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Crocs on the prowl 鱷魚大獵殺
AFP
Monday, Aug 20, 2007,Page 15
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A Nile crocodile enjoys a chicken dinner in Basel, Switzerland, June 13, 2007. 一條尼羅河鱷魚六月十三日，於瑞士巴塞爾享用雞肉晚餐。
Photo: EPA
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An Australian rancher described how he spent a week up a tree in a remote crocodile-infested swamp as maneaters stalked him - after he fell off his horse.
The manager of the Silver Plains cattle station, David George, said he watched crocodiles' eyes glowing red beneath him for seven nights before he was rescued by helicopter.
"Every night I was stalked by two crocs who would sit at the bottom of the tree staring up at me," George told Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper.
"I'd yell out at them, 'I'm not falling out of this tree for you bastards'."
George, 53, said his nightmare began when he was thrown by his horse. Dazed and bleeding, he climbed back into the saddle and gave the animal its head, expecting it to take him home.
But just before dawn he realized it had taken him more than a kilometer into the heart of a crocodile swamp.
"I couldn't go back, it was too far and too dangerous, so I headed to the nearest high ground and stayed there, hoping someone would come and find me before the crocs did."
The alarm was raised when the rancher failed to return home and a search was launched.
George tried to attract the attention of airborne search teams by flashing sunlight off his tobacco tin, waving his shirt on a stick and spreading toilet paper in the tree branches.
On the eighth day, he was seen and rescued.
"They gave me a Cherry Ripe chocolate bar after they winched me up to the chopper - it was like a gourmet meal," he said.
一名澳洲牧場老闆敘述了他墜馬後，在鱷魚出沒的沼澤區樹上渡過一週，以躲避食人鱷魚的獵殺。
「銀色平原」牧場的經理大衛．喬治說在被直升機救出前，他連續七晚看著鱷魚眼露紅色兇光在樹下守候。
「每晚都有兩條鱷魚緊盯著我，牠們盤據在樹下往上瞪，」喬治對布里斯本的《郵遞報》說。
「我對著牠們咆哮︰我才不會為了你們這群壞蛋而下樹！」
五十三歲的喬治說惡夢始於他從馬背上被拋出，頭昏血流地再爬上馬鞍任由他的馬帶路，並希望馬兒能帶他回家。
但在黎明時分前，他發現馬兒已走了一公里多，而將他帶入鱷魚沼澤的中心。
「我無法回頭，太遠也太危險了，所以朝最近的高地而去，並待在那裡，希望有人在鱷魚發現我以前能先找到我。」
他因為沒回家讓大家很擔憂，並展開搜尋。
為了引起空中搜救隊的注意，喬治試著以煙草罐反射陽光、用樹枝揮舞襯衫、或是在樹上攤開衛生紙。
他在第八天才被發現並獲救。
他說︰「他們用絞盤吊我上直升機後，給了我一條櫻桃餡的巧克力－嘗起來就像是人間美味。」（翻譯︰張愛弟）
| TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字 |
| 1. swamp n.
沼澤 (zhao3 ze2)
例: Those naughty kids like to go frog hunting in the swamp.
(那些頑童愛去沼澤裡抓青蛙。)
2. bastard n.
壞蛋 (huai4 dan4)
例: Johnny said the word "bastard," so the teacher sent him to the principal.
(強尼說了「壞蛋」這個詞，所以就被老師送去見校長。)
3. airborne adj.
空中的 (kong1 zhong1 de5)
例: Mario dreams of joining an airborne hunting squad.
(瑪利歐夢想加入空中狩獵隊。)
4. chopper n.
直升機 (zhi2 sheng1 ji1)
例: Steven Spielberg is rich enough to buy a chopper.
(大導演史帝芬．史匹柏有錢到能買直升機。)
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| SAY WHAT? 說說看 |
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give someone his head 任其擺佈
To give someone his or her head means to allow him or her to do as he or she pleases. The phrase is often used to describe a person allowing a horse to go where it wishes. For example, "Zimmerman was ready for adventure, so he gave his horse its head and didn't worry about where he was going to end up."
「To give someone his or her head」表示隨某人怎麼做都行，通常用來形容騎士讓馬匹自行奔馳。例如：「齊莫曼準備好要去冒險，所以他讓馬兒自行奔馳，而不擔心最終將會跑向何方。」
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| OUT LOUD 對話練習 |
| Mitch: When I was in the park last night, some dogs started chasing me.
Smithers: That must have been scary. What did you do?
Mitch: I ran to the nearest tree and climbed it.
Smithers: I was up a tree last night, too. Ally caught me chatting with my ex.
Mitch: That is a sticky situation. I'm more scared of your girlfriend than any number of stray dogs.
米契：我昨晚在公園時，一群狗開始追我。
史密瑟：一定很恐怖。那你怎麼辦？
米契：我跑向最近的樹爬上去。
史密瑟：我昨晚也身陷險境，艾莉抓到我在和前女友聊天。
米契：這種情況真麻煩，我覺得再多流浪狗都沒你女友可怕。
up a tree 身處困境
To be up a tree means to be in a difficult situation. One could also say, "to be up a gum tree," but it's a bit old-fashioned. For example, "I was up a gum tree when I got caught picking flowers in front of city hall."
「Up a tree」是身處困境之意，也可說「up a gum tree」，不過是比較老派的說法。例如：「我因為在市政府前摘花被抓而陷入麻煩。」
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