[E359]Fragrant arbour
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist《经济学人》2016年第8期，China版块。
Trees in Hong Kong
Thieves are destroying the tree that gave Hong Kong its name
Feb 20th 2016 | HONG KONG
YEUNG SIU YU points to where a large, old tree has been hacked[劈,砍] with a blade[叶片;刀片,刀锋;剑]. Villagers have erected a metal fence[1] around the trunk[树干;躯干] to prevent further attacks, but they fear there will be more: low-hanging limbs[枝干] are still exposed. “The thieves will come back for this piece,” says Mr Yeung, pointing to the stump[树桩;残余部分] of a branch just above his head.
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注释
[1]金属护栏,防护网
生词
▷erect [ɪ'rekt]
to a , or other
建立；建造The was erected in 1950.这座战争纪念碑建于1950年。The had erected to themselves.士兵们筑起了街垒用以自卫
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Mr Yeung forsook city life to keep bees on the carefree[无忧无虑的;不负责的] (and car-free) island of Lamma[1], a couple of miles from the main island of Hong Kong where the territory’s government and financial centre lie. Lamma’s tropical gardens and verdant jungle[2] are magnets for nature-lovers like Mr Yeung. They worry, however, that one of the most cherished species, the incense tree (Aquilaria sinensis[3]), faces a growing threat to its survival.
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注释
[1]南丫岛
[2]热带花园和翠绿丛林
[3]香树,土沉香又称香材,白木香,牙香树,女儿香,栈香,青桂香,崖香,芫香,沉香为瑞香科常绿乔木,渐危种
生词
▷forsake [fə'seɪk]
to doing or having something
放弃，摒弃He to forsake for .他决定离开政界，转向新闻界。
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The evergreen tree[1] is endemic to[2] southern China. Its lightly scented timber[3] is used to make incense sticks[4]. When damaged, the tree’s aromatic resin[5] may develop into a dark, dense substance known as agarwood[沉香], which is prized[被看作最重要的,被看作最有价值的] for its supposed medicinal properties[6]. Trade in the tree’s produce was once so important locally that a port handling such business was named “fragrant harbour”. The British later applied that name—“Hong Kong”—to the colony they founded around the port. The commercial harvesting of incense trees ended in the territory more than a century ago. Nowadays most specimens[样品;样本] are growing in the wild, including in woodlands[林地] preserved by ancient villages.
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注释
[1]常青树;冬青树
[2](指动、植物或有时指风俗习惯等)某国(或某民族、某地区)特有的，某地特产的，土生土长的;(在某地区或某方面等)盛行的，频繁出现的
[3]有香味的木材
[4]卫生香;香烛
[5]芳香树脂
[6]药性,药用价值
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To protect incense trees, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora[1] restricts trading in agarwood[沉香]. But Hong Kong does not single out those who destroy or damage the trees for harsh treatment[2]. If an incense tree is on government-managed land, the maximum sentence for cutting it down is the same as it is for felling any other kind of tree on such property: a fine of HK$25,000 ($3,210) and a year in prison.
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注释
[1]濒危野生动植物物种国际贸易公约
[2]严厉处理;严格对待
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Such penalties do little to deter thieves from mainland China, who are encouraged by growing demand for exotic medicines among members of the mainland’s fast-growing middle class[1]. Professor C.Y. Jim of the University of Hong Kong reckons[认为;猜想,料想] that in 2013 high-grade agarwood[沉香] was worth $1,600 a gram[克] on the black market. That is more than gold. According to Mr Jim, Hong Kong may be the “last refuge” of the tree, so it has become a “honeypot[装蜜的罐子;极有吸引力的事物]” for tree-snatchers[绑架者;抢夺贼].
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注释
[1]快速增长的中产阶级
生词
▷exotic [ɪg'zɒtɪk; eg-]
and often because of coming (or to come) from a ,
异国风情的，外国情调的；奇异的exotic //奇花异草／外国风味的食物／奇异的设计
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Most of the thieves work for criminal gangs[1] based across the border in mainland China. In recent years a relaxation of restrictions on travel from the mainland to Hong Kong[2] has made their work easier. They often pretend to be hikers, sometimes camping out[3] for weeks while gathering the timber[木材;木料]. A local NGO has produced a map showing about 200 sites from which it says around 500 trees were stolen in the past year. Ho Pui Han, who runs the group, says there may be only 100 mature trees left in the territory. She is incensed[愤怒的,激怒了的].
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注释
[1]犯罪团伙
[2]大陆赴香港旅游限制放宽
[3]露营
生词
▷incense ['ɪnsens]
(verb)to someone to be
激怒；使大怒The said a lot of would be incensed by my on.编辑说我关于堕胎的文章会激怒很多读者。
(noun)a that is to a , as of a
（尤指在宗教仪式上焚烧的）香an incense / 香炉／香烛
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Very few incense trees form agarwood[沉香], so they are often destroyed indiscriminately[不加选择地;任意地]. On Lamma, a plaque[匾,饰板] marks a spot where three young trees were uprooted[根除,连根拔起]. A short scramble up a steep slope reveals a gorier[令人毛骨悚然的;骇人听闻的;令人不愉快的;血淋淋的] scene: splintered woodchips are all that remain of an aged tree. Mr Yeung, the beekeeper, says “hunters” felled and butchered it in situ[1]. As supplies diminish[减少,缩小], the gangs are becoming more desperate. Thieves are raiding private gardens; some residents have begun organising patrols to frighten the thieves away. Alarms and monitoring cameras are being installed.
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注释
[1]在原地,就地;在原来位置
生词
▷raid [reɪd]
a , usually by a of （通常由一小队人发起的）突袭，袭击The made// out a raid (on the).突击队大胆（向敌人）发起了突袭。 on a raid执行空袭轰炸任务的飞机
when a by in to from it抢劫；打劫Millions of were in a raid last .昨晚一家银行被劫走数百万美元。when the a in to someone or something（警方）查抄，突然搜查The were during a raid on the .这些毒品是在警方查抄这栋房子时发现的。······
Ms Ho says the “sacred” relationship between villagers and woodlands is a vital part of Hong Kong tradition. “Their ancestors told them they must not cut down one single tree,” she says. Several thieves have been arrested recently (including on Lamma). But conservationists[1] say the government has to try much harder.
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注释
[1](尤指对国家自然资源)提倡保护者，自然资源保护论者
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以上言论不代表本人立场。
摘自《经济学人》杂志，仅外语学习之用。
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