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Big Blue  大藍鯨



Blue whales are bigger than anything on Earth, but we know very little about them.
藍鯨比地球上的任何生物都還巨大,但我們對牠們的了解卻少得可憐。

With a heart that weighs more than 450 kilograms and a mouth big enough to hold 100 people, blue whales are the largest creatures to ever live on our planet. Blue whales are longer than a basketball court, but few people have ever seen one. They are the loudest animals on land or in the sea, but most humans have never heard their underwater songs. Blue whales are still alive in our oceans today, but it seems as though scientists know more about dinosaurs, which have been extinct for 65 million years. National Geographic Channel aims to unlock these secrets and more this month with Big Blue in stunning high definition.
  Once their population numbered 10,000, but now, less than 2,000 blue whales still exist. Scientists sponsored by the National Geographic Society set out to investigate why these behemoths are disappearing at alarming rates even though there has been a worldwide whale-hunting ban in place since the 1960s. Scientists on the show tag 15 blue whales with special satellite technology to track their locations and follow them over 1,000 kilometers to the Costa Rica Dome in the Pacific Ocean. At the Dome, finding a blue whale is like searching for a needle in a haystack because they spend almost all of their time underwater and can swim 160 kilometers in 24 hours. Luckily, the scientists are rewarded for their patience when they film something never captured before—underwater footage of a blue whale calf under one month old. This is not the only astonishing moment during the bold mission. The scientists also record the blue whales doing actions previously suspected but never confirmed—courtship, calving, and winter feeding in the Costa Rica Dome. This proof will help guarantee the whales' future protection in their most vital habitat. Join National Geographic Channel this month for Big Blue and learn more about what humans can do to save our gigantic friends in the ocean.

1. What is true about blue whales?
(A) They lived on Earth at the same time as dinosaurs.
(B) Scientists have an abundance of information on them.
(C) Their population has dramatically decreased.
(D) A blue whale can swim 1,000 kilometers in a day.

2. Why is the footage of the calf so spectacular?
(A) Scientists have never captured a calf before.
(B) Scientists tagged 15 calves.
(C) The calf led the scientists to the Costa Rica Dome.
(D) A calf so young has never been filmed before.

3. The blue whales are guaranteed to be protected in the future because _____.
(A) there is a new ban on hunting whales
(B) scientists recorded them doing things in their vital habitat
(C) the remaining 2,000 were tagged by scientists
(D) whale sounds are the loudest noises on Earth

4. What is the purpose of this article?
(A) To get viewers interested in watching a TV show.
(B) To get people to donate to the National Geographic Society.
(C) To help readers learn about extinct animals.
(D) To guarantee the success of a new whale-hunting ban.
單字小舖 


1. extinct a. 絕種的
2. unlock vt. 揭開,表露
3. population n. 動物或植物的總數;人口(集合名詞)
4. investigate vt. 調查
= look into...
5. behemoth n. 巨獸
6. ban n. 禁令
7. tag vt. 給……加標籤 & n. 標籤
8. footage n.(影片的)連續鏡頭
9. calf n.(牛、鯨、象等的)幼獸
10. astonishing a. 驚人的
11. bold a. 英勇的;大膽的
12. confirm vt. 証實
13. courtship n. 求偶
14. calve vi & vt. 生產(小牛∕幼鯨∕幼象等)
15. vital a. 重要的
16. habitat n. 棲息地
17. gigantic a. 巨大的
18. spectacular a. 引人注目的
精解字詞片語 


1. as though...  彷彿∕好像……
= as if...
例: When Lily walked into the house, she looked as though she'd seen a ghost.
(當莉莉走進屋子時,她的表情看起來像是剛看到鬼似的。)

2. aim to V  企圖∕打算……,以……為目的
例: This new website aims to help women start up their own businesses.
(這個新網站旨在幫助女性創業。)

3. stunning a. 驚人的
例: The holiday ended with a stunning fireworks display.
(該節日以施放令人驚艷的煙火作為結束。)

4. definition n. 清晰度
例: I'm sick of this old TV set. I want one with better definition.
(我受夠這台老電視了。我想要一台清晰度較佳的電視。)

5. number vt. 數量有……
outnumber vt. 數量上超過……
例: The total students absent in my class today number seven.
(今天我們班上缺席的學生人數總共有 7 人。)
例: The enemy outnumbered us five to one.
(敵軍的人數是我軍的 5 倍。)

6. sponsor vt. 資助,贊助
例: The engine company is sponsoring the auto show scheduled for this weekend.
(那家引擎製造公司贊助本週末舉行的汽車展。)

7. set out to V  開始(從事)……
例: Researchers have set out to find a cure for this disease.
(研究人員已經著手進行找出這種疾病的療法。)

8. at alarming rates  以驚人的速度
at a/an...rate  以……的速度∕速率
例: Glaciers around the globe are melting at alarming rates.
(全球的冰河正以驚人的速度在融化。)
例: The patient's heart was beating at an incredibly fast rate.
(那個病患的心跳快得驚人。)

9. in place  在適當的位置
例: Hold this ribbon in place so I can tie it into a bow.
(把緞帶拿好,我才可以將它綁成蝴蝶結。)

10. track vt. 追蹤
track down.../track...down  追蹤……
例: Dogs are often used to track down those who break out of jail.
(狗常被用來追蹤越獄者。)

11. search for a needle in a haystack  大海撈針
haystack n. 乾草堆
例: Finding my friend at the night market was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
(在夜市裡找我的朋友簡直像是大海撈針。)

12. be rewarded for...  因……而得到回報∕獎勵
例: Al was rewarded for his hard work when he was promoted to manager last week.
(艾爾的努力有了回報,他上星期升經理了。)

13. suspect vt. 懷疑
be suspected of...  有……的嫌疑
例: The clerk was suspected of stealing money from the store.
(那名店員被懷疑偷店裡的錢。)

14. guarantee vt. 保證,擔保
例: Can you guarantee that this washing machine will work for 10 years?
(你能保證這台洗衣機可以用 10 年嗎?)

