帝企鵝可能在21世紀(jì)末消失

王晶

帝企鵝是地球現(xiàn)存19種企鵝中最大的，其形態(tài)特征是脖子底下有一片橙黃色羽毛，向下逐漸變淡，耳朵后部最深。冬季它們在南極嚴(yán)寒的冰上繁殖后代，而如今氣候變暖對(duì)它們帶來了巨大的威脅……

Emperor penguins are the largest of the 19 penguin species. “The Emperor penguin is certainly the most iconic of the penguin species，” said Dyan deNapoli， penguin expert and author of The Great Penguin Rescue. “It is the most visually impressive of the penguin species， and is very well?known by millions of people， who fell in love with the species after seeing the award?winning documentary， March of the Penguins.” Emperor penguins are also the hardiest penguin species： They live on the coldest， driest， and windiest place on the planet and breed during the harsh Antarctic winter， when the temperatures can drop to 100 degrees F and the winds can blow 100 mph.

Despite all that， a new study predicts that if climate change continues， most Emperor penguins may disappear by the end of the century. “If global climate keeps warming at the current rate， we expect Emperor penguins in Antarctica to experience an 86 percent decline by the year 2100，” said Stephanie Jenouvrier， a lead author on the paper that was published in Global Change Biology. “At that point， it is very unlikely for them to bounce back.” Jenouvrier and a team of researchers created a global climate model that forecasts when and where sea ice forms and a model of penguin populations to see how colonies may respond to varying sea ice in future climate footprints. However， if countries meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement， Emperor penguins would decline by a less drastic 31 percent.

As with most of the penguin species on Earth today， the number one threat to their survival is global warming. Both poles （the Arctic and the Antarctic） have experienced the greatest increases in temperatures over the last 50 years， notes deNapoli. The second threat to most penguin species today is the overfishing of their food supplies.

DeNapoli notes that there has been a decrease in the amount of sea ice formation in the regions of Antarctica where some Emperor penguins establish colonies to breed and raise their babies. “Many Emperor penguins breed on ice shelves that only form during the Antarctic winter. There have been times in recent years when the ice shelves have melted back faster or sooner than usual. Many of the babies havent completely fledged into their waterproof feathers by the time the ice melts back to the colony， and they are forced into the cold ocean waters， where they die of cold exposure or drowning，” said deNapoli. Another thing that less sea ice definitely affects is food for the penguins. “One of their food sources is krill， and the sea?ice shelves serve as a nursery for the krill. The krill larvae feed on the algae that grow on the underside of the sea ice. When there is less sea ice， fewer krill are produced，” deNapoli explained.

“People can donate to organizations that are working to protect Emperor penguins and other penguin species， and our oceans in general，” says deNapoli. Reducing your impact on the environment， in particular， is something you can do—you can make these tiny changes to lower your carbon footprint every day. “You can also be mindful about reducing seafood consumption as overfishing is the second greatest threat to nearly every penguin species today. Also， avoid using supplements and other products that contain krill or krill oil，” noted deNapoli.

[閱讀自測]

1. Why are Emperor penguins the hardiest penguin species？

A. Their appearances are ugly.

B. Their living environment is tough.

C. Their breeding process is too long.

D. Their food sources are quite limited.

2. Why was the global climate model created？

A. To forecast when and where sea ice forms.

B. To predict the climate change in the future.

C. To monitor the changes of penguins population.

D. To see penguins response to climate footprints.

3. Whats the biggest threat to penguins survival？

A. Cold weather. B. A lack of food.

C. Global warming. D. Water pollution.

4. Where do most Emperor penguins breed？

A. In ice caves. B. On ice shelves.

C. In ocean waters. D. On the underside of the sea ice.

文本探究

探究視角1：語篇分析

本文是一篇說明文，解析帝企鵝即將滅絕的原因，并提出相關(guān)建議。說明文是客觀說明事物的一種文體，目的在于給人以知識(shí)，或說明事物的狀態(tài)、性質(zhì)、功能，或闡述事理。根據(jù)說明對(duì)象的不同可分為事理說明文和事物說明文。事理說明文旨在說明事因、物因;事物說明文旨在介紹某一事物的特征。本文為事理說明文。該文章的篇章結(jié)構(gòu)如下：

探究視角2：語言學(xué)習(xí)

Ⅰ. 文本填空

1. Emperor penguins are the （large） of the 19 penguin species.

2. It is well?known by millions of people，fell in love with the species after seeing the award?winning documentary， March of the Penguins.

3. Despite all that， a new study predicts that if climate change continues， most Emperor penguins may

（appear） by the end of the century.

4. If global climate keeps warming， we expect Emperor penguins in Antarctica （experience） an 86 percent decline by the year 2100.

5. In recent years the ice shelves have melted back faster or soonerusual.

6. One of their food sources （be） krill， and the sea?ice shelves serve as a nursery for the krill.

7. Reducing your impactthe environment， in particular， is something you can do—you can make these tiny changes to lower your carbon footprint every day.

8. You can also be mindful about（reduce） seafood consumption as overfishing is the second greatest threat to nearly every penguin species today.

Ⅱ. 寫作推薦

Despite all that， a new study predicts that if climate change continues， most Emperor penguins may disappear by the end of the century. 盡管如此，一項(xiàng)新的研究預(yù)測，如果氣候變化持續(xù)下去，大多數(shù)帝企鵝可能在21世紀(jì)末消失。

【信息提取】despite是介詞，意為“不管;盡管”，后面常跟名詞和動(dòng)詞?ing形式。

【句式仿寫】盡管病得很重，他還是來參加了會(huì)議。

探究視角3：文化拓展

電影《帝企鵝日記》

這部影片于2005年1月26日在法國上映。在一片冰川、荒涼孤寂的南極洲上，生存著一群不畏寒冷的族類：帝企鵝。在這終年寒冷的地方，每年三月便開始進(jìn)入寒冬，并將持續(xù)九個(gè)月的時(shí)間。于是每年的三月，成千上萬的帝企鵝離開它們的海洋家園，以輕巧的動(dòng)作躍上岸，一開始以圓滾滾的肚皮在地面滑行數(shù)10米，最終用蹣跚的雙腳在冰面上行走。為了尋找一個(gè)安全的環(huán)境繁衍后代和生存，帝企鵝們不得不放棄海里的悠然生活，冒著昏天黑地的冰風(fēng)暴，踉踉蹌蹌、如嬰兒學(xué)步一般開始一段漫長而艱辛的旅程。

白天越來越短，氣候也越來越惡劣，雌性企鵝會(huì)停下來一段時(shí)間生蛋。之后，筋疲力盡的它們還不能休息，必須要立即啟程繼續(xù)趕路，然后返回大海尋找食物并恢復(fù)體力。而企鵝爸爸則會(huì)留下來保護(hù)那些珍貴的企鵝蛋，它們將蛋孵在自己的腳掌上面以保持溫暖……水盡糧絕的境遇下，這種看起來柔弱、笨拙的動(dòng)物卻表現(xiàn)出了頑強(qiáng)的生命力。