文本选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）
作者：Yan Zhuang
原文标题：The Whales Gathered in a Heart Shape. Experts Feared What Would Come Next.
原文发布时间：21 Jul. 2023
The whales gathered in a heart shape. Experts feared what would come next.
The pod of pilot whales huddled together for nearly a full day in the shallow waters off a remote beach in Western Australia. At times it made the shape of a circle, or spread into a line, or even, for a few moments, formed a loose heart shape. Some residents were thrilled by the unusual sight earlier this week. But authorities and researchers, baffled by the behavior, feared that a mass beaching was imminent. The behavior was "really unusual," said Kate Sprogis, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Western Australia. "Healthy pilot whales don't generally behave like this, and when you see it, you think there's something odd going on."
On Tuesday afternoon, researchers' fears were confirmed. The pod of almost 100 long-finned pilot whales rushed to the shore, stranding themselves on Cheynes Beach near Albany, in southern Western Australia. Rescuers raced against the clock to save them. Once a pilot whale — which can grow up to 24 feet in length and weigh up to 6,600 pounds — is out of the water, its organs can be gradually crushed under its own weight. Even when whales are successfully returned to sea, they will often strand themselves again.
By Wednesday, 52 of the whales had died, the authorities said. A team of local volunteer and conservation officials managed to move the remaining 45 back into the water and attempted to herd them back out to sea, using boats and kayaks to guide them. However, that afternoon, the whales re-stranded themselves further along the beach, the authorities said. The Australia Broadcasting Corporation reported that the whales had again formed a huddle before drifting back to shore.
鲸鱼聚集成一个心形，专家们担心接下来会发生什么
精听党背景导读
西澳大利亚州生物多样性部门表示，该部门25日下午接到有一大群长肢领航鲸在切恩斯海滩附近水域聚集的报告。尽管野生动物专家彻夜守候，不幸的是，52头鲸鱼一夜之间死亡。目前，工作人员和数百名志愿者正在想办法把剩下的鲸鱼送回深水区。
切恩斯海滩房车公园同日在社交媒体上发布的视频显示，不少鲸在浅水区搁浅。该公园表示，这些鲸是自己搁浅的，尚不清楚它们在近海聚集的原因。
澳大利亚政府部门7月26日证实，大约97头领航鲸在西澳大利亚州海滩搁浅。截至目前，已经有52头领航鲸死亡。
文本选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）作者：Yan Zhuang原文标题：The Whales Gathered in a Heart Shape. Experts Feared What Would Come Next.原文发布时间：21 Jul. 2023关键词：鲸鱼 搁浅 救援
精听党带着问题听
1.“和时间赛跑”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 为什么鲸鱼聚集成一个心形？3. 救援人员用什么方法引导鲸鱼返回大海？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
The whales gathered in a heart shape. Experts feared what would come next.
鲸鱼聚集成一个心形。专家们担心接下来会发生什么。
段一
The pod of pilot whales huddled together for nearly a full day in the shallow waters off a remote beach in Western Australia. At times it made the shape of a circle, or spread into a line, or even, for a few moments, formed a loose heart shape. Some residents were thrilled by the unusual sight earlier this week. But authorities and researchers, baffled by the behavior, feared that a mass beaching was imminent. The behavior was "really unusual," said Kate Sprogis, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Western Australia. "Healthy pilot whales don't generally behave like this, and when you see it, you think there's something odd going on.”
pod n. （海豚等海洋动物的）一小群；
pilot whale 领航鲸；1. pilot n. 领航员；引水员；领港员；
huddle vi. 挤在一起；
spread into 展开；扩散到；
loose adj. 松散的；不受束缚的，未拴住的；
be thrilled by 为……而兴奋；1. thrilled adj. 非常兴奋；极为激动；
unusual adj. 不寻常的，罕见的；
beaching n. 船只搁浅；搁滩；抢滩；1. The storm was so strong that it led to the beaching of several small boats along the coast. 风暴如此强烈，导致沿海的几艘小船搁浅。
imminent adj. 即将发生的；临近的；1. With the dark storm clouds rolling in, it was clear that a thunderstorm was imminent. 随着乌云滚滚而来，显然一场雷雨即将来临。
marine adj. 海洋的，海产的；海运的，海事的；
mammal n. 哺乳动物；
ecologist n. 生态学家；
odd adj. 奇怪的；怪异的；反常的；
参考译文
在澳大利亚西部偏远海滩的浅水区，这群领航鲸几乎一整天都挤在一起。有时它会形成一个圆形，或者展开成一条线，甚至在几分钟内，形成一个松散的心形。本周早些时候，一些居民对这一不寻常的景象感到兴奋。但当局和研究人员对这种行为感到困惑，担心大规模搁浅即将发生。西澳大学的海洋哺乳动物生态学家凯特·斯普罗吉斯（Kate Sprogis）说，这种行为“非常不寻常”。“健康的领航鲸通常不会有这样的行为，当你看到它时，你会觉得有些奇怪。”
段二
On Tuesday afternoon, researchers' fears were confirmed. The pod of almost 100 long-finned pilot whales rushed to the shore, stranding themselves on Cheynes Beach near Albany, in southern Western Australia. Rescuers raced against the clock to save them. Once a pilot whale — which can grow up to 24 feet in length and weigh up to 6,600 pounds — is out of the water, its organs can be gradually crushed under its own weight. Even when whales are successfully returned to sea, they will often strand themselves again.
