EZCNN 易英网

Watching Out for Whales 生态赏鲸之旅正时兴

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

Some time in the early nineties, boat captains around the world suddenly developed the notion of organizing tours to take people out to sea to watch whales. In some places, this new industry arose because fishing was becoming less profitable. In other places, study tours for whale researchers, called cetologists, began allowing ecotourists to join them. In Shiti, an hour south of Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast, Captain Lin Kuo-cheng started his whale-watching operation in exactly that way: he began with academic trips for cetologists, and then founded Sea Whale Tours in 1997. Worldwide, whale watching is now a billion-dollar industry, and it’s popular along the coasts of North America, New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland, Norway, and here in Taiwan.

九O年代初的某段时期，世界各地的船长忽然兴起组团带人出海赏鲸的念头。在某些地方，这项新兴行业崛起的原因在于捕鱼这一行渐渐赚不到钱了。而在其它地方，一群称为「鲸类学者」的研究人员开始开放让生态游客参与他们的研究之旅。船长林国正就是台湾东岸位于花莲南方约一小时车程的石梯港以此方式展开了他的赏鲸事业:他一开始是为鲸类学家安排学术研究之行，后来在1997年成立了海鲸号赏鲸公司。赏鲸现已遍及全世界，是个规模达十亿美金的产业，盛行于北美、纽西兰、南非、冰岛、挪威、甚至台湾的沿岸。

Anyone who has observed whales – if only on television – breaching and diving in the open water knows that the appeal of whale watching is obvious. Simply put, whales are as fascinating as they are awe-inspiring. They are some of the largest animals ever to exist, and are our closest mammal cousins in the water.

任何看过鲸鱼—就算只有在电视上—一跃而再潜入一望无际大海的人都知道，赏鲸的魅力是显而易见的。简而言之，鲸鱼既令人着迷又让人赞叹。牠们不但是有史以来体型最庞大的动物之一，而且是水中最接近我们人类的哺乳动物。

When it was first conceived, whale watching seemed like a natural ecotourism opportunity. Educational and environmental awareness would be combined with a thrilling sightseeing experience. However, as it has developed, some not-so-“eco” tour operators have cast a shadow over the entire industry. Reporters tell of boats chasing whales, cutting through pods at high speeds, and worse. Although the situation hasn’t been properly documented, there are strong indications that such actions are seriously harming whales and whale populations.

赏鲸的构想刚被提出来时，看起来像是个自然生态旅游的良机。教育与环保意识可与刺激的观光体验相结合。然而，随着赏鲸的演变，某些不太「生态」的经营者让这一行蒙上了一层阴影。有报告指出有船追赶鲸鱼，或从鲸群中高速驶过，甚至还有更过分的。虽然实际情况没有被确切地记录下来，但是有明显的迹象显示，这些行径会严重地危害鲸鱼及整个鲸群的生态。

Vocabulary

notion [ˋnoʃən] n. 想法；见解

profitable [ˋprɑfɪtəb!] adj. 有利的，赢利的

academic [͵ækəˋdɛmɪk] adj. 学术的

mammal [ˋmæm!] n. 哺乳动物

thrilling [ˋθrɪlɪŋ] adj. 令人兴奋的

document [ˋdɑkjəmənt] v. 用文件证明

More Information

arose [ə`roz] v. 产生，出现，形成

cetologist [sɛˋtɑlədʒɪst] n. 鲸类学者

ecotourist [͵ikoˋtʊrɪst] n.生态旅游者

breach [britʃ] v. 突破跳出水面

simply put 簡而言之 to put or say it simply or briefly

awe-inspiring [ˋɔɪn͵spaɪərɪŋ] adj. 令人起敬畏心的；令人惊叹的

conceive [kənˋsiv] v. 构想出

cast a shadow over: 让…蒙上一层阴影, 使…黯然失色  to spoil a good situation with something unpleasant

tell of: 讲述 narrate, recount

cut through: 穿越 to penetrate something by cutting; to slice through something

pod [pɑd] n.（海豹、鲸等的）一小群

worse [wɝs] adj & adv. 更糟

Reading Questions

1. According to the article, why did the whale-watching industry begin in the nineties?

A. Because fishermen had made so much money fishing that they invested in whale watching.

B. Because ecotourists began to accompany whale watching.

C. Because more and more whales began appearing near fishing ports.

D. Because the government gave money to fishermen to begin giving whale-watching tours.

2. Based on the article, which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. Whale watching can be done in many places, but not in Taiwan.

