英国新闻听力 科学家正在研究企鹅为何蹒跚而行

Scientists are trying to get to the bottom of one of nature’s most distinctive¹ walks, a penguin²’s waddle³.A team from UK’s Royal Veterinary College and the University of Texas have been studying the birds at London Zoo. Our correspondent Rebecca Morale⁴ went down there to find out more.

I’m here at London Zoo’s penguin beach. I think we are gonna try and get one to say hello. And they’ve come to London Zoo setting up an experiment here so that they can analyze⁵ every tiny movement they make. How did you get them to go across the track? Did they behave?

They did behave. The did like walking across the track, but the actual setting up process was a bit of a problem because the penguins⁶ were attracted to really expensive equipment. And they were really keen on destroying it.

So love destroying equipment as we found out. I’m also joined here by James. He’s come all the way from the University of Texas to look at the penguins. Now what are you hoping to find out cuz it turns out thatpenguins havn’t always waddled⁷, have they?

No, it’s first we know the earliest known penguins from the fossil record looks very different. Although we know that they were swimming in the water using their wings and they weren’t flying. They had a lot ofthings about their skeleton that shows us that maybe they are moving differently on land. So we are tryingto understand more about how living penguins work.

They are swimming absolutely beautifully cutting through the water.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they are so good at being aquatic⁸ birds. The dominant⁹ hypothesis is that waddling¹⁰ seems to have a lot to do with their body shape. So we think that that has somethingto do with it.

The penguins here don’t really like doing what they’re told. The experiments have been very very funny. And they are also a bit vicious I found out this morning. I’ve been savaged¹¹. I’ve been pecked.

Rebecca Morale with the penguins at London Zoo.

Forensic¹² scientists said they found the tomb of Spain’s most celebrated¹³ writer Miguel de Cervantes nearlyfour hundred years after his death.

A team of forensic scientists looking for the remains¹⁴ of one of Spain’s greatest writers Miguel de Cervantes have announced they’ve found his tomb in a small convent in Madrid. The author of Don Quixote was buried in 1616, but his body was lost after it was moved into a new church. In January, researchers found a number of adult bones in Madrid’s Literary Quarter.

It’s March 17th today which means it’s St. Patrick’s Day, a day to celebrate if you are an Irish. But the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has decided¹⁵ to join in. His special address to mark the day has come under fire both at home and abroad for his tone.

This is the one day of the year when it's good to be green. As you can see I’ve got my green tie on for this occasion.

科学家们正在研究自然界最与众不同的一种走姿——企鹅的蹒跚步伐。来自英国皇家兽医学院和德克萨斯大学的团队正在伦敦动物园研究这种鸟类。本台记者丽贝卡·莫拉莱前往那里进行详细报道。

我现在位于伦敦动物园的企鹅滩，我觉得还是让企鹅派个代表跟我们打招呼吧。科学家们来到伦敦动物园开始做实验，分析企鹅的每个微小动作。你是怎么让它们走过轨道的？它们照做吗？

它们会照做，它们很喜欢从轨道上走过，但实验的操作过程还是遇到了点麻烦，企鹅很喜欢靠近昂贵的设备，并且非常热衷于搞破坏。

噢，原来它们喜欢破坏实验设备。站在我身边的还有詹姆斯，他从德克萨斯大学远道而来，就是为了观察这些企鹅。你希望得出怎样的发现？因为据说企鹅并非一直蹒跚而行，是吗？

对，首先我们知道，目前最早的企鹅化石和现在的企鹅样貌差别很大。虽然我们知道早期的企鹅凭借翅膀在水里游，不会飞，但是它们的骨骼包含的信息量很大，可以推测出也许它们在陆地上的走姿会非常不同。所以，我们正在试图了解现在的企鹅是怎样走路的。

它们用翅膀划过水面，泳姿非常优美。

我认为企鹅的走姿和它们是擅长游泳的水鸟很有关系。目前的主流假设是，蹒跚而行似乎和它们的体型关系很大。所以我们认为这是主要的原因。

这里的企鹅可不大喜欢听话。实验过程也非常非常滑稽。而且今天早上我发现它们还有点恶毒，对我动粗，乱咬。

丽贝卡·莫拉莱在伦敦动物园带来有关企鹅的报道。

法医科学家称他们找到了西班牙最著名的作家——米格尔·德·塞万提斯的墓穴，这距离塞万提斯去世已近400年。

一个法医科学家小组一直以来都在寻找西班牙一位最伟大作家——米格尔·德·塞万提斯的遗骸。日前，他们宣布在马德里的一座小修道院内找到了他的墓穴。这位《堂吉诃德》的作者葬于1616年，但他的遗体在被转移到一座新的教堂后就失踪了。一月份，研究人员在马德里的“文学区”发现了许多成年人的遗骨。

今天是3月17日，也就是圣帕特里克节，所有爱尔兰人都庆祝的节日。然而，澳大利亚总理托尼·阿博特决定也参与进来。他发表的节日特别讲话因语气问题遭到国内外的炮轰。

又到了每年应该穿绿色的日子，你们看，我为了这个节日还专门配了条绿领带。

1 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。

2 penguin   

n.企鹅

参考例句：

• The penguin is a flightless bird.企鹅是一种不会飞的鸟。
• He walked with an awkward gait like a penguin.他走路的步子难看得就像企鹅。

3 waddle   

vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子)

参考例句：

• I am pregnant.I waddle awkwardly and my big stomach pressed against the weight of the world. 我怀孕了，我滑稽可笑地瞒珊而行，大肚子上压着全世界的重量。
• We waddle and hop and have lots of fun.我们走起路来摇摇摆摆，还一跳一跳的。我们的生活很有趣。

4 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

6 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 waddled   

v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A family of ducks waddled along the river bank. 一群鸭子沿河岸摇摇摆摆地走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stout old man waddled across the road. 那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

9 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

10 waddling   

v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Rhinoceros Give me a break, were been waddling every day. 犀牛甲：饶了我吧，我们晃了一整天了都。 来自互联网
• A short plump woman came waddling along the pavement. 有个矮胖女子一摇一摆地沿人行道走来。 来自互联网

11 savaged   

（动物）凶狠地攻击（或伤害）( savage的过去式和过去分词 )； 残害； 猛烈批评； 激烈抨击

参考例句：

• The horse threw its rider to the ground and savaged him. 那马将骑马者摔在地上，乱踢他。
• The drink had savaged him. 酒使他变得野蛮。

12 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

13 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 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。