黑尾鹬刷新鸟类飞行纪录

河南 刘同功

黑尾鹬是一种耐力极强的鸟，以不吃不喝且不停歇地长距离飞行而著称。这种鸟创下了不停歇地从阿拉斯加飞到新西兰的世界鸟类迁徙纪录，飞行距离长达12，000千米。

题材动物体裁说明文文章词数难度建议用时340★★★★7 分钟

1Every time you see a bird， there is a chance that you may be looking at the greatest marathon athlete in the world， particularly if you live in the US state of Alaska in late summer， and happen upon a bar-tailed godwit (黑尾鹬).

2These little birds were recently found to travel 7，500 miles (12，000 kilometers) in a non-stop flight of 11 days from Alaska to the Firth of Thames near Auckland， New Zealand. It's not the longest migration ever—that title goes to the Arctic tern (燕鸥)which goes from the Arctic to the Antarctic along the west coast of North and South America—or straight down the Atlantic every year for a total of around 14，000 kilometers. However， it is the longest non-stop flight known to scientists.

3Unlike the tern， the godwit weighs a much heavier one-fifth to four-fifths of a pound， and relies on a muscular build much like a modern jet with narrow pointed wings and a smooth body to reduce air drag. Despite these advantages which allow it to flap its wings nearly uninterruptedly for the entire journey， how can a small bird that lives for a few years navigate for days over nothing but empty ocean to arrive in New Zealand?

4Some scientists have shown birds use the sun as orientation， but there is also evidence of migration as a learned skill—one study showing that adult raptors (猛禽) were better at course correcting for wind than juveniles， suggesting that experience comes into play. Another thought is that some birds may use electromagnetic sensory equipment that allows them to “see” the magnetic field in a way that humans cannot.

5Even with the help of a magnetic compass， the record-breaking bar-tailed godwit，known as 4 BBRW， departed from Alaska and passed over the Aleutian Islands in a 224-hour flight without sleep over open ocean and with no land markers to use as visual guidance. At one point he faced winds that blew so hard that he was being blown off course towards Australia. Amazingly， he managed to correct his flight path.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Language Study

Ⅰ. Analyze some difficult sentences in the text

1. Unlike the tern， the godwit weighs a much heavier one-fifth to four-fifths of a pound， and relies on a muscular build much like a modern jet with narrow pointed wings and a smooth body to reduce air drag. 与北极燕鸥相比，黑尾鹬的体重要比燕鸥重五分之一到五分之四磅，它的飞行依赖于与现代喷气式飞机结构相似的肌肉结构，尖锐的翅膀和平滑的身体曲线大大减少了空气阻力。

【点石成金】本句中and连接两个并列的谓语，with结构作后置定语。

2. Another thought is that some birds may use electromagnetic sensory equipment that allows them to “see” the magnetic field in a way that humans cannot. 还有一种观点认为，一些鸟类可能会使用电磁感应设备，这种功能可以让鸟“看到”人类不能看到的磁场。

【点石成金】本句是一个复合句。第一个that引导的是表语从句，第二个that引导的是一个定语从句，该从句的先行词是equipment。