常春藤解析英語 26 深海精靈──海豚

Delightful Dolphins of the Deep　深海精靈──海豚

by Rachel Black

For ages, sailors have said that it is good luck to see dolphins swimming alongside boats. Their presence meant that land was near, which would be vital information if a boat and her crew were in danger. Some dolphins have even protected shipwrecked sailors from sharks. It is no wonder that these unique and fascinating creatures have long been known as our friends.

You may think dolphins are fish, but they are actually mammals. They are related to whales and porpoises, and they evolved around 10 million years ago. Dolphins breathe air, give birth to live young, and feed them milk. They are social animals, living together in groups called pods or schools that range in size of up to 12. In places rich in food, many schools can combine together to form pods of up to 1,000 dolphins.

Dolphins are thought to be intelligent animals because of their playfulness, curiosity, and quick ability to learn. They seem to communicate with each other through a combination of squeaks, whistles, and clicks. While scientists don't know what they are going on about, it is thought that dolphins are telling each other that food is nearby, or warning each other of approaching danger. Dolphins use sonar to discover an object's size, shape, and location. By sending out a series of clicks and receiving the echo that bounces off the object, they can differentiate between a shark and a boat.

Unfortunately, dolphins have faced increasing danger in recent years. Fishermen in pursuit of profitable tuna may accidentally trap dolphins in their nets, killing them in the process. These intelligent mammals of the sea deserve our protection and respect.

1. Dolphins don't ______.

(A) lay eggs under the sea

(B) speak with each other

(C) have a strong aptitude for learning

(D) live in groups that can be made up of hundreds

2. How do dolphins communicate with one another?

(A) Through radio waves.

(B) Via sonograms.

(C) By clapping their fins together.

(D) Through various noises.

3. According to the article, what poses a threat to dolphins?

(A) Whales.

(B) Tuna.

(C) Sailors.

(D) Fishermen.

精解字詞詞組

1. protect sb/sth from N/V-ing　　保護某人∕某物免于……

例: The body armor protects the police from being killed if shot in the chest.

(防彈背心保護警察在胸腔中彈時免于喪命。)

2. It is no wonder + that 子句　　難怪……

= No wonder + S + V

例: Danny was late again. It's no wonder that the manager wants to let him go.

(丹尼又遲到了，難怪經(jīng)理想請他卷鋪蓋走人。)

3. be related to...　　(動物)與……是同類;(人)與……有親戚關(guān)系

例: Did you know that I am actually related to the King of England?

(你知道其實我跟英國國王有血緣關(guān)系嗎?)

4. evolve vi. 演進，進化

例: Over time, those little fish evolve into frogs.

(隨著時間演進，這些小魚進化成青蛙。)

5. give birth to...　　生育……

例: A cat just gave birth to a litter of kittens behind my house.

(有只貓剛在我家后院生了一窩小貓。)

6. range in...　　在……(范圍內(nèi))變化

range from A to B　　范圍從 A 到 B

= range between A and B

例: The students in this graduate program range in ages from 18 to 80.

(參與該研究生計劃的學(xué)生年紀從十八歲到八十歲都有。)

7. communicate with...　　與……溝通

例: If we can't communicate with each other, we might as well end our relationship.

(我們?nèi)绻麩o法溝通，倒不如就結(jié)束這段關(guān)系吧。)

8. warn sb of...　　警告某人……

例: Jim's grandfather warned him of the dangers of smoking.

(吉姆的爺爺警告他抽煙的危害。)

9. bounce off...　　自……彈回來

bounce vi. 彈起，反彈

例: The ball bounced off the wall and came to rest under the table.

(球從墻邊彈回來，滾到桌子下就停住了。)

10. differentiate between A and B　　區(qū)分∕辨別 A 與 B

= differentiate A from B

differentiate vi. & vt. 區(qū)分

例: All of the teachers had a hard time differentiating between Carla and Marla because they were identical twins.

(所有老師都難以分辨卡拉和瑪拉，因為她們是同卵雙胞胎。)

11. in pursuit of...　　追求……;追趕……

pursuit n. 追求;追趕

例: The accident occurred while the police were in pursuit of the drunk driver.

