Preserve a vanishing tradition among Gobi's camel herders

廣東 涂麗平

蒙古的勸誘駱駝儀式是通過勸誘者的哄誘來加強母駱駝和小駱駝的關系。然而隨著當地人生活方式的改變，這種儀式的傳承已經受到威脅。

主題語境：牧民傳統 篇幅：300詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1Bactrian camels in the Gobi usually give birth to a baby camel every second year.But because of the terrible weather conditions, it is common for a mother or baby to die during or after delivery.The result is often lonely babies and sad mothers who need one another.

2After centuries in the desert,the locals have developed a unique musical practice when they want a mother camel to accept a newborn baby camel.When the practice starts, a musician plays his instrument,usually a Mongolian flute.The mother and baby are tied together, and another musician begins to sing, “khuus, khuus, khuus.”

3At first, the mother either pays no attention to the baby or treats it badly.The “coaxer(勸 誘 者)”, at this point, changes the music based on the behavior.The singer begins to copy the sound of the camel's walking, running and voices.After many hours of this, the mother and baby are in tears, and are joined for life.

4However, each year fewer and fewer young people are willing to learn and pass on this tradition.In addition, more and more Mongolian families are sending daughters away to study and live in cities, and those who leave almost never return.The young men who remain in the desert struggle then to find wives and raise families that can help raise camels and keep the tradition alive.On top of that, many have discovered that motorbikes are cheaper than camels.All of these are killing the traditional way of life.

5A few Mongolians have turned to the United Nations to help save this practice.In 2015, they added it to their “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding”, but it's hard to know what influence this can have beyond recognizing the existence of the practice.

Reading Check

1.Why was the Mongolian practice developed?

A.To help baby camels get along with hosts.

B.To make mother camels give birth more often.

C.To calm down mother camels during delivery.

D.To strengthen mother and baby camels' relationships.

2.What is special about the local practice mentioned in the text?

A.The locals feed the mother camel special food.

B.A musician plays a Mongolian flute to encourage bonding.

C.The locals dance around the mother and baby camel.

D.The baby camel is taken away from the mother.

3.What makes it difficult to keep the practice mentioned in the text alive?

A.Desertification and climate change.

B.Government's bans on the practice.

C.Young people's lack of interest and urban migration.

D.Increased interest in camel racing instead of camel raising.

4.What's the attitude of the author towards the practice?

A.Confident.B.Uncertain.C.Enthusiastic.D.Upset.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日積月累

newbornadj.新生的

instrumentn.樂器

behaviorn.行為

safeguardv.保護

bactrian camel 雙峰駝

terrible weather conditions 惡劣的天氣條件

give birth to 生產；分娩

pay no attention to 不理會

be based on 基于

pass on 傳遞；傳承

raise families 養家糊口

kill the traditional way of life 摧毀傳統的生活方式

Ⅱ.語法填空

In the Gobi, Bactrian 1.________(camel) have calves every two years, but tough conditions often lead 2.________ deaths of mothers or babies.Locals have a tradition to help camels bond with orphaned calves 3.________(use) music.A musician plays a Mongolian flute, and another sings to mimic camel sounds, 4.________ eventually makes the mother and calf connect 5.________(emotional).This practice is dying 6.________ as fewer young people stay in the desert to maintain it.More families choose to send their daughters to cities for education and they seldom return, 7.________(leave) fewer locals to continue the tradition.What's worse, motorbikes are replacing camels, further threatening the practice.8.________(preserve) this cultural treasure, some Mongolians have sought help from the United Nations.Recognizing its cultural significance, it 9.________(list) in 2015 on the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding”, but it's unclear if this will be enough to influence the 10.________(survive) of the tradition.

主題應用·語庫構建

Ⅰ.主題詞匯

philosophy 哲學

descendant 后裔；后代；子孫

individual 單獨的；個別的

kingdom 王國；領域

chief 最重要的；最高級別的

nearby 附近的；在附近

currency 通貨；貨幣

military 軍事的；軍隊的

defence 防御；保衛

legal 法律的；合法的

surround 圍繞；包圍

evidence 證據；證明

氨基酸類化合物含有氨基和羧基2種官能團，質譜條件下常產生 [M＋H]+ 的準分子離子峰。查閱資料發現，大多數氨基酸（除精氨酸外）在正離子模式下會失去NH3、COOH或OH等基團，從而形成特征離子峰[10]。本品中共鑒定出7種氨基酸類化合物，分別為亮氨酸、精氨酸、丙氨酸、蘇氨酸、酪氨酸、苯丙氨酸、色氨酸。

