【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What would you say is the main characteristic of porpoises?
There has long been a superstition among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by pushing them to the surface, or protect them from sharks by surrounding them in defensive formation. Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably a mistake to credit dolphins with any motive of lifesaving. On the occasions when they have pushed to shore an unconscious human being they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or for sport, as in riding the bow waves of a ship. In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it may have been because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal attracted the sharks. Porpoises and sharks are natural enemies. It is possible that upon such an occasion a battle ensued, with the sharks being driven away or killed.
Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They are constantly after the turtles, who peacefully submit to all sorts of indignities. One young calf especially enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his snout and then shoving him across the tank like an aquaplane. Almost any day a young porpoise may be seen trying to turn a 300-pound sea turtle over by sticking his snout under the edge of his shell and pushing up for dear life. This is not easy, and may require two porpoises working together. In another game, as the turtle swims across the oceanarium, the first porpoise swoops down from above and butts his shell with his belly. This knocks the turtle down several feet. He no sooner recovers his equilibrium than the next porpoise comes along and hits him another crack. Eventually the turtle has been butted all the way down to the floor of the tank. He is now satisfied merely to try to stand up, but as soon as he does so a porpoise knocks him flat. The turtle at last gives up by pulling his feet under his shell and the game is over.
RALPH NADING HILL Window in the Sea
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
porpoise n. 海豚
mariner n. 水手
shark n. 鯊魚
formation n. 隊形
dolphin n. 海豚科動物
unconscious adj. 不省人事
beaver n. 海貍
ashore adv. 上岸
waterlogged adj. 浸滿水的
scent n. 香味
ensue v. 接著發(fā)生
intrigue v. 引起興趣
indignity n. 侮辱
snout n. 口鼻部
shove v. 硬推
aquaplane n. 駕浪滑水板
oceanarium n. 水族館
swoop v. 猛撲
belly n. 腹部
equilibrium n. 平衡
butt v. 碰撞
crack n. 重擊
【課文注釋】
1.however intelligent they may be，不管它們有多聰明，這是一個讓步狀語從句，相當(dāng)于no matter how intelligent they may be。
no matter what/how/who/which/where = whatever/however/whoever/whichever/wherever
例句：Whatever you say, I will not change my mind. = No matter what you say, I will not change my mind.
不管你說什么，我都不會改變主意的。
2.credit sb with sth，把某事歸功于某人。
If people credit someone with an achievement or if it is credited to them, people say or believe that they were responsible for it.
例句：Until now I've always credited you with more sense.
在這以前，我一直都認為你不至如此糊涂。
3.out of curiosity，出于好奇。
You use out of to say what feeling or reason causes someone to do something. out of+名詞：出于……，由于……。
例句：He has been taking care of her out of the sense of guilt.
出于負罪感，他一直在照顧她。
4.as in riding the bow waves of a ship，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。
5.If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks...，as是關(guān)系代詞，代替they have protected humans from sharks。
6.a battle ensued，隨之發(fā)生搏斗。
If something ensues, it happens immediately after another event, usually as a result of it.繼而發(fā)生，接著。
例句：Bitter arguments ensued from this misunderstanding.
這一誤會引發(fā)了激烈的爭論。
7.Whether it be bird, fish or beast...，這是一個讓步狀語從句，用的是虛擬語氣形式。
8.be intrigued with，對……感興趣。
①intrigue (with sb) gainst sb：(聯(lián)合某人)對某人搞陰謀詭計。
例句：She was intriguing with her sister against her mother.
她和妹妹串通搗鬼跟母親作對。
②intrigue sb，激起某人的興趣。
例句：What you say intrigues me; tell me more.
你說的很有意思，多給我講些吧。
9.submit to，屈服，屈從于。
①If you submit to something, you unwillingly allow something to be done to you, or you do what someone wants, for example because you are not powerful enough to resist.屈服于。
例句：She refused to submit to his control.
她不屈服于他的控制。
②If you submit a proposal, report, or request to someone, you formally send it to them so that they can consider it or decide about it.遞交。
例句：Please submit your application form in quadruplicate.
請交申請表一式四份。
10.for dear life，拼命地。
例句：As soon as they saw the farmer coming, the boys dropped the apples they had stolen, and ran for dear life.
