Life in the Freezer 冰雪童话 - 5

Other creatures benefit from the whales' industry-sea birds forage¹ in their wake.
As the whales drive the krill closer to the surface, it comes within reach of birds that are not particularly skilled in diving.
Cape² Petrels, about the size of pigeons, can only duck dive a few feet down. But that is enough to give them a share.

360 million sea birds constantly scour³ the southern ocean for food. They only go to land to breed. Most of their lives are spent on the wing far out at sea.
This ocean is rich in nutrients⁴ and very rough. Howling gales⁵ whip it into huge waves. These, with so few islands to interrupt and break them, grow and grow into some of the most mountainous seas to be found in any ocean.

Birds dispersed⁶ over its vast surface face a huge problem in finding food, for it is by no means uniformly spread throughout the ocean. The nutrients occur in patches, and so the krill, which is sustained by those nutrients, is patchy too. But once the birds find a swarm⁷, there is a frenzy⁸ of feeding.

Krill typically spends the day in deep water, rising nearer to the surface at night. But sometimes, a swarm rises during the day and then the birds get their chance. But getting to the krill is still a major problem to all birds except penguins⁹. Albatrosses such as the black-browed whose diet is about 40% krill can only dive down a couple of meters at the most.

New Words & Phrases

forage:草料

Howling:Marked by the sound of howling:
嚎叫的，咆哮的，怒号的：
a howling wind.
怒号的风

by no means :In no sense; certainly not:并没有；绝不
This remark by no means should be taken lightly.
这次讲话绝不能等闲视之

patch:A small piece, part, or section, especially that which differs from or contrasts with the whole:
小片，一小部分

Albatross:信天翁

1 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

2 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

3 scour   

v.搜索；擦，洗，腹泻，冲刷

参考例句：

• Mother made me scour the family silver.母亲让我擦洗家里的银器。
• We scoured the telephone directory for clues.我们仔细查阅电话簿以寻找线索。

4 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gales   

龙猫

参考例句：

• I could hear gales of laughter coming from downstairs. 我能听到来自楼下的阵阵笑声。
• This was greeted with gales of laughter from the audience. 观众对此报以阵阵笑声。

6 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

7 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

8 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

9 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》