导读
哥伦比亚的Olive Ridley海龟在每年9月到来年1月间到太平洋沿岸海滩产卵。掠食者和偷猎者影响了海龟正常繁殖，动物保护组织为此邀请志愿者到海滩捡海龟蛋，由组织统一人工孵化后再将小海龟放生回大海。这个活动曾孵化了8万多只小海龟，却一度因为部分动物保护者的反对而中止，好在2015年9月又重新开启。作者也是在9月中旬抵达哥伦比亚来体验这项捡海龟蛋的志愿者活动，除此之外，在每年的6月到10月间，还可以参与观鲸、海豚，参观瀑布、海钓、观鸟、皮划艇等活动。
当地人用摩托载我来到荒芜的沙滩，我们趴在沙滩上，打着手电，距离正在产卵的海龟那么近，甚至可以看到他们褶皱的下腹。而这段经历更刺激的，是我们发现了不远处的手电光束，开始还担心是遭遇了偷猎者，好在对方是专职的动物保护者。证实了彼此都不是偷猎者后，我们把捡到的75个海龟蛋交给了他们。
也许不久的将来，新建机场和奢侈酒店，以及随之而来的大批游客，会把眼前这片看似荒芜却蕴藏着丰富多样物种的海滩搞得面目全非，变成远离自然原生态的旅游胜地。想到这儿，我忍不住再上去摩托车，找寻更多的海龟去了……
第一步：解决高频单词
discharge [dɪs'tʃɑrdʒ]
vt. 解雇／vi. 卸货／排放
desert [(for v.) dɪˈzɝt; (for n.) 'dɛzɚt]
vt. vi. 遗弃／逃跑／n. 沙漠／adj. 荒凉的
suspend [sə'spɛnd]
vt. vi. 延缓／悬浮／暂停
pry [praɪ]
vt. vi. n. 刺探／撬动
splash [splæʃ]
vt. vi. n. 飞溅
spot [spɑt]
vt. vi. 认出／n. 地点／adj. 现场的
plunge [plʌndʒ]
n. vt. vi. 投入／陷入
delve [dɛlv]
vt. vi. 钻研／n. 洞穴
intensify [ɪn'tɛnsɪfaɪ]
vi. vt. 强化／激烈
glare [ɡlɛr]
vi. vt. 瞪眼／n. 耀眼的光
第二步：精读重点段落
Searching for turtles on Colombia’s undiscovered coastline
[1] Two pearl white eggs drop into the dark sand pit. A string of silvery discharge follows.
Lying on our stomachs, chins resting on the cool sand, we shine our flashlights onto the nesting sea turtle that’s burrowed into this deserted area of Colombia’s Pacific Beach.
pit 深坑／凹陷
string 线／一串
discharge 排放／卸货
chin 下巴
burrow 挖地洞／探索
[2] We’ve counted 41 eggs when my guide Martin switches off his flashlight and covers mine with his other hand. “Shhh,” he whispers. We twist our heads to the left. Two faint lights flicker in the distance. “Quick,” Martin says, grabbing a plastic bag. “We must hurry.”
flicker 闪烁／摇曳
[3] This olive ridley sea turtle is one of hundreds that from September to January clambers onto these Pacific beaches to lay eggs. But due to scavenger dogs and poachers, population is in decline. So I’ve come to the small fishing town of El Valle to lend a helping hand.
olive ridley sea turtle/ the Pacific ridley sea turtle
clamber 攀登
scavenger 食腐动物/清道夫
poach 偷猎/窃取
[4] I arrive mid-September at El Almejal eco-lodge. At its gated entrance, four giant palm trees cradling bunches of coconuts stand like guards outside a palace. Two chirping yellow birds swoop across my brow as I hop burning sand into the shade of my cabin. Inside, a fluorescent green lizard, with the head of a punk rocker, scampers up the wall and into the open bathroom.
Cradle 摇篮/抚育
Chirping （鸟或昆虫）叽叽喳喳声
Swoop 猛扑/突然袭击
Hop 单足跳/双足跳
Fluorescent 荧光的
Lizard 蜥蜴
Punk 废物/朋克
Rocker摇杆/摇轴
Scamper 蹦蹦跳跳/奔跑
[5] Next to my cabin, a rocky trail leads up to thick jungle and an observation porch from where visitors point at distant whale huffs. From June to October, El Almejal offers boat trips to see the thousands of migrating humpbacks, as well as dolphin tours, waterfall visits, fishing, bird watching, kayaking and river boat rides.
Porch 门廊
Huff 吹气/发怒
Humpback 座头鲸
[6] Part of the lodge’s eco-tourism drive is turtle conservation. The Olive Ridley Project began in 1994 and invites volunteers to collect eggs from the beach, lay them in a protected pen, then release the little scampers into the ocean. Despite liberating 85,000 hatchlings, the project has been suspended since 2012, due to a conflict with local conservationists. However, after successful negotiations the project will recommence in September 2015.
