PBS高端访谈:濒临灭绝的虎鲸将会被放归自然?

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: You may have seen the documentary "Blackfish" that examined the treatment of killer¹ whales at SeaWorld Orlando. Now at the Miami Seaquarium, another controversy³ is brewing⁴ over a whale named Lolita.

　　The National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁵ Administration is currently deciding whether Lolita should be placed on the Endangered Species list.

　　NAOMI ROSE: If she is listed as an endangered species, citizens will then have the right to sue on her behalf.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: That could lead to Lolita being re-acclimated over time and eventually released back into the waters off Seattle, where she was captured in 1970.

　　Some scientists and activists⁶ argue that the tank where Lolita currently lives alone is too small for her well-being⁷ and that she should be set free.

　　Lolita has been dubbed⁸ "the world's loneliest orca." And this week, hundreds marched in Miami demanding her release.

　　But the Miami Seaquarium says it will fight any plan to put Lolita back into the wild, arguing that she simply can't survive on her own after 45 years in captivity⁹.

　　Robert Rose, the curator of the aquarium² notes how hard it is for an animal that's lived in captivity for so long to be returned to the open ocean.

　　ROBERT ROSE: I mean, she's gonna die, without question. They are going to take her out there and do exactly the same thing they did to Keiko which is to kill him.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Keiko was the iconic killer whale that starred in the movie "Free Willy".

　　Keiko was released into the waters off Norway in 2002 but died alone a year later of pneumonia¹⁰.

　　ROBERT ROSE: Unfortunately this didn't have the Hollywood happy ending where Free Willy jumped over the wall and lives happily ever after.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: NOAA's decision on Lolita's status is expected by the end of this month.

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

5 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

8 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

10 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。