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美国孩子们帮助泰国和肯尼亚的野生大象

时间:2015-07-02 01:51来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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AS IT IS 2015-06-28 Children in US Help Wild Elephants in Thailand, Kenya 美国孩子们帮助泰国和肯尼亚的野生大象

On Miriam Gardsbane’s 9th birthday two years ago, her aunt gave money to a group that cares for elephants. The woman, who lives in Kenya, told the group she was giving the money to celebrate Miriam’s birthday.

Miriam and her mother then visited Africa to learn how that money was helping1 to support elephants. Miriam fell in love with the animals and wanted to help save them.

A few months after visiting Africa, Miriam watched “How I Became an Elephant,” a documentary about the mistreatment of elephants in Thailand, and a young girl’s campaign to save them.

Miriam decided2 she wanted to launch her own effort to raise money to save elephants.

She recently joined about 12 other students in an art center at the Friends School in Sandy Springs, Maryland. They made elephants from clay and decorated them.

“And you put things in it like a saddle or in people on it.”

“The best part is just the different ways you can make ‘em and how far you can go with your creativity.”

The children were spending part of their spring break -- a time when classes are not held -- to help Miriam Gardsbane raise money to save elephants. Last year, Miriam created a group she called They Deserve To Be Free after seeing a program that showed young elephants being abused in Thailand.

“We call it ‘crushing’ because it’s supposed to crush their soul. And what they do is they take a baby elephant; they put it, like, they strangle it with ropes, (and) they put it into this very small thing. They don’t give it food or water for days and they beat it with nails and hooks and they’re really mean to it. And it’s just struggling, trying to get out. But they don’t let it get out, and once it stops struggling that means its soul is crushed.”

Miriam is working to make money for an activist3 who operates Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. The park is a sanctuary4 -- a place where elephants rescued from the tourism industry and illegal logging operations can live. She asked her friends to give money to the park rather than giving her birthday gifts. She made and sold baked goods, and made signs about elephant abuse. She also created a plan to make and sell clay elephants. She asked her art teacher to help her make the elephants.

Kate Santorineos opened her art studio to Miriam and her friends on weekends and during the school’s Spring break so they could make the clay elephants. She even gave them the clay.

“To have a young student instead of going to the mall or shopping, but wanting to spend her time for another cause is what we all should aspire5 to.”

Ms. Santorineos says the students are learning more than just how to make an elephant from clay. She says they are learning about elephants, Thailand and the ivory trade. And she says they are learning about clay and the technique.

Miriam says she is lucky because her mother and her art teacher support her. Arlene Gardsbane is a veterinarian, a doctor who cares for animals. She and Miriam traveled to Kenya and Thailand so they could see elephants. The two cared for rescued elephants for weeks. Dr. Gardsbane says her daughter is serious about helping the animals.

“She wants to make sure that, that she is educating people as to what is happening to other elephants both in the United States and in, in Thailand.”

Dr. Gardsbane says what her daughter is doing is making her a little bit more mature. She says Miriam now knows a lot more about animals and what is happening to them.

Miriam says she is proud of her work, and happy she can help elephants. Recently, she and her friends began selling their clay elephants at a local farmers market. She says she has sold about 180 of them. Last year, she sold about $2,000 worth of them and sent all of that money to the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand.

Words in This Story

decorate – v. to make (something) more attractive, usually by putting something on it

saddle – n. a leather-covered seat that is put on the back of an animal such as a horse, camel or elephant

soul – n. a person's deeply-felt moral and emotional nature

sanctuary – n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter

technique – n. a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill

mature – adj. having or showing the mental and emotional qualities of an adult


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
4 sanctuary iCrzE     
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区
参考例句:
  • There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
  • Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
5 aspire ANbz2     
vi.(to,after)渴望,追求,有志于
参考例句:
  • Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
  • I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。
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