achievement 成就；成績；達到

location 地方；地點；位置

conquer 占領；征服；控制

battle 戰役；搏斗

port 港口

charge 收費；指控；主管；充電

announce 宣布；通知；聲稱

gallery （藝術作品的）展覽館；畫廊

approach 方法；途徑；接近

ensure 保證；確保；擔保

landscape （陸上，尤指鄉村的）風景

generous 慷慨的；大方的；豐富的

ancestor 祖宗；祖先

position 位置；姿態；職位

courtyard 庭院；院子

eager 熱切的；渴望的

feast 盛宴；宴會；節日

greet 問候；迎接

custom 風俗；習俗；習慣

crowd 人群

dynasty 朝代

emperor 皇帝

slavery 奴隸制度

origin 起源；由來

aggression 侵略

invade 侵略

occupy 攻占；使忙于

escape 逃跑；逃走

ancient 古代的

primitive 原始的；遠古的

historic 歷史上著名（或重要）的

historical 與歷史有關的；歷史學的

geography 地理

capital 首都；省會

continent 陸地；大陸；大洲

stream 小河；溪流

range 山脈

desert 沙漠

basin 盆地

jungle （熱帶）叢林；密林

landmark 地標；里程碑

mineral 礦物質

urban 城市的

remote 偏遠的；偏僻的

mountainous 多山的

Ⅱ.主題短語

be familiar to 和……相似

give an introduction to 介紹……

the difference between ……之間的區別

solve the puzzle 解決問題

join...to 把……連接到……

break away 脫離；逃脫

result in 導致

be referred to as 被稱作……

belong to 屬于

as well as 同（一樣也）；和；還

know much more about 對……了解得更多

take over 接管；取代

leave behind 留下

make changes 做出改變

keep an eye open (for) 留心；留意

be eager to do sth 渴望做某事

have a great influence on 對……有巨大的影響

be dotted with 點綴著

make up 組成

have a history of 有……的歷史

be located in 坐落于；位于

be rich in 富含；盛產

be separate from 與……分離

be surrounded by 被……包圍/環繞著

date from/date back to 起源于；追溯到；始于

declare war on 對……宣戰

defend against 抵御

in peace 和平地

in the long run 從長遠來看

take on 呈現；接受（工作）；開始雇用

turn against 背叛

vote for/against 投票支持/反對

be confused by 被……迷惑

refer to...as 把……稱作……

be known as 作為……而著名

a feast for eyes 視覺盛宴

Ⅲ.主題美句

1.Located on the River Thames,London is one of the most developed cities in the world.坐落于泰晤士河畔，倫敦是世界上最發達的城市之一。

2.The ancient pyramids in Egypt,constructed over 4500 years ago, continue to stand as an astounding feat of engineering.埃及的古金字塔建于4500多年前，至今仍然是一個令人震驚的工程壯舉。

3.With the intention of promoting traditional Chinese culture and enriching our school life, our school invited a craftsman to teach us how to make kites.為發揚中國傳統文化，豐富我們的校園生活，我們學校邀請了一位手工藝人來教我們如何制作風箏。

4.The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia,serves as the official residence of the President of Russia, with its history dating back to the 14th century.俄羅斯莫斯科的克里姆林宮是俄羅斯總統的官方居所，其歷史可追溯到14世紀。

5.Arriving at the top of the hill, we were faced by a most impressive scene.到達山頂時，呈現在我們面前的是一片令人驚嘆的景色。

6.Today, the Great Wall has become a place of interest not only to the Chinese but to people from all over the world.今天，長城不僅成了中國人的旅游勝地，也成了世界各地人們的旅游勝地。

7.The Grand Canyon in the United States is a massive natural canyon carved by the Colorado River, acknowledged for its overwhelming size and intricate landscape.美國的大峽谷是由科羅拉多河雕刻而成的巨大的天然峽谷，以其龐大的規模和復雜的景觀而著名。

8.The Eiffel Tower in Paris, constructed in 1889, has become an enduring symbol of France and a prime example of iron architecture.坐落于巴黎的埃菲爾鐵塔建于1889 年，已成為法國的持久象征和鐵質建筑的典范。

9.The Colosseum in Rome, Italy,could hold up to 50,000 spectators to witness gladiator battles and other public spectacles.意大利羅馬的斗獸場可容納多達50,000名觀眾觀看角斗士戰斗和其他公共表演。

10.The Amalfi Coast in Italy, with its rugged coastline, picturesque villages and Mediterranean landscape, is considered one of the most beautiful and iconic stretches of shoreline in the world.意大利的阿馬爾菲海岸，以其崎嶇的海岸線、風景如畫的小村莊和地中海景觀而聞名，被認為是世界上最美麗、最具標志性的海岸線之一。

11.The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is celebrated for its vast plains and the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebras.坦桑尼亞的塞倫蓋蒂國家公園以其遼闊的平原和每年數百萬角馬和斑馬的大遷徙而著名。

12.Flamenco, originating in Andalusia, Spain, is a passionate and expressive art form that combines singing, guitar playing, dance and handclaps, reflecting the soul of Spanish Gypsy culture.弗拉明戈起源于西班牙安達盧西亞，是一種充滿激情和表現力的藝術形式，它結合了歌唱、吉他演奏、舞蹈和拍手，反映了西班牙吉卜賽文化的靈魂。

Ⅳ.主題寫作

假定你是李華，你的澳大利亞朋友Mary 來信說她打算暑期到中國旅游，請你給她推薦一處著名的旅游景點。內容包括：

1.景點簡介；

2.表達祝愿。

注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Dear Mary,

_________________________________________

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Yours,

Li Hua

Ⅴ.主題測評

見P61～P72“歷史與傳統”內容。