英语听力精选进阶版 7167（在线收听）

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 beavers are nocturnal and elusive, so telling if the females are pregnant can be tricky.

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

The kits, 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 forage.

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.

Glossary 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.