E02 极速阅读（下）| 看着熊猫长大是啥体验？

Episode 2

第二集

On that first day with Bei Bei, Ifelt a little thrill as a zoo staffer took me down a quiet path to the back ofthe panda enclosure where the panda’s keepers were waiting.

和贝贝相处的第一天，当动物园工作人员带着我沿着一条安静的小路走到熊猫圈后面，我感到有些激动。

Soon I was making regular stops atthe zoo to record the baby panda’s transformation. I watched Bei Bei grow froma pliant cub to a curious, energetic youth. He played with the keepers, divingin for a back scratch or peering around the corner from one room to the next inhis version of hide-and-seek. In a move dubbed panda yoga by a colleague’syoung daughter, Bei Bei would navigate his enclosure, stretching precariouslyto get from rock to rock, as he does in the photo at the top of the story.

很快我就开始定期地去动物园，记录小熊猫的蜕变。我看着贝贝一点点从乖顺的幼崽成长为一个满是好奇心和活力的少年。他与饲养员一起玩耍，会很投入地享受饲养员为他挠后背，或者在角落里凝视饲养员、从一个房间到另一个房间，这是贝贝式捉迷藏。贝贝像在故事开始提到的照片里那样，在他的圈内爬上爬下，伸展身体摇摇欲坠地从一块石头攀到另一块石头去，这个举动被同事的小女儿戏称为“熊猫瑜伽”。

（图片来源：国家地理 摄影师：Rebecca Hale）

Mykids had never been more interested in my job than when I was on the Bei Beibeat; they were forever begging to come along. I would mention the project inpassing to friends and neighbors, and they would light up in ways I’d neverseen. Turns out, everyone loved pandas. Turnsout, everyone loved pandas. I was starting to develop a soft spot myself.

我的孩子从来没有像我做贝贝这个项目时对我的工作这么感兴趣。他们会一直乞求跟着我一起来。我也会不经意地和朋友、邻居提到这个项目，而他们则会露出我从未见过的兴奋表情。原来，每个人都喜欢熊猫。而我自己也开始越发喜爱熊猫了。

When Bei Bei was a few months old,the zoo held an official opening day for the public to come and see him. Thatmorning I arrived early, making my way past the local television crews. Pastthe line that was already forming at the entrance to the enclosure. Past twosisters from St. Louis who were wearing panda hats.

当贝贝长到几个月大的时候，动物园举办了一个正式的开放日，公众可以来看看他。那天早上我很早就到了，我从当地的电视工作人员身边经过；我越过了熊猫圈入口处已经开始排起的长队；我经过了从圣路易斯来的戴着熊猫帽子的两姐妹。

I chatted with a woman who’d been making an annual pilgrimage to the zoo to seethe pandas since 1982. Yes, I told her, I live here. No, I wasn’t a tourist orvisitor. I’m a Washingtonian and, yes, it is wonderful to have the zoo righthere, in my backyard. My nine-year-old self would have thought that was prettycool.

我与一位从1982年以来，每年都会去动物园“朝圣”的女人攀谈了起来。是的，我告诉她，我住在这里。不，我不是游客或者访客。我是华盛顿人，以及是的，在家里后院就有一个动物园真是太好了。九岁的我一定会认为这太酷了。