B. The beauty of a whale jumping out of the water can only be appreciated by seeing it in person.

C. Although whale live in the water, they are related to human beings biologically.

D. Whales have many natural enemies that are larger in size than they are.

3. What does the article mention as examples of misbehavior by ecotour operators?

A. Capturing smaller whales so that tourists can see them up close.

B. Driving boats through groups of whales and following after them.

C. Hunting and killing whales when not giving tours to environmentalists.

D. Destroying the fish and wildlife that whales depend on for food.

課文中英文講解

As whale-watching tours grow in popularity, so do the dangers of causing harm to the whales. Off northwest coast of the U.S., researchers have found that when motorboats are present, whales must ___1___ the volume of their underwater calls to be heard. In addition, engine noise may make ___2___ difficult for whales to find food. These factors may explain ___3___ whale numbers have dropped in some whale-watching hot spots.

赏鲸旅游愈发盛行对鲸鱼造成的伤害威胁也愈大。在美国的西北沿岸，研究人员发现有汽艇在附近的时候，鲸鱼就必须提高在水中呼叫的音量才能让同伴听的到。此外，引擎的噪音也可能使鲸鱼更难找到食物。这些因素也许能解释为何在某些赏鲸的热门景点鲸鱼的数量已经减少。

This is not to say that whale watching should be banned. Many environmentalists do approve ___4___ the activity, but with the following guidelines in mind: boats should never surprise whales, cut between them, run their engines when close to whales, or get closer than 100 meters. In instances when whales ___5___ boats, captains should allow the whale to control the length of the visit. Luckily, most whale-watching tours already follow such guidelines. In Taiwan, those ___6___ in finding a responsible tour operator should contact the Taiwan Cetacean Society (www,whale.org.tw).

这不代表应该禁止所有的赏鲸活动，只要谨记下列几项原则，许多环保人士其实是认可这项活动的:船只绝不可惊吓到鲸鱼、从鲸群当中驶过、在鲸鱼附近发动引擎或挨近鲸鱼到一百公尺以内的距离。在鲸鱼主动靠近船只的场合下，船长应该让鲸鱼来决定这趟赏鲸之旅可以待多久，幸好大多数赏鲸旅游团都已遵从这些原则。在台湾，若有兴趣找可靠的赏鲸旅游业者，可以连络中华鲸豚协会(www.whale.org.tw)

Witnessing the majesty of these creatures of the sea is an experience ___7___ no other. Indeed, the author of this article, while on a kayaking tour off the coast of British Columbia once found himself within twenty meters of two gray whales gracefully ___8___ through the waves. If our children and our children’s children are to experience such wonders, then we must all ensure that whale watching is done responsibly.

亲眼目睹这群海洋生物的壮观景象是别的经验无法比拟的。实际上，本篇作者就曾在加拿大卑诗省沿岸泛舟旅游的途中，一度见到两只灰鲸优雅地在距离不到二十公尺之处破浪前进。若希望我们的子孙以及子孙的子孙能有机会看到这种奇观，我们就必须确保要从是负责任的赏鲸活动。

－By Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

popularity [͵pɑpjəˋlærətɪ] n. 普及，流行

ban [bæn] v. 禁止

guideline [ˋgaɪd͵laɪn] n. 指导方针﹐行动准则

responsible [rɪˋspɑnsəb!] adj. 认真负责的；可信赖的

majesty [ˋmædʒɪstɪ] n. 雄伟，壮丽

gracefully [ˋgresfəlɪ] adv. 优美地

More Information

motorboat [ˋmotɚ͵bot] n. 汽艇

instance [ˋɪnstəns] n. 情况，场合

cetacean [sɪˋteʃən] adj. 鲸类的，鲸鱼的

kayaking [ˋkaɪækɪŋ] n. 皮划艇运动；皮艇运动

be to 能够;

Whale-watching

Answer