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From Nature Lover to Nature Protector: The Story of Gerald Durrell 杜瑞尔：大自然的守护者

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

“I don’t know why my brother and sister complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, our house, on the island of Corfu, is a bit like a circus. So they should feel right at home ……” 

– from My Family & Other Animals

「我不知道哥哥姊姊为什么老是抱怨。浴室里有蛇，午餐桌上有蝎子，我们在克基拉岛上的家有点像马戏团，所以他们应该觉得自在才对……」

－摘自《希脑狂想曲－追逐阳光之岛》

 

Gerald Durrell had an enduring passion for animals. He was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author, and television presenter during the course of his life. But perhaps he is best remembered for writing best-selling books about his life as an animal collector and enthusiast.

杰洛德．杜瑞尔对动物的热情历久不衰。终其一生，他是位自然主义者、动物园管理者、保育人士、作家及电视节目主持人。不过，他最令人印象深刻的，或许是他以动物搜集和热爱者身份所写的和自己生活有关的畅销书。

 

Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, India. Life for the Durrells was much the same as any ordinary British family at the time. During his early years the impressionable Durrell took an intense interest in the zoo. He was mesmerized by the animals and a lifelong love affair began.

杜瑞尔出生在印度的哲雪铺市。他们全家的生活就如同当时一般的英国家庭。早年，易感的杜瑞尔对动物园产生了浓厚兴趣，深受动物吸引。一场长达一生的爱恋就在此展开。

 

Durrell’s time in India came to an end after his father’s death in 1928. The family then set course for England and Durrell started attending school in London. Even at such a young age, his interest in animals waxed strong while his interest in other subjects waned. He would often feign illness so he could stay home and read about his favorite subjects.

杜瑞尔在印度的时光于父亲1928年去世后告一段落，之后，全家人启程前往英国，杜瑞尔开始在伦敦上学。即使在这么小的年纪，杜瑞尔对动物的兴趣却越来越强烈，对其他学科的兴趣则日渐减退。他时常装病，好待在家中阅读自己喜欢的题材。

 

By age eight, Durrell and his family moved again, but this time to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu. Here, young Durrell was home-schooled by family friends and tutors. One of them, Dr. Theodore Stephanides, became Durrell’s friend and mentor and left a profound impression on him. Both shared a love for animals, and together they explored the fertile Corfu.

八岁时，杜瑞尔和家人又搬家了，但这次是迁往美丽的希腊克基拉岛。在那里，年幼的杜瑞尔由家庭友人和家庭教师在家上课。其中有位史提芬奈迪斯医生成了杜瑞尔的良师益友，对他影响深远。喜爱动物的两人一同探索了富饶的克基拉岛。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

at home (像在自己家里一样)自在, 无拘束

enduring [ɪnˋdjʊrɪŋ] adj. 持久的；耐久的

conservationist [͵kɑnsɚˋveʃənɪst] n.〔动植物等或古旧建筑〕保护工作者

take an interest in 对…有兴趣

mesmerize [ˋmɛsmə͵raɪz] v. [often passive 常用被动态] 使着迷; 使迷住

come to an end 终结, 结束

feign [fen] v. 装作，假装

impression [ɪmˋprɛʃən] n. 印象; 影响

 

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单词发音

 

scorpion [ˋskɔrpɪən] n. 蝎子

naturalist [ˋnætʃərəlɪst] n. 博物学家〔尤指在野外研究动植物者〕; 自然主义者

presenter [prɪˋzɛntɚ] n. 节目主持人

impressionable [ɪmˋprɛʃənəb!] adj.〔尤因年轻而〕易受影响的

set course for 出发至…; 前往…

wax [wæks] v. 增加；变大  increase, gain, grow, rise

wane [wen] v. 衰落；没落; 变暗淡

home-school v. 在家教育 (Education) to teach one's child at home instead of sending him or her to school

mentor  [ˋmɛntɚ] n. 良师益友

 

 

 

課文講解

 

The family’s stay on the island of Corfu was cut short in 1939 by the outbreak of World War II. The entire Durrell family returned to England where they went through a hard time. Fortunately, the teenage Durrell secured employment by working at a pet store. Due to this experience, he was given the opportunity to join Whipsnade Zoo as a junior keeper when the war ended. This was his first step towards realizing his dreams.

