现代大学英语精读第二版（第二册）学习笔记（原文及全文翻译）——6B - Baby Birds（幼鸟）

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Unit 6B - Baby Birds

Baby Birds

Gale Lawrence

Every spring the "baby bird crisis" occurs. By May many birds have hatched their first broods and are feeding them in the nest while they grow their feathers and learn to fly. Baby birds have a way of tumbling out of their nests, and children have a way of finding them and bringing them home. What should a family do if faced with this "crisis"?

First, take the baby bird back to the exact spot where it was found. Look carefully for a nest nearby. If you find the nest and it is accessible, put the bird gently back into the nest. Contrary to popular belief, the mother bird will not reject a baby that has been handled by human beings. A deer, which has a keen sense of smell and fears the human scent, will reject a fawn that has been handled, but birds are different. If you find the nest and return the baby, you have done the best you can do.

As a next-best measure, tie a small box onto a branch of a tree or shrub near where the bird was found, and put the baby bird in the box. The bird will thus be off the ground and out of the reach of neighborhood cats and dogs.

The third best thing you can do is simply to leave the bird in the exact spot where it was found. Parent birds are accustomed to having their young fall out of the nest, and they will feed them on the ground. Of course, the baby bird is more vulnerable on the ground than it is in the nest or in a box, but it still stands a better chance of surviving under its own parents' care than under human care. If the baby bird is found near a house, it is better to keep pet dogs and cats indoors than to bring the baby bird indoors in an attempt to protect it.

If the baby is truly abandoned or orphaned—something you can learn only by watching it from a distance for an hour or more—you have a decision to make. You can leave it there to die a natural death—which might in fact be the most humane thing to do. Or you can take it indoors. If you decide to care for it yourself, you are making a substantial commitment. And, even if you live up to your commitment, there is no guarantee that the bird will survive.

Two major problems are involved in trying to parent a baby bird. One is feeding it, and the other is preparing it for life in the wild. Parent birds do it all as a matter of course, but a human parent will have to drop other activities for a period of weeks and perhaps install a screened porch or aviary to do the job right.

Before you can even address yourself to the problem of feeding, however, you have the more immediate problem of the bird's shock and fright to contend with. Perhaps this is the time to send one member of the family for a book on the care of wild animal young, while another rigs up a heating pad or hot water bottle to warm the baby bird. One good book is Care of the Wild Feathered and Furred: A Guide to Wildlife Handling and Care (Santa Cruz: Unity Press, 1973) by Mae Hickman and Maxine Guy. Another is Ronald Rood's The Care and Feeding of Wild Pets (New York: Pocket Books, 1976). A third book that is specifically about birds is Bird Ambulance (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971) by Arline Thomas.

Now comes the problem of feeding. The warm milk in an eye dropper that seems to be everyone's immediate impulse when it comes to feeding animal young may be appropriate for baby mammals, but it will come as a complete surprise to the baby bird. Its parents were probably feeding it mashed worms, caterpillars, insects, and other delicious odds and ends. Therefore, you'll need to do the same. At first you should supply the baby bird with protein-rich foods. Eventually you're going to have to identify the species and learn something about its food habits in the wild if you want the bird to grow up properly. Whether the bird is a seed eater, an insect eater, or a predator will make a difference.

Parent birds feed their babies about every ten or fifteen minutes from sunrise to sunset. They also feed them exactly what they need to keep their bowels regulated and their bodies growing properly. They also keep the nest clean by removing the babies' excrement, which usually appears shortly after each feeding. In brief, between finding and preparing appropriate food, feeding, and cleaning up after meals you're not going to have much time for anything else for a while if you decide to parent a baby bird.

If you do manage to keep the young bird fed properly and growing, your next problem is providing it with enough space for it to practice flying. You cannot expect a bird to go from your kitchen to the wild with one swoop of its wings. You will need to continue feeding and protecting the bird while it is adjusting to the outdoors. If it had stayed with its parents, it would have had adult birds to follow and imitate, but, with nothing but human beings to encourage it, it will have to make sense out of its environment alone. The young bird that has been raised by humans is at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for food and avoiding the attacks of predators. So even if you do manage to raise a fledgling to adulthood, you have not guaranteed its survival in the wild.

If you think I'm trying to sound discouraging, I am. The adoption of a baby bird will probably result in failure. You might even cause a death that would not have occurred had you left the baby bird where it was. Your intentions might be good; the ethical impulse that motivates your actions might be of the best kind. But you should know that even experienced veterinarians have a low success rate in caring for wild animals.

