美国国家公共电台 NPR--The Dallas Zoo is part of a global effort to save wild African penguins.

The Dallas Zoo is part of a global effort to save wild African penguins².

Transcript³

Zookeepers in Dallas are working with international conservation groups to implement⁴ a survival plan for penguins. It includes DNA⁵ matching to make sure the right penguin¹ couples get together.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We now report on a momentous⁶ effort to get penguins to date. It's a big deal, really. Katherine Hobbs of our member station KERA reports from Dallas.

(SOUNDBITE OF PENGUINS VOCALIZING)

KATHERINE HOBBS, BYLINE⁷: It's a windy morning at the Dallas Zoo. A colony of 11 penguins waddles⁸ clumsily towards their keeper Kevin Graham. It's breeding season, and the zoo is counting on four bonded⁹ pairs to lay viable¹⁰ eggs - and not just because penguin chicks are cute. This group is responsible, in part, for the survival of their entire species.

KEVIN GRAHAM: If the worst happens and an extinction¹¹ crisis becomes imminent¹², we have a population that could be the reservoir.

HOBBS: And the penguin pairs at the Dallas Zoo are no coincidence. They were matched up by a sophisticated algorithm that first analyzed¹³ their DNA and then linked them up with a genetically¹⁴ ideal partner. This highly scientific dating service - Hatch.com, if you will - ensures eggs laid by a breeding pair will be viable and contribute to a genetically diverse captive population. But just because an algorithm says a pair is a good match doesn't mean they'll hit it off. Sometimes they need a little extra push, and that means they get their own enclosure and go on a penguin date.

GRAHAM: A lot of vocalization, a lot of body posturing¹⁵, a lot of interacting - and that's if it goes well. If it doesn't, we hope they ignore each other. But penguins that don't get along are feisty.

HOBBS: So if the date goes poorly, the penguin could go mateless. But there's even a place for them - the Dallas World Aquarium¹⁶. Here, Susan Schmid is the avian collection manager. Her collection of penguins, she says, is a sort of bachelor retirement¹⁷ community.

SUSAN SCHMID: They're adorable. I mean, you can't help but like them. They're cute. They're funny to watch walk.

HOBBS: While these penguins aren't a part of a breeding program, they do serve special roles as ambassador animals. Their job is to teach visitors about the efforts to save their wild cousins. The Dallas Zoo and the aquarium are at the forefront of this work. Every year, members of their staff travel to South Africa, where these warm-weather penguins live. That's right. Penguins aren't exclusive to Antarctica. These penguins migrate to nest off the blazing-hot islands off Africa's coast. There, they call out to their lifelong mate and reunite at the same nest each year. But those nests are threatened by development, coastal¹⁸ erosion and illegal guano harvesting - the material used to make the nests. Julie Farrington's a zoologist¹⁹ at the Dallas Zoo.

JULIE FARRINGTON: Out there, it's traveling to all the different nesting sites where the penguins are still trying to nest.

HOBBS: Farrington and her colleagues help homeless penguin pairs by providing housing assistance in the form of artificial nests. These nests are about the size of a dog crate²⁰.

FARRINGTON: And it's getting those nests out there for the birds to use. And as soon as we get those nests down on the ground, birds are in them.

HOBBS: This year, the penguin matchmakers placed 350 nests in the wild. Meanwhile, at the Dallas Zoo, the keepers are still impatiently waiting to see if any new chicks will be joining the colony.

For NPR News, I'm Katherine Hobbs in Dallas.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I'M PUTTING ALL MY EGGS IN ONE BASKET")

LOUIS ARMSTRONG: (Singing) I'm putting all my eggs in one...

1 penguin   

n.企鹅

参考例句：

• The penguin is a flightless bird.企鹅是一种不会飞的鸟。
• He walked with an awkward gait like a penguin.他走路的步子难看得就像企鹅。

2 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 waddles   

v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A goose waddles aimlessly. 一只鹅在摇摇摇摆漫无目的地走着。 来自互联网

9 bonded   

n.有担保的，保税的，粘合的

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee.威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• This adhesive must be applied to both surfaces which are to be bonded together.要粘接的两个面都必须涂上这种黏合剂。

10 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

11 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

12 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

13 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

15 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

16 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

17 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

18 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

19 zoologist   

n.动物学家

参考例句：

• Charles darwin was a famous zoologist.查尔斯达尔文是一位著名的动物学家。
• The zoologist had spent a long time living with monkeys.这位动物学家与猴子一起生活了很长时间。

20 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。