一看見有農(nóng)工走過來，那群孩子們就丟掉偷摘的蘋果，拼命跑來了。
11.He no sooner recovers his equilibrium than the next porpoise comes along and hits him another crack.它剛站起來，就被一只海豚擊倒。
no sooner...than/hardly...when，這兩個詞組表示“一……就……”。
例句：We had ardly begun our walk when it began to rain.
我們剛一舉步就下起雨來了。
【參考譯文】
長期以來，海員中流傳著一種迷信的說法，認為海豚會把快要淹死的人托到水面，救人性命;或在人們周圍列隊保護，使他們免遭鯊魚傷害。海洋攝影室的生物學(xué)家指出，無論海豚多么聰明，認為它們有救人的動機可能是錯誤的。當(dāng)它們偶爾把一個失去知覺的人推到岸邊時，更大的可能是出于好奇或游戲，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。1928年，有人拍攝到了海豚像海貍一樣把浸透水的床墊推上岸的情景。正如報道中所說，如果海豚保護人不受鯊魚侵害，那么它們可能是出于好奇;而鯊魚可能是聞到了可以美食一頓的香味。海豚和鯊魚是天然仇敵，雙方可能隨之發(fā)生搏斗，搏斗結(jié)果是海豚趕走或咬死鯊魚。
海豚對凡是活的東西都感興趣，不管是鳥、是魚，還是野獸。它們經(jīng)常追逐海龜，海龜則溫順地忍受著各種侮辱。一只小海豚特別喜歡用鼻子把海龜推到水面，然后像滑水板一樣把海龜從水池的這一邊推到那一邊。幾乎每天都可以看到一只小海豚把鼻子頂入一只300磅重的海龜?shù)挠矚は旅?，拼命地把它翻過來。這并非易事，可能需要兩只海豚合伙干才行。在另一場游戲中，當(dāng)海龜游過水族館時，第一只海豚從上方猛撲下去，用腹部撞擊龜殼。這一下子把海龜撞下去好幾英尺。海龜剛恢復(fù)平衡，第二只海豚又沖過來猛擊一下。這只海龜終被撞到池底。此時的海龜，只要能站起來就滿足了，但它剛站起來，就被一只海豚擊倒。海龜終于屈服了，將4條腿縮進殼內(nèi)。游戲到此結(jié)束。
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What would you say is the main characteristic of porpoises?
There has long been a superstition among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by pushing them to the surface, or protect them from sharks by surrounding them in defensive formation. Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably a mistake to credit dolphins with any motive of lifesaving. On the occasions when they have pushed to shore an unconscious human being they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or for sport, as in riding the bow waves of a ship. In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it may have been because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal attracted the sharks. Porpoises and sharks are natural enemies. It is possible that upon such an occasion a battle ensued, with the sharks being driven away or killed.
Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They are constantly after the turtles, who peacefully submit to all sorts of indignities. One young calf especially enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his snout and then shoving him across the tank like an aquaplane. Almost any day a young porpoise may be seen trying to turn a 300-pound sea turtle over by sticking his snout under the edge of his shell and pushing up for dear life. This is not easy, and may require two porpoises working together. In another game, as the turtle swims across the oceanarium, the first porpoise swoops down from above and butts his shell with his belly. This knocks the turtle down several feet. He no sooner recovers his equilibrium than the next porpoise comes along and hits him another crack. Eventually the turtle has been butted all the way down to the floor of the tank. He is now satisfied merely to try to stand up, but as soon as he does so a porpoise knocks him flat. The turtle at last gives up by pulling his feet under his shell and the game is over.
RALPH NADING HILL Window in the Sea
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
porpoise n. 海豚
mariner n. 水手
shark n. 鯊魚
formation n. 隊形
dolphin n. 海豚科動物
unconscious adj. 不省人事
beaver n. 海貍
ashore adv. 上岸
waterlogged adj. 浸滿水的
scent n. 香味
ensue v. 接著發(fā)生
intrigue v. 引起興趣
indignity n. 侮辱
snout n. 口鼻部
shove v. 硬推
aquaplane n. 駕浪滑水板
oceanarium n. 水族館
swoop v. 猛撲
belly n. 腹部
equilibrium n. 平衡
butt v. 碰撞
crack n. 重擊
【課文注釋】
1.however intelligent they may be，不管它們有多聰明，這是一個讓步狀語從句，相當(dāng)于no matter how intelligent they may be。
no matter what/how/who/which/where = whatever/however/whoever/whichever/wherever
例句：Whatever you say, I will not change my mind. = No matter what you say, I will not change my mind.