Perhaps the most important thing a child or adult can learn from an encounter with a baby bird is the difference between wild animals and domestic pets. Whereas puppies and kittens warm to human attention and become very much a part of the family, a wild bird never will. Attempting to make a pet out of a wild animal is a serious disservice to that animal—so serious, in fact, that there are laws against it. Life in the wild does not consist of friendly humans, readily available meals, and a protected environment. Wild animals must remain wild to survive.

Rather than adopt a baby bird, why not "adopt" a whole bird family from a distance? Chances are there is a bird's nest somewhere near your home. Or you can build birdhouses to attract birds to your yard. Learn to watch the bird family from a distance. If human beings get too close, the parent birds won't come to the nest. So practice sitting quietly, perhaps with a pair of binoculars, far enough away from the nest that the adult birds won't feel threatened.

Watching birds in the wild is a much healthier and more realistic activity than fantasizing that a bird will become your special friend because you raised it. Unfortunately, movies, television, and children's books have created a "Bambi syndrome" in us. The young of most species are precious and adorable, but the desire to fondle and caress and make pets out of wildlings is dangerously romantic. It should not be encouraged. We'd be much wiser if we were content to be observers of wildlife. If we truly care about wild animals, we should be protectors of their wildness, which enables the best of them to survive.

参考译文——幼鸟

幼鸟

盖尔·劳伦斯

每年春天“幼鸟危机”都会发生。到5月份，很多鸟都孵出了它们的第一窝幼鸟。幼鸟在鸟窝里得到成鸟的哺育，长出羽毛，学习飞翔。幼鸟有时会从鸟巢里滚落下去，孩子们则经常能找到它们并把它们带回家玩。面对这样一种“危机”，家庭应该做些什么呢？

第一种方法是把幼鸟送回它被发现的地方，仔细寻找附近有没有鸟窝。如果你找到了那个鸟窝并且可以够得着，就把幼鸟小心地放回鸟窝。与人们的普遍认识相反，鸟妈妈不会排斥那些被人类触摸过的幼鸟。鹿的嗅觉很敏锐且害怕人类的味道，它们会拒绝被人类触摸过的小鹿。而鸟则不同，如果你找到了鸟窝并将幼鸟放了回去，那么你已经做了你所能做的最好的事。

第二好的方法是，在幼鸟发现地附近的树枝上绑一个小盒子，把幼鸟放进去。这样幼鸟就远离地面，不会被附近的猫、狗伤害到。

第三好的方法是把幼鸟留在它被发现的地方。鸟妈妈已习惯它们的孩子掉出巢来，它们会在地上喂养幼鸟。当然，幼鸟在地面上会比在鸟窝或盒子里更容易受到伤害，但幼鸟在母鸟的照顾下仍比在人类的照顾下存活率高。如果幼鸟是在住房附近被发现的，与其试图把幼鸟带回家保护它，还不如把宠物猫、狗关在屋里更好。

如果幼鸟确实是被遗弃或者是孤儿的话——这一结论只要你在远处观察一两个小时便可得出——然后你要作一个决定。你可以让它在那里自生自灭——实际上这是最为人道的做法。或者你可以把它带回家。如果你决定亲自照顾它，那么你是在做出一个重大的承诺。即使你信守承诺，也不一定能保证幼鸟会存活下来。

养育幼鸟会遇到两个主要问题：其一是喂养，其二是为它的户外活动做准备。母鸟理所当然可以做好这两件事情，但作为鸟的养育人，你将不得不把其他的事放下几个星期，或许你还需要安装纱窗或者鸟舍以求养育好幼鸟。

在你全力投入到喂鸟之前，还必须解决一个更迫切的问题，那便是鸟会因为受到惊吓而感到害怕。或许你应该派某个家庭成员去找关于照顾幼小野生动物的书，而与此同时，另一个人则要迅速做个加热垫或热水瓶来为幼鸟取暖。有一本比较好的书是梅·希克曼和玛克辛·盖伊合著的《野生兽类与鸟类的养护：野生动物处理和养护指南》（圣克鲁斯：联合出版社， 1973），另一本是罗纳德·鲁德的《野生宠物的护理和喂养》（纽约：袖珍丛书出版社，1976），还有一本是阿利纳·托马斯写的专门关于鸟类的书《鸟类救护手册》（纽约：斯克里布纳出版社，1971）。

