VOA慢速英语--科技帮助美国人在野外看到国鸟

Technology Helps Americans See National Bird in the Wild

The bald eagle is important and has special meaning to many Americans. The bird represents the American ideal¹ of freedom. It has served as the national symbol of the United States since 1782.

An image of a bald eagle appears on the Great Seal of the United States. The image is found in many government buildings and on official documents. The bird also appears on the presidential flag and on the back of the U.S. dollar bill.

The North American bald eagle was threatened with extinction² 50 years ago, but has recovered in great numbers over the years.

In the past, it was rare for most Americans to see a bald eagle in real life. But thanks to technology, many are now able to watch these national treasures 24 hours a day.

There are now at least 15 cameras set up at bald eagle nests across the country. These cameras provide “live images” of the birds on the internet.

Most bald eagles are found in the northern state of Alaska, while Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida also have large populations.

Shawnlei Breeding³ is head of the EagleWatch Project at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey⁴. She says bald eagles “inspire a lot of passion” among many Americans. “They (the birds) become like family to the people who watch them,” she added.

Bald eagles generally reproduce⁵ throughout their lifetime and use the same nest year after year to raise their young.

Kevin Fossett watches images from an “eagle-cam” every day at his home in St. Petersburg, Florida. The nest is 354 kilometers away, near the city of Jacksonville.

Fossett served in the U.S. Navy⁶. He told the Reuters news agency⁷ that in recent years, he has watched several eagles born in the nest. The births usually happen in the winter or early spring. By summer, the young eagles have usually left the nest. “Flying free, as they should be,” Fossett said.

In 2011, one eagle-cam in Iowa went viral with 280 million views. That information comes from Amy Ries, who helps direct an eagle-cam website for the not-for-profit Raptor Resource Project. She says the site has continued to grow over the years. Seven eagle-cams at Explore.org reported a 223 percent increase in views in 2018 compared with a year earlier, Reuters reported.

High-quality images sent from the nests permit eagle lovers⁸ to see extreme close-ups of the birds. Viewers are able to count bird feathers, observe eye patterns and see what the animals eat.

“We can see the tiny eyelashes of an eagle,” said Veronika Soul, a retired⁹ filmmaker, from New York, who watches two bald eagle nests. “We see things happen at nest level that people on the ground never see.”

Eagle-cam watchers say it is especially fun to see baby eagles take their first flights.

In 1963, the U.S. bald eagle population was severely¹⁰ threatened, with only an estimated¹¹ 487 pairs remaining, federal¹² officials reported. After many years of federal protection, the number started to grow.

The big turning point came in 1972, when the Environmental Protection Agency banned the pesticide¹³ product DDT. The population has grown greatly since then and the bald eagle was removed from the endangered list in 2007.

The last available information in 2009 showed there were 143,000 bald eagles in the United States. Updated numbers are expected to be released¹⁴ next year.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

symbol – n. a sign or object used to represent something

extinction – n. when a type of animal no longer exists

nest – n. a home built by birds for their eggs

inspire – v. make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it

passion – n. strong belief in something

view – n. the ability to look at something

eyelash – n. one of the short hairs that grow from the edge of your eyelids¹⁵

pair – n. two of something

pesticide – n. chemical substance used to kill harmful insects, small animals, wild plants, and other unwanted organisms¹⁶

update – v. add new information

1 ideal   

adj.理想的，完美的；空想的，观念的；n.理想

参考例句：

• The weather at the seaside was ideal—bright and breezy.海边的天气最宜人，风和日丽的。
• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever. 他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

3 breeding   

n.繁殖

参考例句：

• the breeding of horses 马的饲养
• This area of the city has become a breeding ground for violent crime. 这个市区已成为暴力犯罪的滋生地。

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

6 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

7 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

8 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

11 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

12 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

13 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

14 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

15 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。