Hatchling 人工孵化的小动物
Suspend 延缓／暂停
Conservationist 环保主义者
[7] As I lunch at El Almejal, prying the last fish bone away from its white filet, I receive an offer from the waiter Martin. He says he knows a beach with nesting turtles and is willing to take me.
“First, we collect my motorcycle from town,” he says in a squeaky voice. “This way we cover more ground and have a better chance of finding turtles.”
“Humans steal the eggs,” he says, waving to a man in a house window. “Dogs and birds eat them and so do humans, for breakfast.”
“Breakfast?”
“Yes, they fry them. I’ve tasted it, but for me it has an ugly taste.”
Pry 撬动／刺探
Filet 肉片/鱼片
Squeaky 吱呀作响
[8] Martin revs us along the sand while I scan the ground from behind with my flashlight. I lift my legs like a starfish as we splash through the ocean’s edge. Then, I spot something. A turtle trundles up the beach. We park the motorcycle and crawl behind the turtle to its nesting spot; so close that we can see its wrinkly underbelly.
Rev 发动机旋转／加速
Starfish 海星
Splash 飞溅／污点
Spot 地点／认出
Trundle 滚动／运送
Crawl 爬行/匍匐前进
Wrinkly 有皱纹的
Underbelly 下腹部/薄弱部位
[9] After five minutes of watching the reptile nesting, we realize we’re not alone. Martin has spotted two lights in the distance and has begun collecting eggs. The speed at which he’s plunging into the hole convinces me that it could be poachers. I snatch the bag from Martin so he can use both hands.
Reptile 爬行动物/卑鄙的人
Plunge 投入/跳进
Poacher 偷猎者
Snatch 抢夺
[10] As he quickly gathers the white balls, the lights grow brighter. Martin delves further into the hole, so deep his head is completely out of sight. My heart rate intensifies as each second passes. Christ, how many are there?
Delve 钻研/探究
Intensify 增强/强化
[11] The lights are almost upon us. Then they stop. Ten yards away. Between us and the ocean. Martin stops and waits. I scrunch the plastic bag and hold my breath.
The two beams remain motionless and then slowly, very slowly, scan the beach, like lighthouse beacons. I close my eyes as they sweep over us. They scan 360 degrees and land pointing in the other direction. Thank god for that. They’ve missed us.
Scrunch 碾压/嘎吱作响
[12] Suddenly both lights swivel and zone in on our position. They quickly approach. I look at Martin. “What do we do,” I whisper. “I don’t know,” he says, adjusting his glasses. Brightness fills the air above.
Swivel 旋转/转环
[13] We stand up and squint into the interrogation glare. A man’s voice from behind the flashlight says something in Spanish that I don’t understand. Martin, who has his hand up protecting his eyes, responds and tells me to give them the bag. A few more muffled exchanges follow before I notice a clipboard in the man’s hand. The other woman is holding a book and a tape measure. They lower their flashlights.
Squint 斜眼看
Interrogation 讯问/审问
Glare 瞪眼看/耀眼的光/受公众注目
Muffled 蒙住/发低沉声音
Clipboard 剪贴板
[14] Martin turns to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, they’re conservationists,” he says. “They can guard the eggs now.”
I breathe again and examine my pants.
They record the size of the turtle, staple a metal bracket to its flipper and gather the rest of the eggs (75 in total). We say adios and hop onto the motorcycle.
Bracket n. 支架，括号
Flipper n. 鳍状肢
Adios （西班牙语）再见
[15] Martin turns around. “What do you want to do now Simon,” he says. “Go back to the lodge, or carry on?”
Carry on 继续
[16] I look along the deserted beach and wonder how many coastlines on earth, with such rich bio-diversity, are so untainted by tourists. No doubt in the future, new airports will allow easier access, luxurious hotels will line the coast and night tours led by men in green turtle t-shirts will roam the sands…maybe beach motorcyclists will be banned too. For now though, there are no warnings, no tourists and no need to return home. I grab onto the back of the motorbike, “let’s find some more turtles.”
Untainted adj. 无污点的
discharge [dɪs'tʃɑrdʒ]
vt. 解雇／vi. 卸货／排放
desert [(for v.) dɪˈzɝt; (for n.) 'dɛzɚt]
vt. vi. 遗弃／逃跑／n. 沙漠／adj. 荒凉的
suspend [sə'spɛnd]
vt. vi. 延缓／悬浮／暂停
pry [praɪ]
vt. vi. n. 刺探／撬动
splash [splæʃ]
vt. vi. n. 飞溅
spot [spɑt]
vt. vi. 认出／n. 地点／adj. 现场的
plunge [plʌndʒ]
n. vt. vi. 投入／陷入
delve [dɛlv]
vt. vi. 钻研／n. 洞穴
intensify [ɪn'tɛnsɪfaɪ]
vi. vt. 强化／激烈
glare [ɡlɛr]
vi. vt. 瞪眼／n. 耀眼的光