鸽子具有非凡的导航能力，能从千里之外飞回家，所以人们会拿鸽子比赛看哪只先归巢。现在我国的赛鸽运动很火爆，光是北京一地就有约十万人参加。
Pigeon racing in China
by Karoline Kan
Every day during the racing season, 55-year-old Zhang Yajun wakes at 4 a.m. and carefully loads bamboo cages containing his 76 cherished racing pigeons into a van. Then he drives up to 200 kilometers from his Beijing apartment to release them. They are in training for the October and November racing season, during which time millions of dollars can be won in total prize money across races.
racing /ˈreɪsɪŋ/ n. 竞赛、竞速
load /ləʊd/ v. 装载、装车
bamboo /bæmˈbuː/ n. 竹子
cage /keɪdʒ/ n. 笼子、鸟笼
cherish /ˈtʃerɪʃ/ v. 爱护、呵护
pigeon /ˈpɪdʒən/ n. 鸽子
van /væn/ n. 面包车
apartment /əˈpɑːtmənt/ n. 公寓套房
release /rɪˈliːs/ v. 释放
Zhang is just one of some 100,000 pigeon breeders living in Beijing, according to Sun Yan, the deputy general-secretary of the Beijing Changping District Racing Pigeons Association. "Pigeon racing is a culture, but it's also a sport," Sun says.
some /sʌm/ adv. 大约（用于数字之前）
breeder /ˈbriːdə(r)/ n. 动物饲养者（由breed加上表示人的后缀-er）
deputy /ˈdepjuti/ n. 副职
general-secretary 秘书长
district /ˈdɪstrɪkt/ n. 区、行政区
association /əˌsəʊʃiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 协会、联合会（由associate加后缀-ion变成名词）
"Beijing's pigeon races are the most professional ones in China," says Sun. "Although Europe is the birthplace of modern pigeon racing, China has become the hottest place for pigeon racing, with the most money flowing in. With money, nothing is impossible."
professional /prəˈfeʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 专业的
birthplace /ˈbɜːθpleɪs/ n. 发源地（由birth和place组成）
The big money involved was evident when a prized Belgian racing pigeon named Armando was recently sold for $1.4 million to a Chinese bidder. Armando is considered the best long-distance racing pigeon "of all time," according to the website that organized the sale.
evident /ˈevɪd(ə)nt/ adj. 显而易见的
prized /praɪzd/ adj. 珍贵的、宝贵的
Belgian /ˈbeldʒən/ adj. 比利时的
bidder /ˈbɪdə(r)/ n. 竞价者
consider /kənˈsɪdə(r)/ v. 看作
sale /seɪl/ n. 出售
On race days, trucks laden with cages transport the birds hundreds of kilometers before they are released. When they arrive home they stamp on an electronic board before entering a pigeon loft, and a message is automatically sent to the race organizer. Names of the fastest birds are announced over the internet, with the organizer paying out the successful owners.
truck /trʌk/ n. 卡车、货车
laden /ˈleɪd(ə)n/ adj. 装了很多货物的、装满货物的
transport /trænˈspɔːt/ v./n. 运输、运送
stamp /stæmp/ v. 用力踩
loft /lɒft/ n. 鸽舍
automatically /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk(ə)li/ adv. 自动地（由automatic加后缀-ally变成副词）
organizer /ˈɔːɡ(ə)naɪzə(r)/ n. 组织者（由organize加上表示人的后缀-er）
announce /əˈnaʊns/ v. 宣布
pay out 付给某人一大笔钱
Zhang, who was a state-owned beverage factory manager before retiring in the early 2000s, says he spends about 100,000 yuan a year on his pigeons. That covers food, medicine, race entry fees and transport costs for training sessions – as well as equipment such as his rooftop camera gear. He doesn't keep count of his expenses or prize money. "But overall, I know I lost money. Most people lose money," he says.
state /steɪt/ n. 国家、政府（state-owned就是国有的）
beverage /ˈbev(ə)rɪdʒ/ n. 饮料
cover /ˈkʌvə(r)/ v. 涵盖、包括
entry fee 报名费
session /ˈseʃ(ə)n/ n. 一场（活动）
as well as = and also
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 设备、器材
rooftop /ˈruːftɒp/ n. 楼顶的外表面（由roof和top组成）
gear /ɡɪə(r)/ n. 装备、用具
expense /ɪkˈspens/ n. 费用、花销
overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adv. 总体而言
lose money 亏钱、亏损
The birds he keeps are part-descended from foreign breeds – mainly from Belgium and Holland – and are bigger and stronger than the Chinese pigeons which people used to keep as pets. Each spring, Zhang says, some 100 pigeons are born but by fall only about 20 are left. The rest have either succumbed to illness or died of injuries suffered from hitting telegraph poles or other obstacles. Or else they just got lost on the way home.
keep /kiːp/ v. 饲养
be descended /dɪˈsendɪd/ from 是…的后裔（be part-descended from意思是“部分是…的后裔”，指混血）
breed /briːd/ n. （动植物的）品种
Belgium /ˈbeldʒəm/ n. 比利时（欧洲国家）
Holland /ˈhɒlənd/ n. 荷兰（欧洲国家）
succumb /səˈkʌm/ v. 死于（疾病）
injury /ˈɪndʒ(ə)ri/ n. 受伤、伤口
telegraph /ˈtelɪɡrɑːf/ pole /pəʊl/ 电线杆
obstacle /ˈɒbstək(ə)l/ n. 障碍物
"The most exciting thing about this sport is that it's full of uncertainties," says Zhang. "You never know what superstar you might have the next year – and your best birds might get lost or killed on the way, even during a race. It's a sport that makes people jealous, bitter, happy and ambitious. Those mixed feelings make the sport charming."
uncertainty /ʌnˈsɜːt(ə)nti/ n. 不确定性（由certainty加上表示否定的前缀un-）
superstar /ˈsuːpəstɑː(r)/ n. 超级巨星（由star加上表示超级的前缀super-）
jealous /ˈdʒeləs/ adj. 嫉妒的
bitter /ˈbɪtə(r)/ adj. 痛苦的
ambitious /æmˈbɪʃəs/ adj. 有野心的
charming /ˈtʃɑːmɪŋ/ adj. 迷人的、有魅力的
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