A Park for Hummingbirds Provides Peace for Busy Colombians
2020-12-07
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Living in a city can be stressful.
2But some people in Bogota, Colombia have found a place to help ease stress and get a peaceful break from busy life.
3The place is a protected park, or sanctuary, for hummingbirds.
4The park sits at the top of Monserrate Hill, east of the city, in a place known as the Paramuno corridor.
5The area contains a forest that has turned into a peaceful place for both people and birds.
6As the hummingbirds fly from flower to flower, some people study the animals through binoculars.
7Others capture pictures with cameras or phones.
8"Sometimes it doesn't seem real because we are close to a city of eight million inhabitants who generate noise every day," said Camilo Cantor, a caretaker in the park.
9His job is to mix water and sugar that is put in bird feeders along a 300-meter path.
10Cantor explains, "You can hear noise from the city, the generation of pollution and aggressiveness."
11But, he adds, the park is a special place, like an oasis.
12It is a place where people can go to release stress and forget about the pressures of city life.
13Visitors to the park can see between 25 to 35 different species of birds, Cantor said.
14Ten years ago, the hill was completely deforested, meaning there were not any trees left on it.
15But workers began to replant local trees and flowers to bring the forest back to life.
16Presently, there are 115 species of birds, including 18 kinds of hummingbirds and some migratory species.
17Hummingbirds are only found on the American continent and Colombia is home to many different kinds.
18I'm Armen Kassabian.
1Living in a city can be stressful. But some people in Bogota, Colombia have found a place to help ease stress and get a peaceful break from busy life. The place is a protected park, or sanctuary, for hummingbirds. 2The park sits at the top of Monserrate Hill, east of the city, in a place known as the Paramuno corridor. The area contains a forest that has turned into a peaceful place for both people and birds. 3As the hummingbirds fly from flower to flower, some people study the animals through binoculars. Others capture pictures with cameras or phones. 4"Sometimes it doesn't seem real because we are close to a city of eight million inhabitants who generate noise every day," said Camilo Cantor, a caretaker in the park. His job is to mix water and sugar that is put in bird feeders along a 300-meter path. 5Cantor explains, "You can hear noise from the city, the generation of pollution and aggressiveness." But, he adds, the park is a special place, like an oasis. It is a place where people can go to release stress and forget about the pressures of city life. 6Visitors to the park can see between 25 to 35 different species of birds, Cantor said. 7Ten years ago, the hill was completely deforested, meaning there were not any trees left on it. But workers began to replant local trees and flowers to bring the forest back to life. Presently, there are 115 species of birds, including 18 kinds of hummingbirds and some migratory species. 8Hummingbirds are only found on the American continent and Colombia is home to many different kinds. 9I'm Armen Kassabian. 10Reuters reported on this story. Armen Kassabian adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 11We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 12_______________________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14stressful - adj. causing mental or emotional stress 15binoculars - n. a handheld device that helps see far away 16inhabitant - n. one that occupies a particular place regularly 17generate - v. to bring into existence 18oasis - n. a place that provides relief or water 19species - n. a kind or sort 20migratory - adj. relating to animals moving from one place to another