EZCNN 易英网

The Love of Animal Parents 温柔慈爱，动物亲情

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Whether it is human-like love for their offspring, or just out of instinct, parents in the wild are doing extraordinary deeds for their babies. The animal kingdom is full of acts of parental selflessness.

不论是类似人类对子女的关爱，或只是出于本能，为了下一代，野生动物会作出特别的举动。动物王国里更充满了父母对子女无私的表现。

Meet Lydia, a Christmas Island frigate bird, for instance. To find just the right food for her baby, she flies 4,000 kilometers over smoking Indonesian volcanoes and some of Asia’s busiest shipping lanes! Likewise, emperor penguins search high and low, putting their lives in danger, to fill the rumbling tummies of their little ones.

譬如，来见见这只叫做莉迪亚的白腹军舰鸟吧！为了帮幼鸟找到合适的食物，莉迪亚不惜飞行四千公里穿越过炙热的印度尼西亚火山以及一些亚洲最繁忙的航道。同样，皇帝企鹅上山下海，不顾自身安危，只为了填饱小企鹅饥肠辘辘的肚子。

It is amazing to see how similar we mammals can be. Just as a human family will give babies lots of affection, all the family members in an elephant herd shower calves with attention. Known as allomothering, this contributes to a warm and encouraging environment for growth. There is even Critter Day Care. Within a group of dolphins, mothers often rely on a close relative to watch over their young while taking a break!

我们哺乳类之间竟然可以这么相似很令人惊奇。正如人类家庭会对幼儿给予关爱，象群所有成员也会全心照顾幼象。这就是所谓的拟母行动，营造一个温暖又有鼓励性的成长环境。甚至还有动物托儿所呢！海豚群里，海豚妈妈休息时会依赖亲密的亲属来照料小海豚。

In the air, on land or under the deep blue seas, animal parents go far beyond the call of duty to ensure their babies get what they need. After all, with their tender loving care, life does not have to be so hard.

无论在空中、陆地或蓝色海洋里，动物父母为确保子女需求获得满足所做的一切远远超出了天赋职责。毕竟，有了父母温柔慈爱的照料，生活就不需要这么辛苦了。

−by Murray Walker and Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

单词发音

offspring [ˋɔf͵sprɪŋ] n. 子孙；后代

rumbling [ˋrʌmb!ɪŋ] adj. 隆隆声的；辘辘声的

mammal [ˋmæm!] n. 哺乳动物

affection [əˋfɛkʃən] n. 感情; 钟爱

More Information

单词发音

instinct [ˋɪnstɪŋkt] n. 本能；天性

frigate [ˋfrɪgɪt] n. 驱逐舰；护卫舰；护航舰

shipping lane 航道

high and low 到处 here and there; everywhere

tummy [ˋtʌmɪ] n. 肚子，胃

shower someone with 大量地给予；倾注  to give (gifts, etc.) in abundance or present (someone) with (gifts, etc.)

calf [kæf] n.（鲸、象等的）仔; 小牛

allomothering [ˋælo͵mʌðɚɪŋ] n. 拟母行为

contribute [kənˋtrɪbjut] v. 贡献，提供[（+to/towards）]

critter [ˋkrɪtɚ] n.【美口】生物; 动物