英语听力：自然百科 大堡礁 珊瑚礁至雨林(20)

This is not seaweed,but a marine¹ relative of water lily, known as seagrass.

这些不是海藻，而是睡莲科植物的海中远亲，又称海草。

It grows in flowers in vast meadows in clear water, around the islands and along the shore of the mainland.

它们于岛屿周边广袤的水下平原以及大陆的海岸沿线生长繁殖。

And its support to creature that ancient mariners² once mistook for mermaids³.

它是另一特殊物种的食物，这是一种古老的海洋生物，曾被误认为美人鱼。

Gathering⁴ in a herd⁵ to a hundred or more are dugongs or sea cows.

它们就是儒艮，俗称海牛，一群有一百只甚至更多。

They are relatives of elephants.

它们是大象的表亲。

Each one can weigh nearly half a ton and march for 40 kilos of seagrass a day.

儒艮每只体重约有半吨，每天要吃约40公斤的海草。

Dugongs were once abundant, but they've had a difficult relationship with people.

儒艮曾经一度数量繁盛，但不幸的是，它们与人类的关系不佳。

Nowadays, they are trapped accidentally in fishing nets and shark protection barriers,and traditionally, aboriginal⁶ hunters targeted them because they taste good, like prime beef.

如今，它们经常会意外地被渔网困住，又或是被防鲨网勾住，当地土族把它们列在菜单上，因为它们味道可口，可以和顶级牛肉媲美。

And recovery of the population is slow.

而它们自己的繁殖速度也很慢。

A single baby is born every three to seven years.

每3到7年，母儒艮才能生下一个宝宝。

And this baby dugong may not be old enough to breed until she's 17 years old.

而它们的幼崽，要长到17岁以后才能开始繁殖。

1 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。

2 mariners   

海员，水手（mariner的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
• The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。

3 mermaids   

n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。 来自辞典例句
• This is why mermaids should never come on land. 这就是为什么人鱼不应该上岸的原因。 来自电影对白

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

6 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。