19. Dolphins海豚

New Words新單詞

dolphin (n.)

讀音：[ˈdɒlfɪn]

釋義：海豚（名詞）

sound (v+n)

讀音：[saʊnd]

釋義：聽；聲音（動詞、名詞）

each other

讀音：[i:tʃ ˈʌðə(r]

釋義：互相，彼此

top(n.)

讀音：[tɒp]

釋義：頂部（名詞）

hole (n.)

讀音：[həʊl]

釋義：洞，孔（名詞）

river (n.)

讀音：[ˈrɪvə(r)]

釋義：江河（名詞）

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Dolphins are sea animals in the same family as whales. Like whales, dolphins cannot breathe under the water. When they need to breathe, they come up to the top of the water. If we look at a dolphin or a whale, we can see that they have a hole on the top of their head. Dolphins and whales use this hole to breathe. Sometimes, we can see dolphins and whales blowing water out of these holes.

海豚和鯨魚是同一種族的海洋動物。正如鯨魚，海豚不能在水下呼吸。當海豚需要呼吸時，它們就游到水面上來。如果我們看看海豚或者鯨魚，我們能看見它們的頭頂上有一個孔。海豚和鯨魚用這個孔來呼吸。有時候，我們能看見海豚和鯨魚從這些孔中中吹出水泡。

The shape of a dolphin is a little different to the shape of most whales. Most dolphins are smaller than whales and their bodies are long and thin. This shape is very good for swimming quickly, and dolphins are some of the best swimmers in the sea. The largest dolphins can be four-and-a-half meters long, but most kinds are about three meters long. They are black, white or gray in color.

海豚的形狀和大多數鯨魚的形狀有點不同。大多數海豚比鯨魚體型更小。海豚身體細長，這種體型很適合游泳，海豚是海洋裡最好的游泳運動員之一。最大型的海豚能有四米半長，但是大多數種類的海豚大約有三米長。海豚的顏色有黑色、白色或者灰色。

Dolphins are very intelligent animals. They could even be the most intelligent animals after people. In zoos and other special places, people can teach dolphins to do things that no other animals can do.

海豚是非常聰明的動物。它們甚至可能是繼人類後最聰明的動物。在動物園和其他特殊場所，人們能教海豚做其他動物做不了的事情。

Dolphins live in seas nearly everywhere in the world, and some kinds even live in rivers. River dolphins live in some of the rivers of South America and South Asia. River dolphins are a little different to sea dolphins. The heads of river dolphins are smaller than the heads of sea dolphins. River dolphins are not as intelligent as sea dolphins and they do not work so well with each other.

海豚幾乎生活在世界各地的海洋裡，有些種類的海豚甚至生活在江河裡。江豚生活在南美洲和南亞的河流裡。江豚和海豚有點區別。江豚的頭部比海豚的頭部要小。江豚不如海豚聰明，江豚彼此合作沒那麼好。

Most dolphins live about twenty years and start producing young when they are five to eight years old. Baby dolphins grow inside their mothers’ bodies and, when they come out, the mothers will chase the babies up to the top of the water. The mothers make the babies go to the top of the water so that the baby dolphins can breathe for the first time.

大多數海豚能活大約二十年，它們五到八歲的時候就開始繁殖幼崽。小海豚孕育在海豚媽媽的體內，當小海豚一出生，海豚媽媽會把小海豚趕到水面上去。海豚媽媽讓小海豚到水面上去，這樣小海豚就可以第一次呼吸了。

Adult female dolphins produce milk for their young, and they will look after their young for a year or more. Baby dolphins like to swim under their mothers’ bodies and they learn a lot about swimming and hunting by spending a year so near to their mothers. But even after that first year, the mothers and their young stay near to each other. Like whales and many kinds of fish, dolphins like to swim around in ‘schools’. There are sometimes more than a thousand dolphins in a school!

成年的雌海豚為它們的幼崽產奶，它們會照看幼崽一年或者更久。小海豚喜歡在海豚媽媽的身體底下游泳，它們在海豚媽媽身邊花一年時間能學到很多關於游泳和捕獵的技能。但是即使在這一年之後，海豚媽媽和小海豚也待得很近。正如鯨魚和許多種類的魚，海豚喜歡以“種群”為單位游泳。有時候一個海豚種群裡有一千多頭海豚！

Dolphins have teeth and hunt and eat fish and small sea animals like baby turtles. This is another way dolphins are different to whales. Whales do not have teeth and only eat very, very small sea animals.

海豚長了牙齒，能捕食魚以及像小海龜這樣的小型海洋動物。這是海豚和鯨魚的另有不同之處。鯨魚沒有牙齒，只吃非常、非常小的海洋動物。

Dolphins can hear very well. Each dolphin in a school can make its own special sound that the other dolphins can hear. People swimming under the water can sometimes hear some of these sounds, too. To people, it can sound like the dolphins are singing. The dolphins are not singing. This is the way that dolphins speak to each other.

海豚的聽力極佳。一個種群裡的每隻海豚都能發出自己獨特的聲音，其他海豚都能聽見。在水下游泳的人有時候也能聽見一部分這種聲音。對人來說，這聲音聽上去像是海豚在歌唱。海豚不是在唱歌，這是海豚互相交談的方式。

Dolphins can use sound in other ways, too. They are able to use sounds to help them when they are hunting large schools of fish. They are able to send out sounds and wait for those sounds to come back from the school of fish they are hunting. The time it takes for the sounds to come back to the dolphins’ ears tells the dolphins how near the fish are. That really helps the dolphins find the fish they want to eat.

