英语听力：自然百科 海龟拯救行动

 Young loggerhead sea turtles routinely migrate thousands of miles. But these turtles are starting their migration¹ a bit early while still in the egg. In a typical year, as many as half of all baby sea turtles may die. Sea birds swoop² down and snatch them as they race from nests to the sea. Predators³ lurk⁴ in the waves, and the surf can quickly end their young lives. Now a giant oil spill awaits them in the Gulf⁵ of Mexico. So biologists decided⁶ to take a risky⁷ step and move more than 70 thousand turtles away from the Gulf to the Atlantic coast of Florida. This is the largest attempt of its kind. Hundreds of volunteers are joining scientists and government wildlife officials to move nests like this loggerhead nest in Gulf shores, Alabama.

 

"This is a unprecedented⁸ plan, and it is based on the best science on what we need to do for these turtles at this time because to release them now would be even riskier⁹ as they go out there and then they have to encounter the oil."

 

Though they usually hatch in the Gulf, these little guys won't be in completely unfamiliar¹⁰ habitat.

 

"There are loggerheads in the Atlantic and many of these hatchlings, if they were to go from here in a normal season, they would end up in the Atlantics."

 

It’s a risky operation. Previous attempts at animal relocation have, at best, a mixed record. But backers say the hatchlings would almost surely die in the gulf.

 

"We are giving them the best chance they can have for survival, because a turtle is an air breather and they have to come up for air at some point. And the air… And when they come up for air, we just hope they don't come up in oil, I mean, if we let them go here. But if they go into the Alantic, they are gonna make it, of course. "

 

Just surviving the trip to finish ecubation at Canadian's basin center in Florida isn’t assured.

 

"Turtle eggs are delicate and there’s several moments in time when it's less risky and the first time is when they are first laid, when the eggs are still pliable¹¹ and still ... they're still floating around inside the egg. But if you miss that really short window, it's best to leave them untill the point where we are today, which is about ten days before we think they would hatch, where the hatchlings are mostly formed."

 

Volunteers from the turtle rescue group share the beach, gingerly take out each ping-pang ball size egg from the nest about two-feet under the sand. One rescuer draws lines with the grease pencil on top of each egg to show which side was up in the nest. The other lifts each out and softly tucks it into a sand-and-egg-filled cooler. Carefully keeping it in the same position from the nest. The young turtles can drown in fluid in the egg. Temperature shifts or vibration¹² can also kill the turtles. The nest is far enough from the water that no oil has reached it. But Ingram says the oil's effect would likely be lethal¹³ for young turtles. 

 

"Their food source, which is a microorganism, whether its plankton¹⁴ or zooplankton, jellyfish at cross stations, they are all being affected¹⁵ by the oil also, and so their food source is limited as well as the chemicals in the water. "

 

After placing all the eggs in the coolers, biologists loaded them on a special air-cushion van for transport. The institute for marine¹⁶ mammal studies in Gulf port Mississippi knows firsthand the oil's danger for turtles. It is caring for injured turtles found in the Gulf. It has also collected hundreds of dead turtles though necropsies have not yet determined¹⁷ why they died. But the spill is a top suspect.

 

"It has taken over a very large portion of their habitat, which is thousands of square miles, and what we are seeing then is as their habitat is diminishing. They are moving in closer to inland waters. And that is why we are seeing a large number of them either stranded¹⁸ or be caught on hooks."

 

So Langy says the number of strandings is up tenfold from a normal year.

 

"Oil is not just under the sheen, but it could also be resoluble fractions inhalation, and eating contaminated food, so when your house is on fire, what do you do? you take your valuables and go somewhere and hope they survive. I hope that, the habitat that is provided for them, is appropriate, because once those animals go in…"

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 swoop   

n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击

参考例句：

• The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
• We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。

3 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》

4 lurk   

n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏

参考例句：

• Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
• He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 riskier   

冒险的，危险的( risky的比较级 )

参考例句：

• Now they are starting to demand higher returns on riskier assets. 而今他们开始在风险更高的资产上要求更高的回报。
• The problem with that: RIM's business is getting riskier every quarter. 不过问题也随之而来：RIM面临的业务风险正逐季增大。

10 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

11 pliable   

adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的

参考例句：

• Willow twigs are pliable.柳条很软。
• The finely twined baskets are made with young,pliable spruce roots.这些编织精美的篮子是用柔韧的云杉嫩树根编成的。

12 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

13 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

14 plankton   

n.浮游生物

参考例句：

• Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.浮游生物处于海洋食物链的最底层。
• The plankton in the sea feeds many kinds of animals. 海的浮游生物成为很多种动物的食物。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

16 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

17 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

18 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。