本集内容

Extinct giant tortoise returns 已灭绝的巨型陆龟“起死回生”了

学习要点

有关“survival 存活”的词汇

边看边答

Who were responsible for making the Floreana tortoises become extinct?

文字稿

Nothing happens too quickly in the tortoise world but this is a comeback worth the wait. The Floreana tortoise, once thought wiped out, has been on the extinction list for a century and a half. Now, with careful conservation, the species is being brought back from the dead.

The species became extinct from its home island of Floreana during the mid-nineteenth century after hunting and exploitation from the first settlers. Some Floreana were dropped on other islands breeding with other tortoises.

But now the original species is slowly and steadily staging its return. A breeding programme at the Galapagos National Park has yielded dozens of Floreana pure-bred tortoises, with hopes of thousands more in the coming years.

They'll be given time to grow into their shells within the national park. Then it’s hoped that in five years the Floreana will be released back into the wild to their island. But there's no rush!

在乌龟的世界里没有什么事会来得太快，不过巨型陆龟的回归可绝对是一件值得等待的事情。曾被认为已在我们视野里消失了的佛罗里安那象龟在已灭绝动物名单中待了一个半世纪。而现在，经过人们精心的保护，这个物种竟然“起死回生”了。

在十九世纪中期，由于佛罗里安那的第一批定居者在岛上的捕猎和开发，佛罗里安那象龟在其家乡彻底消失了。一些佛罗里安那象龟被遗弃在其它岛屿上，与别的品种的乌龟共同繁殖。

但现在，佛罗里安那象龟的数量正在缓慢而稳定地回归。加拉帕戈斯国家公园的育种计划已经培养了数十种佛罗里安那纯种象龟，并希望其数量在未来达到数千种。

人们给这些巨型龟们足够的时间，让它们待在国家公园里直到长好龟壳。之后希望在五年内，佛罗里安那象龟可以被放回到其生长岛屿的野生环境中生活。不过这些都需要慢慢来。

词汇

a comeback
回归，复出

brought back from the dead
起死回生

breeding programme
繁殖计划，育种计划

staging its return
回归

released back into the wild
放生野外

你知道吗？

The Galapagos Islands were made famous by British naturalist Charles Darwin.

加拉帕戈斯群岛（Galapagos）是被英国自然学家查尔斯·达尔文（Charles Darwin）发现后闻名于世的。

问题答案

The first settlers were responsible for making the Floreana tortoises becoming extinct because they hunted and exploited them.