A tool to prevent ships from hitting whales鯨魚防撞“神器”

胡牧

為了保護鯨魚，科學家們研發(fā)出了名為“鯨魚安全”的系統(tǒng)，它可以通過浮標內監(jiān)測到的聲音，識別鯨魚的種類和鯨魚群的位置，從而幫助鯨魚降低撞船的風險。

主題語境：動物保護 篇幅：334詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1 Humpback whales（座頭鯨）are among the worlds most endangered whales. Themain threats humpback whales face are strikes from ships and waste equipment. Re?cently， scientists have developed a technology?powered mapping tool to prevent ships fromhitting whales in areas off Americas west coast. The system is called Whale Safe. It usesequipment placed in the ocean to identify the presence of whales in the surrounding area.

2 Whale Safe was recently launched to the north in San Francisco Bay. There is a prob?lem in the bay with ships hitting whales. Wildlife officials reported that a humpbackwhale was washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay with injuries suggesting the ani?mal was killed in a ship strike. It was the fifth whale killed by a ship strike in the area in2022. However， the actual number of whales killed by ships is likely much higher becausethe bodies of the dead animals are rarely discovered.

3 The system uses three methods to identify and protect several different whale spe?cies. First， it uses flotation devices known as buoys（浮標）to record sounds the whalesmake. Second， it uses computer models to process current and historical ocean data to pre?dict where the whales are most likely to be. Third， it permits trained observers and citizensto report whale sightings through a mobile app. The tool also records shipping activity andships speeds. The collected data is then sent by satellite to scientists who examine it andseek to provide guidance to ship operators.

4 The Whale Safe project is supported by the Marine Mammal Center and the Benioff?Ocean Science Laboratory. Officials from the Marine Mammal Center say they have plansto expand the system to other areas where whales face a high risk of being hit by ships.“The system combines the latest technology with thoughtful conservation efforts to create asolution to reduce risk to whales. This is where technology meets Mother Nature for thebenefit of marine life，”said Jeff Boehm， a leader of the Marine Mammal Center.

Reading Check

Detail

1. What is the new tool intended for？

A. Detecting the conditions of ships.

B. Protecting whales from ship strikes.

C. Locating the bodies of the dead whales.

D. Recording the movements of humpback whales.

Inference

2. What is the function of paragraph 2？

A. To introduce the main idea of the text.

B. To add some background information.

C. To provide some advice for readers.

D. To put forward a new topic for discussion.

Gist

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the system？

A. Its working theory.

B. Its application value.

C. Its major advantages.

D. Its operational guidance.

Detail

4. What will the Marine Mammal Center probably do next？

A. Adjust the new system to other sea animals.

B. Provide professional training for ship operators.

C. Apply the system to other places with a high rate of crashes.

D. Seek cooperation with the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.

Language Study

Difficult sentences in the text

1. The main threats humpback whales face are strikes from ships and waste equip?ment. 座頭鯨面臨的主要威脅是船只和廢棄設備的撞擊。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，句中的humpback whales face是一個省略了that的定語從句，修飾the main threats。

2. Wildlife officials reported that a humpback whale was washed ashore in the SanFrancisco Bay with injuries suggesting the animal was killed in a ship strike. 野生動物官員報告說，一頭座頭鯨被沖到舊金山灣岸邊，所受的傷表明它是在船只撞擊中喪生的。

【點石成金】本句的主句是Wildlife officials reported，后面的that引導的是一個賓語從句；the animal was killed in a ship strike是一個賓語從句。