Dancing with the whales与鲸共舞

江丽

同源高考

北海有鱼，其名为“鲸”，广西北海涠洲岛海域，鲸鱼出现的频率高、数量多，引起国内外众多媒体的关注，也吸引了国内众多专家学者慕名而来开展研究。

难词探意

1. acquainted /??kwe?nt?d/ adj. 了解;熟悉

2. compose /k?m?p??z/ v. 构成

3. strive /stra?v/ v. 努力;奋斗

4. turbulent /?t??bj?l?nt/ adj. 汹涌的;湍动的

In waters off Weizhou Island， Beihai， in South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， a group of experts have become acquainted with the whales.

They use small boats every day to track and record the traces of the Brydes whale. Composed by scientists， videographers， fishermen and volun?teers， the Beibu Gulf marine mammal joint research group has been conducting research on the whales and taking the role of the guardians of these marine mammals since they were first discovered in waters off Weizhou Island in 2016. The Brydes whale， mainly seen in tropical（热带的） and subtropical（亚热带的） waters， is regarded as a very mysterious species of cetaceans（鲸类）， with a body length of 10 to 12 meters and a weight of up to 15 tons. Related research is very limited worldwide with regard to this rare species.

Day after day on the sea， the guardians are surprised at the magic of creation for countless times， but few would know and feel deeply that their work is hard?earned. Researchers are tight on funds and carefully plan every cent of their expenses， but they still work tirelessly and insist on long?term offshore operations every day. Documentary photographers have to steadily manage various shooting equipment in a small boat， and strive for every precious moment without disturbing the whales. For young volunteers， seasickness has become the biggest suffering due to the turbulent sea.

Chen Mo， an associate researcher of Guangxi Academy of Sciences， still has some concerns over the future of the Brydes whale. Some human activities create great threats to their survival： tourists take legal fishing boats to watch whales privately in the name of fishing; many fishing boats cruise at night near the forbidden waters， and fishermen use bright light to trap the whales main fish prey; the increasingly successful island tourism has caused the water quality of the surrounding sea to deteriorate.

Faced with these situations， the guardians have worked closely with the government to promote popular science to local fishermen， students and tourists. A marine education textbook is also being prepared. Efforts are being made by the government and the guardians to protect the Brydes whale while serving the interests of the local people.

Reading Check

1. Which of the following may belong to the joint research group？

A. Painters. B. Engineers. C. Volunteers. D. Doctors.

2. What can we know about the Brydes whale？

A. It likes to play near small boats.

B. It is a common whale species.

C. It can be as long as fifteen meters.

D. It can be seen in tropical and subtropical waters.

3. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about？

A. The weight of the Brydes whale.

B. The performance of the Brydes whale.

C. The hard work of the joint research group.

D. The shooting equipment in the small boat.

4. What does the underlined word “deteriorate” in paragraph 4 mean？

A. Worsen. B. Threaten. C. Strengthen. D. Change.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

Efforts are being made by the government and the guardians to protect the Brydes whale while serving the interests of the local people. 在為当地人民的利益服务的同时，政府和守护者正在努力保护布氏鲸鱼。

【信息提取】“Efforts are being made by...to...”意为“……正在采取措施，以……”。

【句式仿写】当地政府正在采取措施来保护森林。