BBC初级口语:A New Foot for an Elephant 大象的新脚

Background: 十年前，在泰国做木材运输的一只大象Motola 踏中地雷，被迫截肢，失去了她的左前足。Motola 的不幸遭遇引起了国际社会的同情， 捐款纷纷涌入。现在她已经年满48岁，值得庆幸的是经过现代医学和一家专门设计人工假肢的慈善机构的支持，她的左脚装上了义肢，终于能再一次脚踏实地了。

【文本】

It was during a break from hauling logs that Motola, foraging for food, stepped on a land mine. A fortnight later, at Lampang elephant hospital, five surgeons and twelve nurses worked for three hours to amputate Motola's front left foot and save her life.

Her fate drew attention to the border region between Thailand and Burma, which is littered with land mines. And the television pictures showing the elephant hobbling on three legs, weeping with pain, had people donating thousands of dollars for her treatment within days.

But it was six years until Motola was well enough to be fitted with her first, provisional artificial limb: a sawdust-filled canvas shoe. Since then, experts at the Prostheses Foundation, a charity that normally produces cheap but efficient prosthetic devices for humans, took a cast of Motola's leg to mould a proper foot for her.

If she is happy with the new, much more stable device, Motola will be able to walk around with a little elephant called Mosha. She was only a baby when she too stepped on a land mine. Her first artificial leg was fitted in 2007. Mosha is doing well and, having outgrown two prosthetic limbs, the three-year-old is now walking around on a third.

【口语突破】

hauling logs
搬运木材

foraging
寻找食物

land mine
地雷

amputate
截肢

fate
命运

drew attention
注意力，得到关注

littered
到处都是（贬义）

hobbling
跛脚行走

had people
让人们

provisional
临时的

artificial limb
假肢

sawdust-filled canvas shoe
塞满锯木屑的布鞋

prosthetic
义肢的，假体的

cast
模子

mould
做成模型

outgrown
成得比… 快/大

重点单词查看全部解释artificial[.ɑ:ti'fiʃəl]

想一想再看

adj. 人造的，虚伪的，武断的

联想记忆X单词artificial联想记忆：
art艺术家，ficial读：踢飞手。艺术家踢飞手。艺术家不光胡子是假的。有一次，我亲眼看见一个舞蹈艺术家表演的时候，没小心，把自己的手给踢飞了，开始表演棒操！不知道艺术家们还有那里是人造的，假的。

efficient[i'fiʃənt]

想一想再看

adj. 效率高的，胜任的

联想记忆X单词efficient联想记忆：
ef出+fic做，制作+ent→能做出事来→有效率的

charity['tʃæriti]

想一想再看

n. 慈善，慈善机关(团体), 仁慈，宽厚

联想记忆X单词charity联想记忆：
char茶，ity状态－请喝茶的状态－施舍－仁慈

device[di'vais]

想一想再看

n. 装置，设计，策略，设备

stable['steibl]

想一想再看

adj. 稳定的，安定的，可靠的
n. 马厩，

联想记忆X单词stable联想记忆：
st站，立+able→能站的→稳定的

border['bɔ:də]

想一想再看

n. 边界，边境，边缘
vt. 与 ... 接

cast[kɑ:st]

想一想再看

v. 投，掷，抛，铸造，丢弃，指定演员，加起来，投射(目

limb[lim]

想一想再看

n. 枝干，树枝，肢体
vt. 切断(树枝，手

provisional[prə'viʒənəl]

想一想再看

adj. 暂时的 n. 临时性，临时人员

联想记忆X单词provisional联想记忆：
pro前，vision（n 视力；幻想），al：前面的幻想是临时的。

canvas['kænvəs]

想一想再看

n. 帆布，（帆布）画布，油画