美語情景對話 第1355期:Birds Don't Fly 不會飛的鳥(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.

託德：我知道新西蘭沒有蛇，不過蛇進入關島以後大幅減少了那裏的鳥類數量。

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.

蕾切爾：對。可能會發生這種事，所以新西蘭入境海關嚴格限制可帶入新西蘭的動物種類。新西蘭連動物園裏也沒有蛇。

Todd: That's smart.

託德：這很明智。

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.

蕾切爾：上世紀80年代，邁克爾·傑克遜來新西蘭時想帶着他的寵物蛇，可是他沒有獲得允許。

Todd: Oh, good on you.

託德：哦，你們做得真好。

Rachel: There were no exceptions to that rule.

蕾切爾：這項規定沒有例外。

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

託德：還有其他不會飛的鳥嗎？你們有企鵝嗎？

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

蕾切爾：哦，有，新西蘭有很多企鵝。

Todd: In the south right?

託德：在南方，對吧？

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

蕾切爾：對，在南方。哦，企鵝有時也會去北方。

Todd: Really, that far north?

託德：是嗎？遙遠的北方嗎？

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

蕾切爾：對，它們偶爾去。它們主要的聚居地在南方。

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

託德：啊，不錯。真酷。還有其他鳥類不會飛嗎？

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

蕾切爾：現在我能想到的就這些了。我需要去網上查一下。

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

託德：不用了，你已經說了很多了。不錯。

Rachel: The most famous was the moa of course.

蕾切爾：當然最有名的是恐鳥。

Todd: The moa?

託德：恐鳥？

Rachel: Which is an ostrich sized bird.

蕾切爾：體型和鴕鳥差不多。

Todd: Oh, really.

託德：哦，真的嗎？

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

蕾切爾：對，不過在歐洲人到新西蘭以前，恐鳥就被殺絕了。

Todd: Oh, easy hunting.

託德：哦，很容易被捕殺。

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

蕾切爾：它們很容易捕殺。對。然後享受盛宴。

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..

託德：有意思的是，每去一個地方，你都想看到當地的動物，去年我去了中東。我去了阿聯酋和阿曼，我想看看駱駝。我非常想看駱駝，我本以爲我在路上就會看到。

Rachel: Everyone drives a Mercedes these days.

蕾切爾：最近所有人都開奔馳車了。

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.

託德：我以爲路上就會有駱駝，我去了鄉村。我沒有隻在城市遊覽，我從沒見過駱駝，我問當地的工作人員，他們說，“嗯，你會看到的”，可是讓我心碎的是，我並沒有看到駱駝。

Rachel: Ooh!

蕾切爾：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.

託德：駱駝是我最喜愛的動物之一。我認爲駱駝看上去非常酷，我想我去新西蘭的時候，一定要確保我能看到幾維鳥。

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

蕾切爾：那你要去幾維鳥園。

Todd: The Kiwi House.

託德：幾維鳥園。

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

蕾切爾：幾維鳥園。或者去動物園。

Todd: And they got 'em?

託德：那些地方有嗎？

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

蕾切爾：有，那裏有幾維鳥。你在路上開車時是不會看到幾維鳥的。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. bring in 帶進來；引進；
We can even bring in books and magazines from home.
我們甚至能把家裏的書和雜誌帶進去。
2. no exception 不例外；無例外；
Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception.
每個人都應該遵守紀律，你也毫無例外。
3. off the top of one's head 不加思索地；來不及思索地；
Then standing up to recite the poem, I found myself doing it off the top of my head!
然後，我站起來背那首詩。我發現自己不加思索地脫口而出。
4. kill off 被全部殺死；被滅絕；
Their natural predators have been killed off.
它們的天敵被全部殺死。