英语听力：自然百科 澳洲海龟

 Moreton Bay, on the eastern coast of Australia, is always a rich and diverse ecosystem¹. Beds of sea grass stretch over miles, providing the foundation for fish, marine³ mammals and some truly ancient mariners（海员）.

 

Protected areas, like Moreton Bay, seem like safe heavens for these ancient reptiles⁴. But increasingly, this sanctuary⁵ is under siege from even more ancient life form, ("Ah, look at that.”) one (that) the Dr. Judio Neo knows all too well.

 

"That, here is a piece that was growing straight out of the settlement. Once it pulls up and it just rolls and rolls around, and then you have this sort of yarning⁶ mass."

 

What looks like a piece of sea grass is an epic⁷ scourge(灾难,祸患) in Moreton Bay. A species of blue-green algae⁸, its scientific name is Lyngbya Majuscula and it flourished 2.7 billion years ago. It emerged from the primordial(adj.原始的) ooze(软泥) that began all life. Now, it's making a comeback in Moreton Bay and many other places. And it grows at astonishing rates. At the height of bloom, its edge can cover an area the size of a football field in an hour. Dr. Karen Arthur has observed the invasion of fireweed(杂草) in Moreton Bay.

 

"We've had extensive blooms of Lyngbya for the past 60 or 70 years. And they have become fairly predictable, because they occur every year in summer time. Um, it is related to water temperature. Um, the warmer waters, allow that, some (of the) bacteria to grow and bloom all across the sea grass beds."

 

Green turtles have long been thought to be the vegetarians⁹ of the turtle world. But, when fireweed infests¹⁰ the local salad bar, what a veggie-loving turtle to do? To find out, Karen and Judy want to learn more about how green turtles in Moreton Bay find food. They join forces with National Geographic¹¹'s Greg Marshall. Greg has brought Crittercam, the small imaging and data logging system that can be deployed¹³ on marine creatures to study what they eat. But before you can deploy¹² crittercam, you have to catch a turtle, and they can be hard to find.

 

Spending most of their time below the surface, they only come up occasionally for air, and that's the time to strike.

 

Karen Arthur is a pro² of turtle rodeo(竞技表演), and this time she’s got a whopper(特大之物)-- a big healthy female. Turtle is weighed and measured. "One and seven-nine" She looks big and strong. So she doesn't seem to be going hungry. Greg cleans her shell, so Crittercam can be attached with a suction cup. (We're gonna go. Okay.)

 

At an equipped point, then the turtle is released back into the bay. The team can track crittercam's homing(回家的) beating with a radio receiver at a pre-set time the system releases. Hopefully, it contains information on how green turtles manage to make a living in Moreton Bay.

 

"Almost safe and sound."

 

The turtle swims rapidly after released, only surfacing quickly to breathe. She passes by a shovel¹⁴ nose shark(铲鼻鲨), fairly harmless local. Fish went by, but don't seem to strike an interest. Then something catches her attention. It's another turtle. They meet and greet. And after a quick that of socializing, it's time to move on. The team watches as she settles on the ocean floor. In front of her is a patch of sea grass. Not the freshest-looking greens, but free of fireweed. She takes a bite, and settles in for a rest.

 

Green turtles don't have swallowing muscles. So, the green noose(套索) that's coming from her mouth and nostril¹⁵ is backwash from the salt water she drinks to force the seaweed down her throat. Then as she swims toward the surface, the team is surprised to see her snap up a jellyfish. The grass-eating turtle does seem to occasionally dine on more hardy¹⁶ fare. These are first insights. They supplement Karen's initial findings.

 

"We found the turtles are trying to avoid the areas where there is a lot of Lyngbya. So as this Lyngbya is growing on their sea grass, they  actually avoid the sea grass with the Lyngbya areas, and now swim to areas where perhaps the sea grass isn't as nutritious¹⁷, and isn't as good for them. And so it means they get substandard diet when there is an extensive bloom, they don't have this much choice at the really  not so juicy leaves they might sometimes wanna eat."

 

The Crittercam shows that the green turtles have some tricks up their sleeves. Their palate(味觉) is more diverse than previously¹⁸ thought. And with the sight of jelly, they may be able to make due when the local salad bars closed. It remains¹⁹ to be seen if fireweed will impact the comeback of the endangered green turtle in Moreton Bay. But the team will be back to do what they can to protect it from the rise of sly.

 

Sponsored by National Geographic Mission Programs, taking science and exploration into the new millennium²⁰.

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

6 yarning   

vi.讲故事（yarn的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• We stayed up yarning until midnight. 我们讲故事一直讲到半夜才睡。 来自互联网

7 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

8 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

9 vegetarians   

n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。

10 infests   

n.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的名词复数 )；遍布于v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的第三人称单数 )；遍布于

参考例句：

• Crime infests that poor neighbourhood. 那个贫困街区犯罪猖獗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I have defeated Ordrak, but his darkness still infests the Ember here. 我击败了奥卓克，但是它的黑暗力量仍然寄宿在这里的灰烬水晶中。 来自互联网

11 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

15 nostril   

n.鼻孔

参考例句：

• The Indian princess wore a diamond in her right nostril.印弟安公主在右鼻孔中戴了一颗钻石。
• All South American monkeys have flat noses with widely spaced nostril.所有南美洲的猴子都有平鼻子和宽大的鼻孔。

16 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

17 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

18 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

19 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

20 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。