现在该谈论喂养的问题了。谈到喂养幼小的动物，似乎每个人都会立刻想到将温牛奶装入眼药水的滴瓶里来喂食。这也许适合哺乳动物的幼崽，但可能会吓到幼鸟。母鸟会给它们喂嚼碎了的草虫、毛毛虫、昆虫以及其他这类美味。因此，你也需要做同样的工作。首先，你应该为幼鸟提供蛋白质丰富的食物，如果你想要幼鸟健康成长的话，你得确定鸟的种类并了解它们在野外的饮食习惯。它是食草的、食昆虫的还是肉食性的，这些都是有区别的。

从日出到日落，母鸟每隔10到15分钟就会喂一遍幼鸟。它们会给幼鸟喂一些能保证它们正常消化并有助于健康成长的食物。它们也会清除幼鸟的粪便以保持巢内的清洁，这通常在每次喂食后很短的时间内完成。简单地说，如果你打算照顾一只幼鸟，你就会因备食、喂食和每顿饭后清理鸟巢而没有片刻的时间去做其他事情。

如果你做到了正确喂养并使幼鸟健康成长，你的下一个问题就是提供足够的空间让鸟儿练习飞行。你可不能期望鸟儿猛扇一下翅膀就能冲出厨房飞到野外。在训练它适应户外的同时，你需要继续喂养并保护它。如果它是跟父母在一起，它会跟随模仿成鸟。但是不具备这样的条件时，只有人类来鼓励它了，它将不得不独自适应野外的环境。人类喂养的幼鸟在争食和防止肉食动物袭击时，会处于不利的境地。因此，即使你能成功地把幼鸟养成成鸟，你也不能保证它可以在野外继续生存。

如果你认为我是在泼冷水，那么你尽可以这样认为。收养幼鸟很可能以失败告终。你甚至可能导致幼鸟死亡，但如果你最初让幼鸟就待在原地的话，说不定它不会死去。你的初衷可能是好的，动机可能非常符合道德标准。但你应该知道，即使一个经验丰富的兽医来养护野生动物，成功率也是很低的。

或许，成人和儿童从与幼鸟打交道的经历中所能学到的最重要的一点就是野生动物与家养宠物的区别。家养的宠物狗和宠物猫喜欢人类的照料，会成为家庭的一部分，而野生鸟类则永远也不会。试图把一只野生动物驯养成宠物是对那只动物极大的伤害——而且非常严重，因此，事实上，法律禁止这样做。在野外生存，不会遇到友善的人类，没有准备妥当的食物和给予保护的环境，野生动物必须保持野性才能生存。

相比收养一只幼鸟，为什么不在远处“收养”一个完整的小鸟之家呢？有可能在你家附近的某个地方有一个鸟窝，又或者你可以在你的院子里建造一个鸟舍来吸引鸟儿。学会远距离观察鸟儿之家。如果人离得太近，幼鸟的父母就不会到巢中来。所以，请你选择在离鸟巢足够远的地方静静地坐下，可以拿着一副双筒望远镜观察，这样成鸟就不会感受到威胁。

比起幻想因为你的养护，鸟儿会成为你的特殊朋友之类的想法，观察野外环境中的鸟儿是一种更健康、更实际的行为。不幸的是，电影、电视以及儿童书已经在我们心中制造了一种“斑比综合征”。大多数物种的幼崽都是珍贵而可爱的，但爱抚、照顾它们的欲望，以及将野生动物驯化成宠物的想法是危险而不切实际的。这种做法不应提倡。甘作野生动物的观察者则更明智。如果我们真的关心野生动物，就应该保护野生动物的野性，因为正是野性才使它们当中最适应环境者得以生存下去。

Key Words:

popular  ['pɔpjulə]

adj. 流行的，大众的，通俗的，受欢迎的

fawn       [fɔ:n]      

n. 未满周岁的小鹿，浅黄褐色 vi. 奉承，讨好

measure ['meʒə]   

n. 措施，办法，量度，尺寸

v. 测量，量

contrary  ['kɔntrəri]

adj. 相反的，截然不同的

adv. 相反(

shrub     [ʃrʌb]     

n. 灌木

n. 果汁甜酒

branch    [brɑ:ntʃ] 

n. 分支，树枝，分店，分部

v. 分支，分岔

accessible      [æk'sesəbl]    