不管你說什么，我都不會改變主意的。
2.credit sb with sth，把某事歸功于某人。
If people credit someone with an achievement or if it is credited to them, people say or believe that they were responsible for it.
例句：Until now I've always credited you with more sense.
在這以前，我一直都認為你不至如此糊涂。
3.out of curiosity，出于好奇。
You use out of to say what feeling or reason causes someone to do something. out of+名詞：出于……，由于……。
例句：He has been taking care of her out of the sense of guilt.
出于負罪感，他一直在照顧她。
4.as in riding the bow waves of a ship，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。
5.If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks...，as是關(guān)系代詞，代替they have protected humans from sharks。
6.a battle ensued，隨之發(fā)生搏斗。
If something ensues, it happens immediately after another event, usually as a result of it.繼而發(fā)生，接著。
例句：Bitter arguments ensued from this misunderstanding.
這一誤會引發(fā)了激烈的爭論。
7.Whether it be bird, fish or beast...，這是一個讓步狀語從句，用的是虛擬語氣形式。
8.be intrigued with，對……感興趣。
①intrigue (with sb) gainst sb：(聯(lián)合某人)對某人搞陰謀詭計。
例句：She was intriguing with her sister against her mother.
她和妹妹串通搗鬼跟母親作對。
②intrigue sb，激起某人的興趣。
例句：What you say intrigues me; tell me more.
你說的很有意思，多給我講些吧。
9.submit to，屈服，屈從于。
①If you submit to something, you unwillingly allow something to be done to you, or you do what someone wants, for example because you are not powerful enough to resist.屈服于。
例句：She refused to submit to his control.
她不屈服于他的控制。
②If you submit a proposal, report, or request to someone, you formally send it to them so that they can consider it or decide about it.遞交。
例句：Please submit your application form in quadruplicate.
請交申請表一式四份。
10.for dear life，拼命地。
例句：As soon as they saw the farmer coming, the boys dropped the apples they had stolen, and ran for dear life.
一看見有農(nóng)工走過來，那群孩子們就丟掉偷摘的蘋果，拼命跑來了。
11.He no sooner recovers his equilibrium than the next porpoise comes along and hits him another crack.它剛站起來，就被一只海豚擊倒。
no sooner...than/hardly...when，這兩個詞組表示“一……就……”。
例句：We had ardly begun our walk when it began to rain.
我們剛一舉步就下起雨來了。
【參考譯文】
長期以來，海員中流傳著一種迷信的說法，認為海豚會把快要淹死的人托到水面，救人性命;或在人們周圍列隊保護，使他們免遭鯊魚傷害。海洋攝影室的生物學(xué)家指出，無論海豚多么聰明，認為它們有救人的動機可能是錯誤的。當(dāng)它們偶爾把一個失去知覺的人推到岸邊時，更大的可能是出于好奇或游戲，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。1928年，有人拍攝到了海豚像海貍一樣把浸透水的床墊推上岸的情景。正如報道中所說，如果海豚保護人不受鯊魚侵害，那么它們可能是出于好奇;而鯊魚可能是聞到了可以美食一頓的香味。海豚和鯊魚是天然仇敵，雙方可能隨之發(fā)生搏斗，搏斗結(jié)果是海豚趕走或咬死鯊魚。
海豚對凡是活的東西都感興趣，不管是鳥、是魚，還是野獸。它們經(jīng)常追逐海龜，海龜則溫順地忍受著各種侮辱。一只小海豚特別喜歡用鼻子把海龜推到水面，然后像滑水板一樣把海龜從水池的這一邊推到那一邊。幾乎每天都可以看到一只小海豚把鼻子頂入一只300磅重的海龜?shù)挠矚は旅?，拼命地把它翻過來。這并非易事，可能需要兩只海豚合伙干才行。在另一場游戲中，當(dāng)海龜游過水族館時，第一只海豚從上方猛撲下去，用腹部撞擊龜殼。這一下子把海龜撞下去好幾英尺。海龜剛恢復(fù)平衡，第二只海豚又沖過來猛擊一下。這只海龜終被撞到池底。此時的海龜，只要能站起來就滿足了，但它剛站起來，就被一只海豚擊倒。海龜終于屈服了，將4條腿縮進殼內(nèi)。游戲到此結(jié)束。