(那場意外事故是警方在追逐該酒醉駕車者時發(fā)生的。)

12. deserve vt. 值得

deserve + N/to V　　值得……

例: Peter deserves our respect because he treats the rich and poor the same way.

(彼得值得我們尊敬，因為他對富者與貧者都一視同仁。)

13. have an aptitude for...　　有……的天賦

aptitude n. 資質(zhì)，天賦

例: My little sister has a great aptitude for learning languages.

(我家小妹對學(xué)習(xí)語言有極高的天賦。)

14. pose a threat to...　　對……構(gòu)成威脅

例: The leader of that country poses a threat to world peace.

(該國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人對世界和平構(gòu)成威脅。)

單字小鋪

1. delightful a. 可愛的

2. presence n. 出現(xiàn)，在場

3. vital a. 重要的

4. shipwreck vt. 使遭受海難 & n. 海難

5. mammal n. 哺乳動物

6. porpoise n. 鼠海豚

7. social animal　　群居動物

8. pod n.(海豹、鯨等的)一小群

9. playfulness n. 愛玩耍

10. squeak n. 吱吱聲

11. whistle n. 口哨

12. click n. 卡嗒聲

13. approaching a. 即將來臨的

14. sonar n. 聲納

15. profitable a. 有利可圖的

16. tuna n. 鮪魚

17. accidentally adv. 意外地

18. sonogram n. 聲波圖

詞組小鋪

1. be in danger　　處于險境

2. be rich in...　　富含……

3. a series of...　　一連串的……

4. in the process　　在過程中

5. be made up of...　　由……組成

中文翻譯

長久以來，水手們都說看見海豚跟在船邊游是件很幸運的事。牠們的出現(xiàn)代表陸地就在附近，這對一艘遭遇危險的船只及其船員來說是極重要的信息。有些海豚還會保護遇難水手不受鯊魚攻擊。難怪這獨特又迷人的生物一直被視為人類的好朋友。

你也許會認為海豚是魚類，但事實上牠們是哺乳類動物。牠們與鯨魚和鼠海豚屬于同一類，約在一千萬年前便已進化完成。海豚呼吸空氣、生育下一代并哺乳。牠們是群居動物，一群可達 12 只不等的海豚生活在一起，稱為 pod 或 school。在食物豐富的地方，許多群海豚聚集在一起時，可形成數(shù)量多達一千只的海豚群。

由于海豚愛玩、好奇心重，而且學(xué)習(xí)速度很快，因此被認為是很聰明的動物。牠們似乎會以結(jié)合了吱吱聲、口哨或卡嗒的聲響相互溝通。雖然科學(xué)家不確定牠們在做些什么，但此舉被認為是海豚在告訴彼此食物就在附近，或警告危險將至。海豚利用聲納探測物體的大小、形狀和所在位置。藉由發(fā)送一連串卡嗒聲并從物體反彈的回音，牠們便能區(qū)分鯊魚和船只。

不幸的是，海豚近年來面臨日益擴大的危機。想靠鮪魚大賺一筆的漁夫可能會意外使海豚困在漁網(wǎng)中，而讓牠們在受困過程中致死。這些聰明的海中哺乳類應(yīng)該要受到保護和尊敬才是。

中文翻譯&標準答案

1. 海豚不會 _____。

(A) 在海中下蛋

(B) 彼此說話

(C) 有很高的學(xué)習(xí)天份

(D) 上百只群聚在一起生活

題解：根據(jù)第二段，海豚是哺乳類動物，牠們直接產(chǎn)下小海豚，而非下蛋，故選 (A)。

2. 海豚如何互相溝通?

(A) 透過無線電波。

(B) 經(jīng)由聲波圖。

(C) 拍打牠們的鰭。

(D) 透過各種聲音。

題解：根據(jù)第三段，科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)海豚似乎結(jié)合吱吱聲、口哨或卡嗒聲等各種聲音來相互溝通，故 (D) 為正選。

3. 根據(jù)本文，何者對海豚構(gòu)成威脅?

(A) 鯨魚。

(B) 鮪魚。

(C) 水手。

(D) 漁夫。

題解：根據(jù)最末段，想靠鮪魚大賺一筆的漁夫會意外使海豚被漁網(wǎng)困住，而在受困過程中死亡，故應(yīng)選 (D)。

標準答案: 1. (A)　2. (D)　3. (D)