adj. 可得到的，易接近的，可进入的

scent      [sent]     

n. 气味，香味，痕迹

vt. 闻出，发觉，使

keen       [ki:n]      

adj. 锋利的，敏锐的，强烈的，精明的，热衷的

commitment  [kə'mitmənt]  

n. 承诺，保证; 确定，实行

accustomed   [ə'kʌstəmd]   

adj. 习惯了的，通常的

survive   [sə'vaiv] 

vt. 比 ... 活得长，幸免于难，艰难度过

vulnerable     ['vʌlnərəbl]    

adj. 易受伤害的，有弱点的

guarantee      [.gærən'ti:]    

n. 保证，保证书，担保，担保人，抵押品

protect    [prə'tekt]

vt. 保护，投保

decision  [di'siʒən]

n. 决定，决策

substantial     [səb'stænʃəl] 

adj. 实质的，可观的，大量的，坚固的

aviary     ['eiviəri]  

n. 大鸟笼，鸟舍

predator ['predətə]      

n. 食肉动物，掠夺者

appropriate    [ə'prəupriət]   

adj. 适当的，相称的

vt. 拨出(款项)

supply    [sə'plai]  

n. 补给，供给，供应，贮备

vt. 补给，供

species   ['spi:ʃiz]  

n. （单复同）物种，种类

impulse  ['impʌls] 

n. 冲动，驱动力，倾向，心血来潮

vt. 推

address  [ə'dres]  

n. 住址，致词，讲话，谈吐，(处理问题的)技巧

     

contend  [kən'tend]     

vi. 奋斗，斗争，辩论

vt. 坚持认为，竞

eventually      [i'ventjuəli]    

adv. 终于，最后

immediate     [i'mi:djət]

adj. 立即的，即刻的，直接的，最接近的

identify   [ai'dentifai]    

vt. 识别，认明，鉴定

minutes  ['minits] 

n. 会议记录，(复数)分钟

appropriate    [ə'prəupriət]   

adj. 适当的，相称的

vt. 拨出(款项)

imitate    ['imiteit] 

vt. 仿制，仿造，模仿，仿效

environment  [in'vaiərənmənt]    

n. 环境，外界

kitchen   ['kitʃin]   

n. 厨房，(全套)炊具，灶间

disadvantage [.disəd'væntidʒ]    

n. 不利，不利条件，损害，损失

fledgling ['fledʒliŋ]

n. 刚会飞的幼鸟，尚缺乏经验的人

encourage     [in'kʌridʒ]      

vt. 鼓励，促进，支持

survival   [sə'vaivəl]

n. 生存，幸存者

discouraging  [dis'kʌridʒiŋ] 

adj. 令人气馁的 动词discourage的现在分词

available [ə'veiləbl]

adj. 可用的，可得到的，有用的，有效的

ethical     ['eθikəl]  

adj. 道德的，伦理的，民族的

encounter      [in'kauntə]     

n. 意外的相见，遭遇

v. 遇到，偶然碰到，

experienced   [iks'piəriənst] 

adj. 有经验的

impulse  ['impʌls] 

n. 冲动，驱动力，倾向，心血来潮

vt. 推

domestic [də'mestik]    

adj. 国内的，家庭的，驯养的

n. 家仆，

environment  [in'vaiərənmənt]    

n. 环境，外界

survive   [sə'vaiv] 

vt. 比 ... 活得长，幸免于难，艰难度过

precious ['preʃəs] 

adj. 宝贵的，珍贵的，矫揉造作的

realistic   [riə'listik]

adj. 现实的，现实主义的

survive   [sə'vaiv] 

vt. 比 ... 活得长，幸免于难，艰难度过

caress     [kə'res]   

n. 爱抚，拥抱

v. 爱抚，抱，怜爱

romantic [rə'mæntik]   

adj. 浪漫的

n. 浪漫的人

species   ['spi:ʃiz]  

n. （单复同）物种，种类

syndrome      ['sindrəum]   

n. 综合症，典型表现

adopt     [ə'dɔpt]  

v. 采用，收养，接受

参考资料：

1. http://www.kekenet/daxue/201703/49604shtml
2. http://www.kekenet/daxue/201703/49604shtml
3. 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第二册:U6B Baby Birds(3)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
4. 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第二册:U6B Baby Birds(4)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
5. 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第二册:U6B Baby Birds(5)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语

现代大学英语精读(第2版)第二册:U6B Baby Birds(6)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语

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