1939年爆发的二次世界大战中断了杜瑞尔一家在克基拉岛的生活。他们举家返回英国，经历了一段苦日子。所幸，十多岁的杜瑞尔在一家宠物店找到了工作。由于这项经验，他在战争结束时获得在惠普斯奈德动物园担任初级管理员的机会。这是他实现梦想的第一步。

 

Always adventurous and curious, Durrell decided to participate in wildlife collection expeditions. His first trip in 1947 took him to Cameroon, Africa, which was followed by numerous expeditions. Later on, Durrell got an idea to start his own zoo. Founded in 1958 and situated in a 16^th –century manor house, Jersey Zoo was devoted to saving threatened wildlife from around the globe.

富冒险精神和好奇心的杜瑞尔，决定加入野生动物搜集探险队。1947年的首次远征将他带到非洲的喀麦隆，随后更有无数次探险。后来，杜瑞尔兴起设立自己的动物园的想法。1958年创立的泽西动物园位于一座十六世纪的庄园里，致力拯救全球濒临绝种的野生动物。

 

Durrell began to write autobiographical books based on his life to raise funds for his zoo. His most well-known work, My Family and Other Animals, was full of wry humor and poked fun at his family during their life on Corfu. It showed his cooking-crazed mother in a hilarious light, and how his unsatisfied oldest brother always found something to complain about. The book became an overnight success and helped to raise much-needed funds, which were used to create the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust in 1963.

杜瑞尔开始撰写以其生活为主要内容的自传性书籍为动物园筹款。他最著名的作品《追逐阳光之岛》充满了讽刺的幽默，还嘲弄了在克基拉岛居住时的家人。书中以诙谐搞笑的方式呈现他热爱烹饪的母亲，以及他那永不知足、抱怨连连的大哥。这本书短期内就获得极大成功，帮助杜瑞尔筹措到急需的资金，于1963年成立泽西野生动物保育信托。

 

The trust would financially assist organizations or individuals who worked with endangered species. Durrell also helped bring about the first World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity, which was held at the Jersey Zoo. Finally, people within the conservationist community were listening to and respecting Gerald Durrell and his ideals.

该信托资助了保育濒临绝种动物的组织和个人。杜瑞尔也促成在泽西动物园召开的首次「濒临绝种动物豢养世界会议」。终于，保育界人士都倾听并尊重他的理念。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

cut short 打断 to stop before the end; abbreviate

outbreak [ˋaʊt͵brek] n.〔战争﹑战斗﹑恶疾的〕突然发生; 爆发

secure [sɪˋkjʊr] v. 弄到，获得

expedition [͵ɛkspɪˋdɪʃən] n. 远征；探险

autobiographical [͵ɔtə͵baɪəˋgræfɪk!] adj. 自传的；自传体的

poke [pok] fun at (通常作贬义)开玩笑; 嘲弄; 嘲笑 to make fun of someone or something

hilarious [həˋlɛrɪəs] adj. 极可笑的; 极有趣的

preservation [͵prɛzɚˋveʃən] n. 保护

 

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单词发音

 

adventurous [ədˋvɛntʃərəs] adj. 爱冒险的；大胆的

Cameroon [͵kæməˋrun] n. 喀麦隆（西非国名）

manor [ˋmænɚ] n. 领地；庄园

wry [raɪ] adj. 富于幽默的；讽刺的

light [laɪt] n.（对事物的）见解，观点

overnight success 一夜成名

trust [trʌst] n. 托管，信托

bring about 引起, 造成 cause to happen, occur or exist

in captivity 指人工饲养的；笼养；在牢笼中

captivity [kæpˋtɪvətɪ] n. 拘禁; 囚禁; 束缚

 

 

 

課文講解

 

Throughout his life, Durrell put his love of animals first and foremost. He was a dedicated naturalist, and his ideas, such as using zoo as animal reserve banks, set an important precedent. At age 70, after a challenge life spent mostly outdoors, this animal advocate passed away. Prior to his death, Durrell drafted a touching and candid letter, which was buried in a time capsule at the Jersey headquarters in 1988.