海豚們也能在其他方面使用聲音。當它們捕獵大片魚群的時候，它們能用聲音來幫助它們。它們能發出聲音並等待聲音從它們要捕的魚群回傳。聲音傳回到海豚耳朵裡所花用的時間告訴海豚魚群有多近。那真的幫助海豚找到它們想吃的魚。

Because of their long, thin shape, people sometimes think dolphins are sharks and will swim or run away from them. Dolphins can look like sharks, but they are not at all dangerous for people. Dolphins love to play. They love to play with each other and they even love to play with people. They are even safe for young children to play with.

因為海豚體型細長，人們有時候把海豚當成鯊魚，從海豚身邊遊走或逃跑。海豚可能看起來像鯊魚，但是它們對人類來說根本沒有危險。海豚喜歡彼此玩耍，甚至喜歡和人玩耍。它們甚至能安全地和小孩子一起玩耍。

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Pat and her mother are talking about dolphins.

佩特和她媽媽正在談論海豚。

Pat

Mom, did you know that dolphins can speak to each other under the water?

Mother

Yes, I did know that. Whales can speak to each other, too. Each whale in a school can hear the sounds that the other whales make.

Pat

That’s very clever, isn’t it? I learned a lot about dolphins today. It was really interesting!

Mother

Good. What about Lee? Did he learn a lot, too?

Pat

M..mm.m, I don’t think he learned as much as me. I’m better at schoolwork than Lee. I never need to ask for help. I can always find out things by myself. You know, Mom, I think this year I will be top of our class.

Mother

Really? Well if you can get to the top of your class, I’ll be very happy. But remember, Pat… it’s not enough to be intelligent. You have to be kind, too.

Pat

Yes, Mom. I know.

Mother

And please try to do more to help Lee with his schoolwork. Brothers and sisters should always help each other like that.

Pat

All right, Mom.

Mother

Now, tell me more about dolphins.

Pat

Well, most dolphins live in the sea but some live in rivers. Dolphins are not fish – they can’t breathe under the water like fish can. They have to come up to breathe. They breathe by using a hole in the top of their heads.

Mother

That’s the same as whales. Last week, I saw a whale on television. It was blowing water out of the top of its head.

Pat

Dolphins are a kind of whale. Dolphins love to play. They love to play with each other, and they sometimes even play with people!

Mother

I know, Pat – let’s ask your father if he will take us to a zoo on Saturday. There’s a zoo near here that has dolphins.

Pat

Oh, yes! Maybe they will let us play with the dolphins.

Mother

Maybe. Let’s go and see. But before Saturday, I’d like you to do something for me.

Pat

What? What would you like me to do?

Mother

On Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night, I’d like you to help Lee with his homework.

Pat

Oh, all right Mom.

Mother

I know you can do your homework by yourself, but it’s sometimes difficult for Lee. I’d really like to see you and Lee helping each other more.

佩特

媽媽，你知道海豚在水下可以互相交談嗎？

媽媽

是的，我知道。鯨魚也能互相交談。一個種群裡的每隻鯨魚都能聽到其他鯨魚發出的聲音。

佩特

那真聰明，不是嗎？我今天學了很多關於海豚的知識。真的很有趣！

媽媽

真棒。那麼李呢？他也學了很多嗎？

佩特

呃……呃呃，我覺得他學的沒我多。我的成績比李好。我從來不需要尋求幫助。我總能自己找到答案，你知道的，媽媽，我認為今年我會在班上名列前茅。

媽媽

真的嗎？如果你能在你班上名列前茅，我會很開心。但是要記住，佩特……光是聰明是不夠的，你還得善良。

佩特

是的，媽媽。我知道。

媽媽

那麼請儘量多在功課上幫幫李。兄弟姐妹應該像那樣互相幫助。

佩特

好吧，媽媽

媽媽

現在，再跟我講講海豚。

佩特

行，大多數海豚生活在海洋裡但是有一些生活在江河裡。海豚不是魚——它們不能像魚一樣在水下呼吸。它們得游上來呼吸。它們用頭頂上的一個孔來呼吸。

媽媽

那和鯨魚一樣。上週我在電視上看到了一頭鯨魚。它從它頭頂上噴水。

佩特

海豚是鯨魚的一種。海豚喜歡玩耍。它們喜歡互相玩耍，它們甚至有時候和人一起玩耍！

媽媽

我知道，佩特——咱們問問你爸爸，他是否會在週日帶我們去動物園。這附近有一家有海豚的動物園。

佩特

哦，好啊！或許他們會讓我們和海豚一起玩耍。

媽媽

或許吧。咱們去看看。但是在週六以前，我希望你為我做一些事情。

佩特

什麼？你想要我做什麼？

媽媽

在週三晚上、週四晚上和週五晚上，我希望你能幫助李做作業。

佩特

噢，好吧媽媽。

媽媽

我知道你能自己做作業，但有時候這對李來說很難。我真的希望看到你和李能更多地互相幫助。

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Questions

1. How is a dolphin able to breathe?

2. Which kinds of dolphins are not so intelligent?

3. How are dolphins different to other kinds of whales?

4. What do dolphins use sound for?

5. Are dolphins dangerous?

6. Who is better at schoolwork – Lee or Pat?

7. What does Pat have to do before she goes to the zoo?

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