美語情景對話 第269期:The Kiwi 幾維鳥
Todd: OK, Leonard, now, when most people think of Kiwi, at least Americans, we think of the fruit.
託德：里昂納多，大部分人，至少是大部分美國人在說到Kiwi這個詞的時候認爲是奇異果。Leo: Right, right. Also in Japan as well.
里奧：沒錯，的確是這樣。當然日本也是這樣。Todd: Oh, really! OK. But, uh, people from New Zealand are called Kiwis not because of the fruit I take it.
託德：哦，真的嗎！但是，新西蘭人所稱的Kiwis並不是我認爲的那種水果。
Leo: That's right. That's right. The nickname for New Zealanders is Kiwi, and actually the Kiwi bird... Kiwi is actually a Maori name, and Maori are the native people of New Zealand.
里奧：沒錯，沒錯。新西蘭的代名詞就是幾維鳥……幾維是毛利語，毛利是新西蘭的原住民。Todd: Oh, wow!
託德：哦，哇！Leo: And so Kiwi, the pronunciation of Kiwi K-I-W-I KEE-WEE, Maori has similar pronunciation to the Japanese language, ah, ee, uu, eh, oh. They pronounce the vowels.
里奧：所以幾維鳥，發音是K-I-W-I KEE-WEE，毛利語的發音和日語的發音很相似，ah, ee, uu, eh, oh。他們的元音也是這種發音。Todd: OK. I' is Kiwi?
託德：嗯。那幾維鳥是什麼呢？Leo: A kiwi is a nocturnal bird, which only walks, it doesn't fly.
里奧：幾維鳥是一種在夜間活動的鳥，它們只能走路，不會飛。Todd: OK. So nocturnal means it only comes out at night.
託德：好。那在夜間活動的意思就是它們只在夜晚出來活動嗎。Leo: Right. Right. And in the deep forest. Actually, you'd never see a Kiwi if you went to New Zealand, unless you went to the zoo.
里奧：對，對。而且是在森林深處活動。實際上，如果你去新西蘭的話，你是看不到幾維鳥的，除非你去動物園。Todd: Oh, really!
託德：哦，真的嗎？Leo: Right!
里奧：沒錯！Todd: OK.
託德：好。Leo: And the brown Kiwi is the most, uh, rarest of them all. They're only I think, there are less than one thousand brown kiwis left.
里奧：褐幾維鳥是數量最稀少的種類。我想，褐幾維鳥的現存數量不足1000只。Todd: Wow. So..
託德：哇。那……Leo: It can only be found in New Zealand.
里奧：只有新西蘭纔有。Todd: Ok. OK. maybe I missed it but can it fly.
託德：好。嗯。我想我剛纔好像聽漏了，它能飛嗎？Leo: No, no it can't.
里奧：不，不能飛。Todd: It can't fly.
託德：不能飛呀。Leo: It can only walk.
里奧：它只能走。Todd: Wow, so it only comes out at the deep forest and it can't fly.
託德：哇，所以它夜間在森林深處活動，而且不能飛。Leo: You'd be surprised. If you go to New Zealand, uh, there are over twenty different types of birds that walk.
里奧：你一定感到很吃驚。如果你去新西蘭，會看到有20餘種不同種類的幾維鳥在散步。Todd: Really! That's fascinating. Well, thanks for telling us about the Kiwi.
託德：真的嗎！那真吸引人，謝謝你跟我們分享幾維鳥的信息。Leo: You're welcome.
里奧：不客氣。
重點講解：
1. at least
至少，起碼；
eg. Aim to have at least half a pint of milk each day.
目標是每天至少喝半品脫的牛奶。
eg. They didn't actually like the magazine very much, but they bought it or, at the least, borrowed it from each other.
他們其實並不怎麼喜歡這本雜誌，但還是會買，或至少會互相藉着看。
2. think of
想到；想起；想出；
eg. Nobody could think of anything to say.
誰也想不出什麼話說。
eg. Ask yourself what the folks in Peoria will think of it.
想一想皮奧里亞的人會如何看待這件事。
3. as well
也；還；
eg. Andy's face paled with disappointment; perhaps with anger as well.
安迪的臉色由於失望而變得蒼白，也許還摻雜着氣憤。
eg. Often life is much slower outside the big cities, as is true in other countries as well.
大都市外面的生活步調往往是緩慢得多，這在其他國家也是真的那樣。
4. less than
（用在數字或數量前）少於，低於，比…少；
eg. Motorways actually cover less than 0.1 percent of the countryside.
高速公路的實際覆蓋面積還不到農村地區的0。1%。
eg. Less than a half hour later he returned upstairs.
不到半個小時，他又跑上樓來。
