Python patrol蟒蛇巡逻队

温从秀

1979年在大沼澤地发现的第一条缅甸巨蟒很可能是一只被释放或逃到野外的宠物。今天，成千上万的巨蟒栖息在大沼泽地国家公园周围的陆地上，这给当地的生态带来了巨大的威胁，应对蟒蛇的巡逻队由此产生。

The first Burmese python（缅甸蟒蛇） found in the Everglades in 1979 was likely a former pet released or escaped into the wild. Today， tens of thousands of the snakes inhabit the mainland around Everglades National Park. While pythons arent known to attack people， they have been known to eat a wide range of wildlife from tiny songbirds to adult deer and alligators（钝吻鳄） up to 6 feet long. As they are getting in the way of the areas natural functioning system， they must be removed. However，finding an invasive python in the wild is difficult.

An army of trained volunteers and professionals is needed to report or respond to python encounters. The Nature Conservancy in Florida launched a python patrol in the Florida Keys in 2008 and with the help of Everglades National Park， expanded the effort to the mainland in 2010. Over 400 responders were trained by the Conservancy and they can safely and humanely capture and remove pythons they encounter.

“We encourage anyone who sees a python or other non?native animals to take a photo from a safe distance and report it to the free hotline，” said Cheryl Millett， the Conservancy biologist who transferred the python patrol to the FWC in 2013.

During training， responders are taught to pull an escaping python back by the tail repeatedly to let the snake expend a lot of energy. When the snake is tired， the responder grabs the base of the head to avoid getting caught by the snake. Pythons captured in the wild are securely bagged， boxed， tagged and dropped off for research or training.

A 17?foot Burmese python was recently captured and removed from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades， the largest

ever captured there. It weighed 140 pounds and took four people to carry. This story gained national attention and was featured in The New York Times.

“Right now， imported species are innocent until proven guilty，” says Kris Serbesoff?King， the Conservancys director of science and planning. “As a nation， we need to be cautious to take in new species. We must make sure that the imported wildlife will not harm the lands and waters we are working to protect.”

Reading Check

1. What does Para. 1 mainly talk about？

A. What people think about pythons.

B. Why a python patrol was founded.

C. How pythons hunt for creatures.

D. When pythons invaded the Everglades.

2. What can be inferred about the responders in the python patrol？

A. They get well paid for their work.

B. They can kill the pythons they encounter.

C. They are trained by Everglades National Park.

D. They can take photos of pythons from a safe distance.

3. Why do responders pull an escaping python back by the tail repeatedly？

A. To exhaust the python.

B. To avoid being attacked.

C. To get the python bagged.

D. To escape from the python.

4. What is Kris Serbesoff?Kings attitude towards imported species？

A. Indifferent.      B. Opposed.

C. Neutral.      D. Worried.

Language Study

Complete the following passage with a proper word or with the words given in their proper forms.

Burmese pythons are among 1.  _________（large） snakes on the earth， and are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia. They may reach 2. _________  length of 26 feet and a weight of more than 200 pounds. The average size of a Burmese python 3. _________ （remove） in Florida is 8 to 10 feet. Burmese pythons spend lots of time hiding in wait， 4. _________ allows them to expend a lot of energy in a short burst to surprise?capture their prey（猎物）. There is a low risk of a human attack by a Burmese python. Documented human attacks by pythons in the United States involve the owners captive snakes and their owner or 5. _________       （immediately） family. In the 1980s， these snakes 6.   _________（bring） to Florida as pets. Later， however， many were released in the swamp（沼泽） 7.    _________their owners. Since then， Burmese pythons8.  _________（increase） in numbers to tens of thousands， and have destroyed the population of native wildlife in the Everglades National Park in Florida. 9.  _________（scientist） Mike Rochford and Skip Snow are using special equipment to catch these snakes and study10.  _________（they） movements. In their opinion， early?detection and rapid?response is the best way to stop pythons from spreading.