杜瑞尔一生都将自己对动物的爱摆第一位。他是奉献的自然主义者，其诸多想法，如将动物园当成动物保育银行，创下了重要先例。在度过大半生具挑战性的户外生活后，这位动物拥护者与世长辞，享年70岁。去世前，杜瑞尔草拟了一封动人又直率的信置于时空胶囊中，于1988年埋在泽西总部。

 

In the letter, Durrell beseeched people to respect the natural world and its inhabitants. He stated that it is through our misuse and greedy exploitation that ecosystems vanish. Durrell hoped that future generations would learn from the mistakes of the past and by what had been achieved. He left words of wisdom, which personified his appreciation and humility for the natural world.

信中，杜瑞尔恳求世人尊重自然界和其栖息者。他提到，我们的滥用和贪婪的开采正是生态系统灭绝的原因。杜瑞尔希望未来的世代能从过去的错误和成就中学习。他留下的智慧话语象征着他对大自然的赞赏和谦卑。

 

−by Ryan Campbell

 

 

“We hope that there will be fireflies and glow-worms at night to guide you and butterflies in hedges and forests to greet you.

「我们希望未来会有萤火虫在夜晚指引你，有蝴蝶在树篱和森林中迎接你。

 

We hope that your dawns will have an orchestra of bird song and that the sound of their wings and the opalescence of their coloring will dazzle you.

我们希望你的黎明有鸟鸣交响乐，牠们振翅之声和缤纷光泽将令你赞叹。

 

We hope that there will still be the extraordinary varieties of creatures sharing the land of the planet with you to enchant you and enrich your lives as they have done for us.

我们希望仍有许多不同种类的生物与你共享地球这块土地，令你喜悦并丰富你的生命，如同牠们曾为我们所做的。

 

We hope that you will be grateful for having been born into such a magical world.”    

我希望你会感恩于生在如此奇妙的世界。」

 

– Gerald Durrell (1925-1995)

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

first and foremost:  比什么都重要; 首要的 first to be dealt with and most important

set a precedent 为…开了先例

advocate [`ædvəkɪt] n. 提倡者；拥护者

prior [ˋpraɪɚ] to  在...之前

candid [ˋkændɪd] adj. 坦率的，直言的

inhabitant [ɪnˋhæbətənt] n.（某地区的）居民，居住者; 栖居的动物

exploitation [͵ɛksplɔɪˋteʃən] n. 开发；开采; 剥削

humility [hjuˋmɪlətɪ] n. 谦卑，谦逊

dazzle [ˋdæz!] v. 使目眩; 使赞叹不已

grateful [ˋgretfəl] adj. 感谢的，感激的[F][（+for/to）][+to-v][+（that）]

 

More Information

单词发音

 

pass away (委婉语)去世

capsule [ˋkæps!] n.【药】胶囊

beseech [bɪˋsitʃ] v. 恳求；哀求

misuse [mɪsˋjuz] v. 误用；滥用

personify [pɚˋsɑnə͵faɪ] v. 象征

firefly [ˋfaɪr͵flaɪ] n. 萤火虫

glow-worm [ˋglo͵wɝm] n. 萤火虫

hedge [hɛdʒ] n. 树篱；篱笆

opalescence [opəˋlɛsns] n. 乳白光，蛋白光

enchant [ɪnˋtʃænt] v. 使陶醉；使喜悦；使入迷