Hop 單足跳/雙足跳
Fluorescent 熒光的
Lizard 蜥蜴
Punk 廢物/朋克
Rocker搖桿/搖軸
Scamper 蹦蹦跳跳/奔跑
[5] Next to my cabin, a rocky trail leads up to thick jungle and an observation porch from where visitors point at distant whale huffs. From June to October, El Almejal offers boat trips to see the thousands of migrating humpbacks, as well as dolphin tours, waterfall visits, fishing, bird watching, kayaking and river boat rides.
Porch 門廊
Huff 吹氣/發(fā)怒
Humpback 座頭鯨
[6] Part of the lodge’s eco-tourism drive is turtle conservation. The Olive Ridley Project began in 1994 and invites volunteers to collect eggs from the beach, lay them in a protected pen, then release the little scampers into the ocean. Despite liberating 85,000 hatchlings, the project has been suspended since 2012, due to a conflict with local conservationists. However, after successful negotiations the project will recommence in September 2015.
Hatchling 人工孵化的小動物
Suspend 延緩／暫停
Conservationist 環(huán)保主義者
[7] As I lunch at El Almejal, prying the last fish bone away from its white filet, I receive an offer from the waiter Martin. He says he knows a beach with nesting turtles and is willing to take me.
“First, we collect my motorcycle from town,” he says in a squeaky voice. “This way we cover more ground and have a better chance of finding turtles.”
“Humans steal the eggs,” he says, waving to a man in a house window. “Dogs and birds eat them and so do humans, for breakfast.”
“Breakfast?”
“Yes, they fry them. I’ve tasted it, but for me it has an ugly taste.”
Pry 撬動／刺探
Filet 肉片/魚片
Squeaky 吱呀作響
[8] Martin revs us along the sand while I scan the ground from behind with my flashlight. I lift my legs like a starfish as we splash through the ocean’s edge. Then, I spot something. A turtle trundles up the beach. We park the motorcycle and crawl behind the turtle to its nesting spot; so close that we can see its wrinkly underbelly.
Rev 發(fā)動機旋轉(zhuǎn)／加速
Starfish 海星
Splash 飛濺／污點
Spot 地點／認(rèn)出
Trundle 滾動／運送
Crawl 爬行/匍匐前進(jìn)
Wrinkly 有皺紋的
Underbelly 下腹部/薄弱部位
[9] After five minutes of watching the reptile nesting, we realize we’re not alone. Martin has spotted two lights in the distance and has begun collecting eggs. The speed at which he’s plunging into the hole convinces me that it could be poachers. I snatch the bag from Martin so he can use both hands.
Reptile 爬行動物/卑鄙的人
Plunge 投入/跳進(jìn)
Poacher 偷獵者
Snatch 搶奪
[10] As he quickly gathers the white balls, the lights grow brighter. Martin delves further into the hole, so deep his head is completely out of sight. My heart rate intensifies as each second passes. Christ, how many are there?
Delve 鉆研/探究
Intensify 增強/強化
[11] The lights are almost upon us. Then they stop. Ten yards away. Between us and the ocean. Martin stops and waits. I scrunch the plastic bag and hold my breath.
The two beams remain motionless and then slowly, very slowly, scan the beach, like lighthouse beacons. I close my eyes as they sweep over us. They scan 360 degrees and land pointing in the other direction. Thank god for that. They’ve missed us.
Scrunch 碾壓/嘎吱作響
[12] Suddenly both lights swivel and zone in on our position. They quickly approach. I look at Martin. “What do we do,” I whisper. “I don’t know,” he says, adjusting his glasses. Brightness fills the air above.
Swivel 旋轉(zhuǎn)/轉(zhuǎn)環(huán)
[13] We stand up and squint into the interrogation glare. A man’s voice from behind the flashlight says something in Spanish that I don’t understand. Martin, who has his hand up protecting his eyes, responds and tells me to give them the bag. A few more muffled exchanges follow before I notice a clipboard in the man’s hand. The other woman is holding a book and a tape measure. They lower their flashlights.
Squint 斜眼看
Interrogation 訊問/審問
Glare 瞪眼看/耀眼的光/受公眾注目
Muffled 蒙住/發(fā)低沉聲音
Clipboard 剪貼板
[14] Martin turns to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, they’re conservationists,” he says. “They can guard the eggs now.”
I breathe again and examine my pants.
They record the size of the turtle, staple a metal bracket to its flipper and gather the rest of the eggs (75 in total). We say adios and hop onto the motorcycle.
Bracket n. 支架，括號
Flipper n. 鰭狀肢
Adios （西班牙語）再見
[15] Martin turns around. “What do you want to do now Simon,” he says. “Go back to the lodge, or carry on?”
Carry on 繼續(xù)
[16] I look along the deserted beach and wonder how many coastlines on earth, with such rich bio-diversity, are so untainted by tourists. No doubt in the future, new airports will allow easier access, luxurious hotels will line the coast and night tours led by men in green turtle t-shirts will roam the sands…maybe beach motorcyclists will be banned too. For now though, there are no warnings, no tourists and no need to return home. I grab onto the back of the motorbike, “l(fā)et’s find some more turtles.”
Untainted adj. 無污點的
discharge [d?s't?ɑrd?]
vt. 解雇／vi. 卸貨／排放
desert [(for v.) d??z??t; (for n.) 'd?z?t]
vt. vi. 遺棄／逃跑／n. 沙漠／adj. 荒涼的
suspend [s?'sp?nd]
vt. vi. 延緩／懸腹苄小／暫停
pry [pra?]
vt. vi. n. 刺探／撬動
splash [spl??]
vt. vi. n. 飛濺
spot [spɑt]
vt. vi. 認(rèn)出／n. 地點／adj. 現(xiàn)場的
plunge [pl?nd?]
n. vt. vi. 投入／陷入
delve [d?lv]
vt. vi. 鉆研／n. 洞穴
intensify [?n't?ns?fa?]
vi. vt. 強化／激烈
glare [ɡl?r]
vi. vt. 瞪眼／n. 耀眼的光
