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Blue Whales: The Ocean’s Gentle Giants 蓝鲸：大海的温柔巨人

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A jet of water sprays 6 meters into the air, announcing the arrival of Earth’s largest animal, the blue whale. Blue whales can weigh up to 170 tons, or about the same as 12 fully-grown elephants. Imagine swimming beside an animal that has an average length close to that of an airplane! These animals are an impressive sight to behold.

一道六公尺高的水柱喷向空中，宣告来者为地球上最大的动物－蓝鲸。蓝鲸最重可达170吨，约12只成象的重量。想象一下与一头身长近似一架飞机的庞然大物同游的情景，他们可真是壮观呀！

Blue whales are often mistaken for fish, but they are actually mammals. Like other mammals, blue whales are warm-blooded, give birth to live babies, and breathe air. They usually surface every 10 minutes to take a breath, but can stay submerged in the dark depths of the ocean for around 50 minutes! Another amazing fact is that they communicate with each other by using a 180-decibel song, the loudest in the animal kingdom.

蓝鲸常被误认成鱼类，但牠们其实是哺乳类动物。就像其他哺乳动物一样，蓝鲸是温血胎生动物，且用肺呼吸。它们通常每隔十分钟便浮出水面呼吸，但能潜于海底黑暗深处长达五十分钟。另一项惊人的事实是，蓝鲸能用动物界里最大的声音－180分贝的歌声－互相沟通。

It’s interesting that the largest animal’s sole source of food happened to be one of the Earth’s smallest. Blue whales use their broom-like baleen to filter meals, which consist of tiny krill. During the summer feeding season, blue whales gorge themselves, consuming up to 40 million krill a day. Then they can store enough fat to sustain them through the year.

有趣的是，世界上最大动物的唯一食物来源恰巧是世界上最小的生物之一。蓝鲸利用扫把状的鲸须过滤牠们的食物小磷虾。在夏天觅食季节里，蓝鲸会大快朵颐，一天吃下多达四千万只的磷虾。如此一来，便能储存足够的脂肪使牠们度过一整年。

Blue whales have little to fear from predators expect one. Since the beginning of the 20^th century, man has hunted them for their meat and blubber, reducing their population to 1% of what it once was. Today, they remain on the endangered species list. Biologists hope these giant whales can make a comeback. With research, time and a little luck, perhaps someday the oceans will teem with these gentle giants once more.

蓝鲸几乎不怕任何猎食者，除了一种之外。从二十世纪初开始，人类为了鲸鱼肉及鲸脂捕杀蓝鲸，使其数量只剩下原先的百分之一。如今，蓝鲸仍在濒临绝种物种的名单上。生物学家希望这些鲸鱼有朝一日能恢复原来的数量。随着研究进展、时间推移及些许运气，或许将来某天这群温柔巨人又能再度充满于大海之中。

−by Ryan Campbell

Vocabulary

单词发音

be mistaken for 被误解为

mammal [ˋmæm!] n. 哺乳动物

submerged [səbˋmɝdʒd] adj. 在水中的；淹没的

sole [sol] adj. 单独的；唯一的

filter [ˋfɪltɚ] v. 过滤

consist of  由某事物组成或构成

consume [kənˋsjum] v. 吃完，喝光

sustain [səˋsten] v. 维持

endangered [ɪnˋdendʒɚd] adj. 快要绝种的

More Information

单词发音

fully-grown [͵fʊlɪˋgron] adj. 已经长成的；成熟的

behold [bɪˋhold] v. 看；看见

warm-blooded [ˋwɔrmˋblʌdɪd] adj.〔动物〕温血的﹐恒温的

decibel [ˋdɛsɪbɛl] n. 分贝（声音强度单位）

kingdom [ˋkɪŋdəm] n.（动、植、矿物）界

broom [brum] n. 扫帚；长柄刷

baleen [bəˋlin] n. 鲸须

krill [krɪl] n. 磷虾

gorge [gɔrdʒ] v. 塞饱

predator [ˋprɛdətɚ] n. 食肉动物；掠夺者

blubber [ˋblʌbɚ] n. 鲸脂；鲸油

make a comeback  东山再起；卷土重来

teem with  充满