NPR边听边练36:禽流感蔓延的祸首是水鸟吗？

 　　【NPR边听边练】致力于提供新鲜有趣、饶有意味的时讯资料，致力于通过精听的方式促进听力提高，致力于不断开阔眼界和深入了解美国观点。

　　精听建议：

　　先完整地把一条新闻听一到三遍，争取掌握大意。然后，一句一句精听，力争每句话都听明白。遇到实在不懂的地方，再听写。

　　下面的文本材料中空缺部分里面要填的词都很简单，不过是一些值得注意的连读或者典型的美式发音哦，有些语速比较快。试试看，你能不能全部写对？

　　（参考文本，欢迎指出错误^^）

　　Asian bird flu is turning up in Europe. Mute swans killed by the virus have been found in Greece, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Germany. Dead swans found in Denmark are still being tested. ___1___ say these discoveries show that waterfowl are moving this virus around. Ornithologists say that is far from proven. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

　　Migrating waterfowl, often rest at the ___2___ at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Today ___3___ mallards does most of the ___4___ and quacking¹. Peter Marra, a migration² expert with the zoo, says it's long been known that ducks, swans and geese can carry the bird flu virus.

　　"About 30 percent of ducks like these might be carrying some form of low pathogenic avian influenza³, which doesn't hurt them or other ducks or animals that they might ___5___." Marra says it used to be assumed that the virulent⁴ H5N1 virus killed migrating waterfowl before they could go anywhere, but that assumption has taken some hits in recent months.

　　参考答案：

　　1. Health officials

　　2. duck pond

　　3. a crowd of

　　4. humphings

　　5. interact with

1 quacking   

v.（鸭子）发出嘎嘎声( quack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• For the rest it was just a noise, a quack-quack-quacking. 除此之外，便是一片噪声，一片嘎嘎嘎的叫嚣。 来自英汉文学
• The eyeless creature with the quacking voice would never be vaporized. 那没眼睛的鸭子嗓也不会给蒸发。 来自英汉文学

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

4 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。