英语听力：自然百科 蛙之殇（二）

 I’d say the most amazing footage we were lucky enough to shoot was done in Panama. We were out in the forest and we found an egg clutch with a male frog guarding his tadpoles¹ which was really amazing. So Andy Young, the wonderful cinematographer who shot the film, got out the macro lens. There was another egg clutch on the next leaf over and suddenly wasps² started attacking it. The tadpoles inside the eggs became really animated³ and they actually started hatching. It was incredible that we happened to catch this moment. A lot of it comes down to luck because when you go out in the field to shoot, there is no guarantee, there is no guarantee you’ll even find a frog especially, especially these days.

 

One of the most disturbing moments for me when we were making this film was when we hiked 7 hours in Yosemite to this beautiful pristine⁴ lake, where there is a very endangered population of frogs. And suddenly we saw a dead frog in the water, it was perfectly⁵ intact. It had died from chytrid fungus⁶. It was the first time that I’d seen the impact of this disease, and it was just haunting. 

 

To see firsthand what’s happening globally, you really get a sense of how serious this problem is. The main reason that frogs are having such a hard time is because of human activities. I mean we have destroyed so much of their habitat. And if their wetlands are intact but polluted, they are not gonna be healthy. A lot of the biggest problems are actually right in our own backyards. We shot in suburban⁷ Connecticut on this pond that’s just choked with duckweed. Dr. David Skely has some pretty scary findings from studying the frogs here.

 

In suburban ponds like this, we are finding that about 21% of all the frogs have deformities, that is, male frogs are growing eggs inside their testes, and that is not normal at all.

 

A lot of us don’t think about the chemicals we put on our lawns and the impact, not only on animals like frogs but on humans too. Frogs are really giving us a wake-up call.

 

What gave me hope during the making of this film were all the scientists we came in contact with. They are just an amazing group of people doing everything they can to try to find answers, to try to find solutions. They are kind of unsung heroes because you never see them. Most of them are out working at night in really remote areas. These people are so dedicated⁸, going out night after night in the pouring rain, hiking for hours at a time just to get to some alpine⁹ lake 12,000 feet above sea level with all their gear on their backs. They are really incredible. Without them, I don’t think frogs would have a chance.

 

I just hope that this film will serve as a reminder¹⁰ that the battle is ongoing¹¹ to save these amazing creatures. The future of amphibians¹² is absolutely in our hands. And really we can all make a difference.

1 tadpoles   

n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Both fish and tadpoles have gills. 鱼和蝌蚪都有鳃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 wasps   

黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人

参考例句：

• There's a wasps' nest in that old tree. 那棵老树上有一个黄蜂巢。
• We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths. 我们不仅生活在对象蜘蛛或黄蜂这样的小虫的惧怕中，而且生活在对诸如飞蛾这样无害昆虫的惧怕中

3 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

4 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

7 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

10 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 amphibians   

两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 )； 水陆两用车； 水旱两生植物； 水陆两用飞行器

参考例句：

• The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
• Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。