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Keeping Cancun’s Crocs at Bay 坎昆鳄鱼，生人勿近

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The white tropical beaches and exceptionally clear turquoise waters of Cancun, Mexico, have made it one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. But in addition to the five-star hotels, gourmet restaurants, and excellent shopping, you’ll also find something few other resort towns have – crocodiles. The lagoon separating the island resort from the Mexican mainland is home to numerous crocodiles. And anytime crocodiles and humans come into close contact, there’s bound to be trouble.

墨西哥坎昆的白色热带沙滩及其特别碧蓝的海水，让这个岛成了世界上最受欢迎的旅游景点之一。除了五星级饭店、美食餐厅还可以尽情血拼，你还会看到一些其他少数观光市镇才会有的东西，那就是鳄鱼。把坎昆与墨西哥本岛区隔开来的那个舄湖是鳄鱼的栖息地，而每次鳄鱼和人类有近距离接触时，必定会出问题。

Luckily, crocodile attacks on people are usually because Cancun’s crocs prefer to feed on fish and other small wildlife rather than sunburned tourist flesh. However, attacks on humans aren’t unheard of. Recently, a drunk tourist on spring break who had just stolen some beer jumped into the lagoon trying to escape the police. He wasn’t so lucky in escaping the crocodile that sent him to the hospital for 126 stitches.

幸运的是，鳄鱼攻击人的事并不常见，因为坎昆的鳄鱼比较喜欢吃鱼和一些小型的野生动物，而不是游客那身晒得黑黑的肉。然而，鳄鱼攻击人类的事也不是不曾听闻。最近有一名正在享受春假的喝醉酒旅客偷了一些啤酒，跳进舄湖企图逃避警察，但他却没那么幸运可以躲过鳄鱼的攻击，那只鳄鱼让这名旅客在医院缝了126针。

When accidents like this happen, the knee-jerk reaction is to destroy all of the crocodiles in order to make Cancun safer for tourists. However, crocodile expert believe there are ways of managing the animals so that they can live in harmony with humans. One local crocodile expert, Marco A. Lazcano Barrero, has teamed up with the famous Australia “Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin, to work out a way in which tourists can continue to enjoy Cancun’s warm waters while the natural ecological balance of the area is maintained.

像这样的意外发生时，直觉的反应是消灭所有的鳄鱼，才能让旅客觉得坎昆变得更安全了。但是，专家相信总会有办法来管制这些动物，让牠们可以与人类和谐共存。一位当地鳄鱼专家马可巴里罗与知名澳洲「鳄鱼猎人」史提夫尔文，一起想出一个可以让旅客继续享受坎昆温暖的海水，同时也可以维持该地自然生态平衡的方法。

Fortunately, most of Cancun’s crocs are rather docile, meaning only the aggressive ones need to be dealt with. The plan developed by Irwin and Barrero calls for the identification of the nastier crocs, after which, those crocs can be safely captured and relocated far from people. It is hoped that by getting rid of the troublemakers, the crocodiles of Cancun will still have a home in their natural environment.

幸运的是，坎昆大部份的鳄鱼都挺温和的，言下之意，只要对付有攻击性的鳄鱼即可。尔文和巴里罗研拟的计划是得先找出那些脾气较差的鳄鱼，然后就可以将牠们安全的捕捉及重新安置，让牠们远离人群。他们希望藉由摆脱这些惹麻烦的鳄鱼会让坎昆的鳄鱼还能继续住在牠们在大自然的家。

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Vocabulary

exceptionally [ɪkˋsɛpʃənəlɪ] adv. 特别﹐非常

destination [͵dɛstəˋneʃən] n. 目的地

resort [rɪˋzɔrt] n. 常去的休闲度假之处；名胜

mainland [ˋmenlənd] n. 大陆，本土

ecological [͵ɛkəˋlɑdʒɪkəl] adj. 生态（学）的

nasty [ˋnæstɪ] adj. 使人难受的; 险恶的

More Information

keep something/somebody at bay:不使...迫近  to prevent something or someone unpleasant from coming too near you or harming you

turquoise [ˋtɝkwɔɪz] adj. 蓝绿色

gourmet [ˋgʊrme] adj. 制作[关于]美食佳酿的

lagoon [ləˈɡun] n.舄湖

come into contact 接触

be bound to: 必定 be certain or destined to

croc [ˋkrɑkə] a crocodile

feed on 靠...为食

flesh [flɛʃ] n. 肉，肌肉

stitch [stɪtʃ] n. （缝合伤口的）一针

knee-jerk [dʒɝk] adj. 直觉的

harmony [ˋhɑrmənɪ] n. 和谐

team up with: 与...合作 to join with another person or group to achieve something

work out 解决; 设计

docile [ˋdɑs!] adj. 驯服的

call for 要求, 需要

get rid of  摆脱

Cancun