新西兰英语 494 Godwits arrive

 　　Once again the migratory¹ birds, the Godwits are arriving in New Zealand from Alaska. They arrive in groups, usually the second or third week in September. Because of the earthquake damage to the Cathedral, Christchurch cannot ring the Cathedral bells to welcome the Godwits. Instead, eight bell ringers rang the bells at a church in the suburb of Papanui. The church is damaged but the bell tower is OK. The bells are similar to the ones that were in the Cathedral.

　　Christchurch has 23 migratory birds visiting during the summer. The Godwits are unusual because they have travelled such a long distance without stopping. They like tidal beaches with mud flats or river estuaries² where they can find food in the mud.

　　Listen to February 20th 2011 to hear about the departure of the Godwits. Also Sept 21st 2010 has more information about the Godwits.

　　Vocabulary

　　Migratory is the adjective from migrate – to move from one country to another. The nouns – immigrant and immigration – are related words.

　　Tidal – areas of a beach where there is big difference between high and low tide.

　　Mud flats – some beaches have long, flat areas of mud at low tide.

　　Estuary³ – a river mouth where the river goes into the sea. It is tidal.

　　Grammar

　　Note “the same as” but “similar to” e.g. A is similar to B; these are similar to those.

　　“The bells are similar to the ones…” means similar to “the bells”. Instead of repeating the noun, “the ones” is a pronoun that is used instead of the noun. e.g. These things are similar to the ones we had before. This car is similar to the one I used to have.

1 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

2 estuaries   

（江河入海的）河口，河口湾( estuary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We also recognize the diversity and complexity of controlling in fluences in estuaries. 我们也认识到在河湾内控制影响的多样性和复杂性。
• Estuaries also contribute to economy through tourism and fishing. 河口还为人类提供了休闲和教育的场所。

3 estuary   

n.河口，江口

参考例句：

• We live near the Thames estuary.我们的住处靠近泰晤士河入海口。
• The ship has touched bottom.The estuary must be shallower than we thought.船搁浅了。这河口的水比我们想像的要浅。