英语听力精选进阶版 7167

Background: 两只河狸幼仔在苏格兰的野外出生。这是自从去年尝试把这种动物重新引入到英国后，首次出生的河狸幼仔。专家说这是一个良好的兆头。

Wild beavers¹ are nocturnal and elusive², so telling if the females are pregnant can be tricky³.

Now, after weeks of speculation⁴, staff and volunteers in the Knapdale Forest in Argyll have been rewarded with the sight of not one, but two newborns.

The kits⁵, which have been born to separate family groups, are thought to be around eight-weeks old, and are about the size of a large guinea pig.

They've been seen out with their families, learning how to forage⁶.

Conservationists are hoping there'll be more new arrivals this year, so they can study how the reintroduced population establishes itself naturally in the wild.

Glossary⁷ 词汇表

nocturnal 夜间活动的 

elusive 隐蔽的 

tricky 复杂、难捉摸 

speculation 推测 

volunteers 志愿者 

newborns 新生幼仔、新生婴儿 

kits 动物幼仔 

guinea pig 豚鼠、荷兰猪 

to forage 找食 

conservationists 生态环保人士 

establishes 立足、居住 

in the wild 在野外

Questions and Answers

Are beavers more active at night? 

Yes. Beavers are nocturnal animals and are only occasionally active during the day.

What size are the eight-week old beavers thought to be? 

The kits are thought to be about the size of a large guinea pig.

Where have the kits been seen? 

The kits have been seen out with their families learning how to find food.

Are conservationists hoping for more baby beavers to be born? 

Yes. Conservationists are hoping for more baby beavers to be born this year.

1 beavers   

海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人

参考例句：

• In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
• Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的，蜜蜂是这样做的，人也是这样做的。

2 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

3 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

6 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。

7 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。