【英语时差8,16】以歌传情的鸟儿

Bird Communication Through Song Bird song is lovely to hear, a romantic addition to any landscape, but what exactly does it mean? Just like we must learn to talk, birds learn to sing. They listen to their parents and try to imitate them, often stumbling through meaningless noises like a babbling¹ infant before honing their technique. And just as humans learn French in one country and German in another, some bird species have been found to have different song languages as well. The white-crowned sparrows along California’s coast live in clearly defined territories, each with a distinctive² dialect. These sparrows rarely cross territory lines, interacting and breeding only with others that sing the same language, a habit that might eventually divide the birds into different subspecies. Does bird song constitute a language the same way English does? Probably not. Still, some species make an enormous variety of sounds–the brown thrasher, for example, has over two thousand songs in his repertoire³. Most of this singing has to do with establishing territory or attracting a mate, but birds also use their voices to convey information about food sources, flocking, parent-young relationships, and predators⁴. Sometimes mated pairs will develop a song, even a tight duet, that is unique to that pair. One study cataloged all the sounds from a group of nesting crows. In addition to the shared songs, it turned out that each bird had a distinctive sound that only it made. This sound functioned something like a name. If a bird’s mate was absent, the bird could summon it back by uttering the mate’s distinctive sound. Birds continue to surprise us with the interesting ways they communicate, but the book is far from closed on the fascinating topic of bird song.

 

1 babbling   

n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密

参考例句：

• I could hear the sound of a babbling brook. 我听得见小溪潺潺的流水声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Infamy was babbling around her in the public market-place. 在公共市场上，她周围泛滥着对她丑行的种种议论。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

4 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》