VOA慢速英語,作為國際英語學習者的重要資源,通過清晰緩慢的發(fā)音與簡潔的詞匯,為初學者及中等水平學習者搭建了通往流利英語的橋梁。它不僅幫助提升聽力理解能力,還豐富了詞匯量,增強了語感,是學習地道英語表達不可或缺的工具,對全球英語學習者的語言提升至關重要。讓我們一起進入今天的VOA慢速英語聽力訓練:研究馬里克猴!
英文原文
Trier is an American primatologist. It has been 40 years since she started studying mariki monkeys in Brazil.
特里爾是一位美國靈長類動物學家。她從開始在巴西研究馬里克猴到現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)40年了。
At the start, she was working on an advanced degree in anthropology at Harvard University. She continues to study the animals today.
起初,她在哈佛大學攻讀人類學高級學位。她至今仍在研究這些動物。
Marikis are the largest monkeys in the Americas. Stryer first started studying them in 1983 in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state.
馬里克猴是美洲最大的猴子。斯特賴爾于1983年開始在巴西東南部米納斯吉拉斯州研究它們。
At the time, there were only about 50 of them in a large land area 200 km from the Atlantic Ocean. The monkeys were losing their habitat or living place high up in the trees.
當時,在距離大西洋200公里的一大片土地上,只有大約50只馬里克猴。這些猴子正在失去它們在高高的樹上生活的家園。
Humans were cutting down the trees so they could sell their fruit and wood. As a result, the monkeys could only be found in a small area of preserved forest.
人類正在砍伐樹木以出售它們的果實和木材。因此,猴子只能在一片保存完好的小森林里找到。
In the 1980s, many researchers centered their studies on monkeys and other primates such as gorillas in Africa and Asia.
20世紀80年代,許多研究人員將研究重點放在猴子和其他靈長類動物上,如非洲和亞洲的大猩猩。
Diane Fossey and Jane Goodall were known for their studies of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. At the time, those women said the animals lived in a male-dominated society.
戴安·福西和簡·古道爾以她們對山地大猩猩和黑猩猩的研究而聞名。當時,這些女性說這些動物生活在男性主導的社會中。
Fighting was common. One male gorilla would fight another to keep control over the group or take a leadership position. Males who lost the fights would be sent away from the group.
打架很常見。一只雄性大猩猩會與另一只雄性大猩猩打斗以控制群體或取得領導地位。輸?shù)魬?zhàn)斗的雄性大猩猩會被趕出群體。
But in Brazil, the marikis seemed peaceful. Stryer said the male and female monkeys were the same size, about 2 meters long and around 15 kilograms.
但在巴西,馬里克猴似乎很和平。斯特賴爾說,雄性和雌性猴子的體型相同,大約2米長,重約15公斤。
Males lived close to each other and did not fight. The monkeys were friendly with others in the group. In some cases, the females left their living groups in search of a mate.
雄性猴子彼此生活得很近,不會打架。猴子們對群體中的其他成員很友好。在某些情況下,雌性猴子會離開它們的生活群體去尋找配偶。
"I love them. They are beautiful animals," Streyer said.
“我愛它們。它們是美麗的動物,”斯特賴爾說。
Streyer said the marikis showed researchers that not all primates lived the same way. "I think they helped open that door to understanding better some of this diversity," she said.
斯特賴爾說,馬里克猴向研究人員表明,并非所有靈長類動物都生活在同樣的方式中?!拔艺J為它們幫助打開了理解這種多樣性的一扇門,”她說。
She does her research in the 950-hectare Feliciano Miguel Abdala Reserve, which is about 500 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro.
她在占地950公頃的費利西亞諾·米格爾·阿巴達拉保護區(qū)進行研究,該保護區(qū)位于里約熱內(nèi)盧以北約500公里處。
Trier, in the time she has followed the monkeys, their population has grown to over 230. The females can only have babies once every three years, so growth is slow.
特里爾在她追蹤這些猴子的時間里,它們的數(shù)量已經(jīng)增長到了230多只。雌性猴子每三年才能生育一次,所以它們的數(shù)量增長得很慢。
Russell Mittermire is a primatologist with the environmental group Rewild. He is who first introduced Stryer to the monkeys. He said not many studies last for 40 years and are of such high quality.
拉塞爾·米特米雷是環(huán)保組織“野化”的靈長類動物學家。是他首先將斯特賴爾介紹給了這些猴子。他說,很少有研究能持續(xù)40年,并且保持如此高的質(zhì)量。
Stryer is now working to create protected areas in southeastern Brazil, where the monkeys can get around safely. That means making sure sections of forest are preserved. She wants this to happen so the population can grow larger and so the monkeys do not disappear.
斯特賴爾現(xiàn)在正在巴西東南部創(chuàng)建保護區(qū),讓猴子們可以安全地四處活動。這意味著要確保森林的部分區(qū)域得到保護。她希望這樣做能讓猴子的數(shù)量增長,防止它們滅絕。
If there is a sickness, several years ago she said, an outbreak of yellow fever killed about 100 monkeys over a period of five years. Researchers are also looking for ways to encourage mating among the monkeys.
她說,如果發(fā)生疾病,幾年前的一次黃熱病爆發(fā)在五年內(nèi)殺死了大約100只猴子。研究人員也在尋找方法來鼓勵猴子之間的交配。
In 2020, a relocation program moved some females into a protected area where there were only two males. The effort paid off; a baby was born. Once there are 12 monkeys in the family group, they will be released into the wild.
2020年,一項遷移計劃將一些雌性猴子遷入了一個只有兩只雄性猴子的保護區(qū)。這一努力得到了回報;一只小猴子誕生了。一旦家族群體中有12只猴子,它們就會被放歸野外。
At a recent Celebration of her work, Stryer told the story of losing so many monkeys to yellow fever. She said the once noisy forest became quiet in a short time because so many monkeys died.
在最近的一次慶祝她工作的活動中,斯特賴爾講述了許多猴子死于黃熱病的故事。她說,曾經(jīng)喧鬧的森林在很短的時間內(nèi)就變得寂靜無聲,因為許多猴子都死了。
Stryer told the gathering of primatologists, environmentalists, and monkey lovers that she has always worried her life's work could be wiped out by another sickness. She called the monkeys fragile and added, "We are not done."
斯特賴爾在靈長類動物學家、環(huán)保人士和猴子愛好者的聚會上說,她一直擔心自己的工作會被另一場疾病摧毀。她稱這些猴子很脆弱,并補充說:“我們還沒有完成?!?/span>