15. abundance n. 豐富,充足
an abundance of...  豐富的……
例: At one time, there was an abundance of coral on this reef.
(在這片暗礁上曾經有過茂密的珊瑚。)

16. dramatically adv. 顯著地
例: With the construction of the nuclear power plant nearby, the village has changed dramatically in the past year.
(由於附近興建核能發電廠,該村莊過去一年來改變甚鉅。)

17. donate vi. & vt. 捐贈,捐獻
donate A to B  捐贈 A 給 B
例: Beth donated all of her books to the library.
(貝絲把她所有的書捐給了圖書館。)
中文翻譯&標準答案 


藍鯨,有著超過 450 公斤重的心臟以及大到足夠容納 100 人的嘴巴,牠們是地球上有史以來最巨大的生物。藍鯨的身長比一個籃球場還長,但卻很少有人親眼目睹。牠們所發出的聲音音量大過海陸上的任何生物,但大多數 人卻從未親耳聽過牠們的海中歌聲。儘管現在海洋中仍有藍鯨的蹤跡,但科學家似乎還比較了解在 6 千 5 百萬年前就已經絕跡的恐龍。本月國家地理頻道將獻上《大藍鯨》節目,以驚人的高解析畫面揭開更多關於藍鯨的秘密。
  
藍鯨的數量曾高達一萬隻,但如今卻只剩不到兩千隻。受美國國家地理學會資助的科學家著手展開調查,為什麼就算在 1960 年代起各地都已禁止捕獵藍鯨,這種巨型動物卻還是以驚人的速度在消失。節目中,科學家們在 15 隻藍鯨身上做記號,以特殊的衛星科技追蹤他們的行蹤,並跟隨牠們超過一千公里,來到了太平洋的哥斯大黎加圓突區。在圓突區,要尋找藍鯨簡直就像是大海撈 針,因為牠們大部分時間都待在海裡,且在 24 小時內便可游長達 160 公里遠。幸好,科學家們的耐心等候有了回饋,他們拍攝到之前從未捕捉到的畫面──一隻不到一個月大小藍鯨的水底鏡頭。而這還不是這趟英勇任務中唯一振奮人 心的時刻。科學家們還在哥斯大黎加圓突區一帶拍攝到藍鯨先前曾被猜測,但未獲得證實的行為,像是求偶、生產及冬季覓食等等。這些證據將有助於保障藍鯨未來 在牠們最重要的棲息地中受到保護。這個月記得收看國家地理頻道推出的《大藍鯨》,看看人類如何挽救這海洋中體型巨大的朋友。

1. 關於藍鯨的敘述何者正確?
(A) 藍鯨和恐龍於同一時期生存在地球上。
(B) 科學家們有許多關於藍鯨的資料。
(C) 藍鯨的總數急遽減少。
(D) 藍鯨在一天內可游長達一千公里。
題解: 根據本文第二段,藍鯨的數量曾高達一萬隻,但如今卻只剩不到兩千隻。科學家們要著手調查,為什麼就算在 1960 年代起各地都已禁止捕獵藍鯨,這種巨型動物卻還是以驚人的速度在消失,可知應選 (C)。

2. 為什麼小藍鯨的鏡頭如此引人注目?
(A) 科學家以前從未捕獲過小藍鯨。
(B) 科學家在 15 隻小藍鯨身上做記號。
(C) 小藍鯨帶領科學家來到哥斯大黎加圓突區。
(D) 以前從未拍攝到這麼小的小藍鯨。
題解: 根據本文第二段,在哥斯大黎加圓突區,要尋找藍鯨簡直就像是大海撈針,而科學家卻拍攝到之前從未捕捉到的畫面──一隻不到一個月大的小藍鯨水底鏡頭,可知應選 (D)。

3. 在未來我們能保障藍鯨被加以保護是因為 _____。
(A) 有一項不准獵鯨的新禁令
(B) 科學家拍攝到牠們在重要棲息地的行為
(C) 科學家為剩餘的兩千隻藍鯨做了記號
(D) 鯨魚的叫聲是世上最大的聲響
題解: 根據本文第二段,科學家在哥斯大黎加圓突區一帶拍攝到藍鯨先前曾被猜測,但未獲得證實的行為,像是求偶、生產及冬季覓食等等。這些證據將有助於保障藍鯨未來在牠們最重要的棲息地中受到保護,可知應選 (B)。

4. 這篇文章的目的為何?
(A) 引起讀者觀賞某個電視節目的興趣。
(B) 激發人們捐錢給美國國家地理學會。
(C) 幫助讀者了解更多有關已絕種的動物。
(D) 保障新的禁獵鯨魚法令能成功實施。
題解: 本文旨在介紹國家地理頻道推出的新節目《大藍鯨》,並在最後一段提及,這個月記得收看國家地理頻道推出的《大藍鯨》,看看人類如何挽救這海洋中體型巨大的朋友,可知 (A) 為正選。

標準答案: 1. (C) 2. (D) 3. (B) 4. (A)




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