英语听力：自然百科 冰冻星球 前往地球尽头—5

 It's time for the couple to go their separate ways. She will give birth to his cubs¹ alone in nine months time. And he may never see her again. He returns to the frozen ocean, no doubt relieved to resume his solitary² ways. And just in time, the ice beneath his feet will soon be gone. 

 

Each spring, the Arctic Ocean undergoes an extraordinary transformation³. An area of sea ice the size of Europe melts, exposing the rich waters beneath. 

 

Short-tailed shearwaters have traveled ten thousand miles from Australia to be here. Eighteen million visitors darken the skies, the largest gathering⁴ of sea birds on the planet.

 

Humpback whales come all the way from the equator to feed in these rich polar waters. Their giant tails are five meters across, simply raising them above the surface, give the whales enough downward momentum⁵ to reach the great swarm⁶ of krill and herring below.

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

3 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

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 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

6 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。