Dancing with the whales

浙江 江 麗

題材體裁 文章詞數 建議用時366 7分鐘鯨魚 記敘文

難詞探意

1.acquainted /?'kwe?nt?d/ adj.了解；熟悉

2.compose /k?m'p??z/ v.構成

3.strive /stra?v/ v.努力；奮斗

4.turbulent /'tз?bj?l?nt/ adj.洶涌的；湍動的

In waters off Weizhou Island, Beihai, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a group of experts have becomeacquaintedwith the whales.

They use small boats every day to track and record the traces of the Bryde's whale.Composedby scientists, videographers, fishermen and volunteers, the Beibu Gulf marine mammal joint research group has been conducting research on the whales and taking the role of the guardians of these marine mammals since they were first discovered in waters off Weizhou Island in 2016.The Bryde's whale, mainly seen in tropical (熱帶的) and subtropical (亞熱帶的) waters, is regarded as a very mysterious species of cetaceans(鯨類), with a body length of 10 to 12 meters and a weight of up to 15 tons.Related research is very limited worldwide with regard to this rare species.

Day after day on the sea, the guardians are surprised at the magic of creation for countless times,but few would know and feel deeply that their work is hard-earned.Researchers are tight on funds and carefully plan every cent of their expenses, but they still work tirelessly and insist on long-term offshore operations every day.Documentary photographers have to steadily manage various shooting equipment in a small boat, andstrivefor every precious moment without disturbing the whales.For young volunteers, seasickness has become the biggest suffering due to theturbulentsea.

Chen Mo, an associate researcher of Guangxi Academy of Sciences, still has some concerns over the future of the Bryde's whale.Some human activities create great threats to their survival: tourists take legal fishing boats to watch whales privately in the name of fishing; many fishing boats cruise at night near the forbidden waters, and fishermen use bright light to trap the whale's main fish prey; the increasingly successful island tourism has caused the water quality of the surrounding sea to deteriorate.

Faced with these situations, the guardians have worked closely with the government to promote popular science to local fishermen, students and tourists.A marine education textbook is also being prepared.Efforts are being made by the government and the guardians to protect the Bryde's whale while serving the interests of the local people.

Reading Check

1.Which of the following may belong to the joint research group?

A.Painters.B.Engineers.C.Volunteers.D.Doctors.

2.What can we know about the Bryde's whale?

A.It likes to play near small boats.

B.It is a common whale species.

C.It can be as long as fifteen meters.

D.It can be seen in tropical and subtropical waters.

3.What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A.The weight of the Bryde's whale.

B.The performance of the Bryde's whale.

C.The hard work of the joint research group.

D.The shooting equipment in the small boat.

4.What does the underlined word “deteriorate” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.Worsen.B.Threaten.C.Strengthen.D.Change.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

Efforts are being made by the government and the guardians to protect the Bryde's whale while serving the interests of the local people.在為當地人民的利益服務的同時，政府和守護者正在努力保護布氏鯨魚。

【信息提取】“Efforts are being made by...to...”意為“……正在采取措施，以……”。

【句式仿寫】當地政府正在采取措施來保護森林。