狗是人类最好的朋友，能帮人做很多事，比如稽查毒品、灾难救援等。在动物保护方面，也有狗的用武之地。
Conservation's best friend
by Michelle Lou & Brandon Griggs
Let's face it: All dogs like to smell poop. But this dog smells something else, too – opportunity. Train, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, sniffs out the scat, or poop, of elusive wild animals like jaguars（美洲豹） and oncillas（斑虎猫） in the name of conservation.
poop /puːp/ n. 大便
opportunity /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti/ n. 机会
retriever /rɪˈtriːvə(r)/ n. 寻回犬（当主人射中猎物以后，它能叼回来）
sniff /snɪf/ v. 嗅、闻
scat /skæt/ n. 动物粪便
or /ɔː(r)/ conj. 也就是
elusive /ɪˈluːsɪv/ adj. 难以找到的
in the name of 为了
conservation /ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. （对动植物、自然环境、文物等的）保护
It might sound like an unsavory（令人不快的） task, but these scat samples are goldmines for researchers like Train's owner, conservation biologist Karen DeMatteo. She and a research team in Argentina are trying to pinpoint the habitats of endangered animals, but it's hard to figure out where they live if you can't find the animals themselves.
task /tɑːsk/ n. 任务、工作任务
sample /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/ n. 样本
goldmine /ˈɡəʊldmaɪn/ n. 金矿
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
biologist /baɪˈɒlədʒɪst/ n. 生物学家（由biology加上表示人的后缀-ist）
Argentina /ˌɑːdʒ(ə)nˈtiːnə/ n. 阿根廷（南美洲国家）
pinpoint /ˈpɪnpɔɪnt/ v. 精准定位
habitat /ˈhæbɪtæt/ n. 栖息地
endangered /ɪnˈdeɪndʒəd/ adj. 濒危的
figure out 弄清楚
That's where Train comes in. "Everybody leaves poop behind in the forest," DeMatteo says. Scat can reveal a lot, including the species of an animal and even its sex. "You can figure out which habitats they like and which habitats they avoid," DeMatteo says.
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ v. 揭示、透露
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ n. 物种（单数和复数都是species）
sex /seks/ n. 性别
Using this data, she and the rest of her team determine which wilderness areas – or corridors – should be prioritized in conservation efforts. "Everywhere, people are expanding," DeMatteo says. "We can try to figure out areas of potential overlap between humans and wildlife. We can identify areas that need more work, areas that are great corridors, or areas that are kind of lost to the cause."
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 数据
determine /dɪˈtɜːmɪn/ v. 发现、查明
wilderness /ˈwɪldənəs/ n. 荒野、荒原
corridor /ˈkɒrɪdɔː(r)/ n. 走廊、狭长通道
prioritize /praɪˈɒrɪtaɪz/ v. 优先处理（由priority加后缀-ize变成动词）
expand /ɪkˈspænd/ v. 扩张
potential /pəˈtenʃ(ə)l/ adj. 潜在的
overlap /ˈəʊvəlæp/ n. 重叠
wildlife /ˈwaɪldlaɪf/ n. 野生动植物（由wild和life组成）
identify /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ v. 识别
kind of 有点、在某种程度上
cause /kɔːz/ n. （值得奋斗的）信念、人生理想
Before, most similar studies were done with cameras mounted in the wild and equipped with sensors to photograph animals as they passed by. But that method is not the most efficient one because scientists must wait for the animals to cross the camera's path. Also, the cameras get stolen.
mount /maʊnt/ v. 固定
in the wild 在野外
equip /ɪˈkwɪp/ v. 装备、配备
sensor /ˈsensə(r)/ n. 传感器
photograph /ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/ v. 拍照、拍摄
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的
Train was originally a rescue dog from the Humane Society. He first entered a program to train drug-detection dogs, but it didn't work out. "He failed out of narcotics（毒品） school because he was too energetic," DeMatteo says. "He was like a bull in a china closet."
originally /əˈrɪdʒ(ə)n(ə)li/ adv. 最初、一开始（由original加后缀-ly变成副词）
rescue /ˈreskjuː/ adj. 救援的、营救的（rescue dog既可以指被人营救的流浪狗，也可以指能救人的搜救犬，这里是前者）
humane /hjuːˈmeɪn/ adj. 人道的、仁慈的
society /səˈsaɪəti/ n. 社团、协会
program /ˈprəʊɡræm/ n. 培训项目
drug /drʌɡ/ n. 毒品
detection /dɪˈtekʃ(ə)n/ n. 检测（由detect加后缀-ion变成名词）
work out 有结果、成功
energetic /ˌenəˈdʒetɪk/ adj. 精力充沛的
china /ˈtʃaɪnə/ n. 瓷器
closet /ˈklɒzɪt/ n. 橱、柜
So she found Train a more suitable career path. At the time, DeMatteo was looking for dogs to go to the Argentine province of Misiones to work on a research project. Since Train already knew the basics of drug detection, he was a viable candidate.
career /kəˈrɪə(r)/ n. 事业、职业生涯
province /ˈprɒvɪns/ n. 省、州
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目
basics /ˈbeɪsɪks/ n. 基础知识
viable /ˈvaɪəb(ə)l/ adj. 有望成功的
candidate /ˈkændɪdət/ n. 候选人、求职者
As it turns out, Train couldn't care less that he was searching for poop instead of drugs – all he wanted was a ball to play with at the end. His high energy may have hampered him in narcotics school, but it was a welcome trait in Argentina, where he trekked through vast stretches of wilderness. Last year, Train covered about 1,000 kilometers of Argentinian forest in search of animal droppings.
turn out 结果是
hamper /ˈhæmpə(r)/ v. 阻碍、妨碍
trait /treɪt/ n. 特性、特质
trek /trek/ v. 长途跋涉
vast /vɑːst/ adj. 巨大的
stretch /stretʃ/ n. 一块土地
cover /ˈkʌvə(r)/ v. 走过（多长距离）
droppings /ˈdrɒpɪŋz/ n. 粪便
Even though Train is nearing 12 years old, he shows no sign of stopping. He's heading to Nebraska later this year to track mountain lions.
even though 即使、尽管
head /hed/ v. 朝某个方向前进
Nebraska /nəˈbræskə/ n. 内布拉斯加州（美国中部的州）
track /træk/ v. 跟踪、追踪
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