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1、Unit 1Watchingvideo SCRIPTNarrator: The cheetah. With an astonishing ability to sprint from zero to eighty kilometers per hour in just three seconds, its the fastest animal on land. At full speed, it can reach almost 100 kilometers per hour. Nothing can escape a cheetah at full sprint. Unfortunately
2、, this beautiful, shy animal is in serious danger of becoming extinct. In order to help, National Geographic is sending a team into the Moremi Wildlife Reserve of Botswana. Their goal is to help save these magnificent creatures by capturing them on film.The city of Johannesburg, South Africa, is the
3、 final stop before the teams journey into the wilds of Africa. Heading the expedition is Chris Johns, a photographer for more than 25 years. Chris has been planning this trip for a long time, and accompanying him is guide Dave Hamman. Dave has lived in southern Africa most of his life and knows the
4、region well. His knowledge will be useful as the two men head more than 800 kilometers north into Botswana and the wonderful Okavango Delta.The Moremi Reserve is a truly magical place. It seems that Africas entire animal kingdom resides in the region. Zebras, buffaloes, and elephants are easily view
5、ed from the rough dirt road. Even a giraffe makes an appearance. Chris and Dave continue their drive into the evening. They need to be far into the wilderness to begin their task: finding cheetahs. Narrator: The next day, theyre up early to begin their search.Chris Johns, National Geographic Photogr
6、apher: “You cant just drive out there and order up a cheetah. It doesnt happen like that. You know that it could take days, weeks.”Narrator: But then something incredibly unexpected occurs . . .Dave Hamman: “I dont believe this.”Narrator: Its a female and five of her young.Hamman: “This is just not
7、normal.”Narrator: During all of his years in the bush, Dave has never located so many cheetahs this quickly. This is exactly what they had been hoping for. The discovery is especially promising for Chris.Johns: “Cheetahs are a metaphor for some of Africas conservation problems. Because cheetahs need
8、 range, and theyre a good way to explain to people that loss of habitat means the potential loss of species. And its possible that in my lifetime cheetahs could become extinct in the wild, and thats to me a tragedy thats unspeakable.”Narrator: The Moremi Wildlife Reserve has offered Chris one of the
9、 last windows into the natural world of the cheetah. It will take a while for the cheetahs to trust Chris, but if he succeeds, he knows hell be able to take the photographs he really wants: a shot of a cheetah pursuing and killing its prey, or a “kill sequence.”Johns: “We know there are certain thin
10、gs that a cheetah story has to have. One of the most important things it has to havewhich is an incredibly difficult thing to getis a kill sequence, and youre always looking for that picture.”Narrator: Cheetahs are capable of tremendous bursts of speed, and have the capacity to gain speed more quick
11、ly than a sports car. However, while they can reach almost 100 kilometers an hour, cheetahs cant maintain such speeds for more than 200 to 300 meters.The cheetahs failed to catch her dinner this time. Cheetahs must make a kill every few days. After missing the reedbuck, the mother is exhausted, and
12、her cubs are still hungry. The two men drive back to camp, leaving the cheetah family to rest in the shade.Narrator: The next day, Chris and Dave return to where they last saw the family and find that the mother and her cubs are gone. The female has probably taken the cubs away to protect them. They
13、 must now look for the cheetahs all over again.Johns: “We still havent seen the mother with five cubs for several days now. The challenge is to keep your concentration, to constantly look. I mean, were looking for at least eight to ten hours a day.”Narrator: The tiring and difficult search turns fro
14、m days into a week. The two men scan everything from heavy bushes to open grasslands, hoping to catch sight of the mother. Then, suddenly, their efforts become worth it.Hamman: “There! Lets go, lets go!”Johns: “Did you see her?”Hamman: “Yeah! Shes in the grass, just down, just down the break . . .”N
15、arrator: Theyve found her and she looks fine. Chris must now wait to see if the mother cheetah will let him back into her trust so that he can photograph her. Only she can decide if and when.Chriss opportunity for shooting a kill sequence presents itself later in the morning. Suddenly, the mother si
16、ts up, watching and listening carefully. Shes seen something: two reedbucks.Johns: “Twelve o clock. Two reedbucks, twelve o clock.”Narrator: With her cubs hidden safely away, the brave hunter moves toward her target.Johns: “There she goes! There she goes!”Hamman: “Hang on!”Narrator: The men must drive as quickly as possible in order to get the shot.Johns: “She j
