晨读英语美文60篇六级53

[00:00.00]Seahorse Fathers Take Reins¹ in Childbirth

[00:04.96]It’s true that male seahorses never play catch with their children

[00:11.31]or help them with their homework.

[00:13.28]But they do outdo human dads on one count.

[00:16.89]Male seahorses undergo pregnancy² and give birth to their sons and daughters.

[00:23.00]The trait is unique in these strange and fascinating fish

[00:26.07]that inhabit tropical and temperate³ coastal⁴ waters worldwide.

[00:30.00]Seahorses, which range from less than an inch to a foot in length,

[00:35.04]have evolved a series of unusual adaptations.

[00:38.33]They are such an unusual looking fish that

[00:41.61]people sometimes don’t realize they’re real fish.

[00:44.88]The male seahorse has a pouch⁵ on its stomach in which to carry babies—

[00:49.80]as many as 2000 at a time.

[00:52.77]A pregnancy lasts from 10 to 25 days depending on the species.

[00:57.96]The reproductive process begins

[01:00.47]when a male and a female seahorse do daily predawn dances

[01:05.29]intertwining their tails and swimming together.

[01:08.25]Eventually they engage in a true courtship dance,

[01:12.29]which can last as long as eight hours.

[01:15.02]It ends with the female depositing her eggs in the male’s pouch.

[01:19.39]The eggs hatch in the pouch.

[01:21.81]The father cares for the young

[01:23.57]as they grow regulating the water salinity⁶ in the pouch to prepare them for life in the sea.

[01:29.78]When the tiny seahorses are ready to be born the male undergoes muscular contractions⁷

[01:36.35]to expel the young known as “fry” from the pouch.

[01:39.95]While seahorse dads go the extra mile to give birth

[01:43.68]the parents do not provide their tiny offspring with any care or protection

[01:48.93]after they are born.

[01:50.34]Infant seahorses are susceptible⁸ to death from predators⁹

[01:54.30]and being swept into ocean currents

[01:56.69]where they drift away from feeding grounds rich in microscopic¹⁰ organisms.

[02:01.39]Fewer than five infant seahorses in every 1000 survive to adulthood¹¹

[02:06.76]which helps explain why the litters are so large.

1 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

2 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

3 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

4 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。

5 pouch   

n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件

参考例句：

• He was going to make a tobacco pouch out of them. 他要用它们缝制一个烟草袋。
• The old man is always carrying a tobacco pouch with him.这老汉总是随身带着烟袋。

6 salinity   

n.盐分；咸度；盐浓度；咸性

参考例句：

• In the sea water sampled the salinity is two parts per thousand.在取样的海水中，盐度为千分之二。
• In many sedimentary basins the salinity of the formation water increases with depth or compaction.在许多沉积盆地中，地层水的含盐量随深度或压实作用而增高。

7 contractions   

n.收缩( contraction的名词复数 )；缩减；缩略词；（分娩时）子宫收缩

参考例句：

• Contractions are much more common in speech than in writing. 缩略词在口语里比在书写中常见得多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Muscle contractions are powered by the chemical adenosine triphosphate(ATP ). 肌肉收缩是由化学物质三磷酸腺苷(ATP)提供动力的。 来自辞典例句

8 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

9 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

11 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。