long-finned adj. 长鳍的；1. finned adj. 有鳍的；
strand vt. 使搁浅；使滞留；1. For 5 years, I was stranded on a single island with one goal to survive。滞留岛上5年只有一个目标，目标就是生存下去。
rescuer n. 救助者；
race against the clock 和时间赛跑；
organ n. 器官；
参考译文
周二下午，研究人员的担忧得到了证实。这群近100头长鳍领航鲸冲向海岸，在西澳大利亚南部奥尔巴尼附近的切恩斯海滩搁浅。救援人员争分夺秒地抢救他们。领航鲸可以长到24英尺长，重达6600磅，一旦它离开水面，它的器官就会在自身重量的作用下逐渐被压碎。即使鲸鱼被成功地送回大海，它们也会再次搁浅。
段三
By Wednesday, 52 of the whales had died, the authorities said. A team of local volunteer and conservation officials managed to move the remaining 45 back into the water and attempted to herd them back out to sea, using boats and kayaks to guide them. However, that afternoon, the whales re-stranded themselves further along the beach, the authorities said. The Australia Broadcasting Corporation reported that the whales had again formed a huddle before drifting back to shore.
herd vt.（使）向…移动；1. The shepherd expertly herded his sheep into the barn before the storm came. 在暴风雨来临之前，牧羊人熟练地把羊群赶进了牲口棚。
kayak n. 皮船；
drift vi. 漂流；漂移；飘；1. As the sun set, the small boat continued to drift aimlessly on the vast ocean. 太阳落山时，小船继续在茫茫的大海上漫无目的地漂流。
参考译文
当局称，截至周三，已有52头鲸鱼死亡。一支由当地志愿者和环保官员组成的团队设法将剩下的45只鲸鱼移回水中，并试图用船只和皮划艇引导它们返回大海。然而，当局表示，当天下午鲸鱼再次沿着海滩搁浅。澳大利亚广播公司报道，这些鲸鱼在漂回岸边之前再次形成了一个团。
精听党每日单词
pod
/pɑːd/ n. （海豚等海洋动物的）一小群；
pilot whale
领航鲸；
huddle
/ˈhʌd(ə)l/ vi. 挤在一起；
spread into
展开；扩散到；
loose
/luːs/ adj. 松散的；不受束缚的，未拴住的；
be thrilled by
为……而兴奋；
unusual
/ʌnˈjuːʒuəl/ adj. 不寻常的，罕见的；
beaching
/ˈbiːtʃɪŋ/ n. 船只搁浅；搁滩；抢滩；
imminent
/ˈɪmɪnənt/ adj. 即将发生的；临近的；
marine
/məˈriːn/ adj. 海洋的，海产的；海运的，海事的；
mammal
/ˈmæm(ə)l/ n. 哺乳动物；
ecologist
/iˈkɑːlədʒɪst/ n. 生态学家；
odd
/ɑːd/ adj. 奇怪的；怪异的；反常的；
long-finned
/lɔːŋ fɪnd/ adj. 长鳍的；
strand
/strænd/ vt. 使搁浅；使滞留；
rescuer
/ˈreskjuːər/ n. 救助者；
race against the clock
和时间赛跑；
organ
/ˈɔːrɡən/ n. 器官；
herd
/hɜːrd/ vt.（使）向…移动；
kayak
/ˈkaɪæk/ n. 皮船；
drift
/drɪft/ vi. 漂流；漂移；飘；
精听党文化拓展
鲸鱼搁浅的原因：鲸鱼搁浅是一种让人悲伤和困惑的事件。虽然导致鲸鱼搁浅的原因多种多样，但常见的原因包括：环境变化、疾病和捕鱼活动。环境因素如海洋温度变化、潮汐和水深可能导致鲸鱼迷失方向，从而搁浅在浅水区。此外，鲸鱼身体内部的疾病也会影响其正常的行为和导航能力。另外，捕鱼活动中的渔网和捕鱼设备也可能是鲸鱼搁浅的原因之一。鲸鱼搁浅的救援：一旦发现有鲸鱼搁浅，救援行动就显得尤为重要。救援鲸鱼的主要目标是尽快将其送回海洋，以减少其受伤和压力。救援行动需要严密的组织和专业的团队，包括海洋生物学家、兽医和海洋保护协会成员。救援行动通常包括将鲸鱼浸泡在水中，清除周围障碍物，使用拖船或块索将其引导回海中。然而，需要注意的是，救援行动的成功并非始终如一，因为某些鲸鱼已经处于弱势状态，难以挽救。
鲸鱼搁浅的保护措施：为了减少鲸鱼搁浅事件的发生，保护措施至关重要。这涉及到多个层面的工作。首先，加强环境保护和监测，确保海洋生态系统的稳定和健康。同时，加强对捕鱼活动的监管和管理，减少渔网和捕鱼设备对鲸鱼的伤害。此外，加强公众教育和意识提高，增加对鲸鱼保护的重视和关注，推动人们采取可持续的海洋活动。另外，积极参与科学研究和合作，深入了解鲸鱼行为和迁徙规律，以制定更有效的保护策略。
总的来说，鲸鱼搁浅是一种令人担忧的现象，涉及到环境变化、疾病和人类活动等多种原因。为了减少鲸鱼搁浅事件的发生，需要采取综合的救援和保护措施。通过加强环境保护、监测、加强捕鱼活动的管理、提升公众意识和参与科学研究，我们可以为鲸鱼提供更好的生存环境和保护措施。只有通过合作和共同努力，我们才能更好地保护这些美丽而神奇的生物，让它们与我们共同在地球上延续生命！
精听党每日美句
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
想改变世界，先改变自己。