A tool to prevent ships from hitting whales鲸鱼防撞“神器”

胡牧

為了保护鲸鱼，科学家们研发出了名为“鲸鱼安全”的系统，它可以通过浮标内监测到的声音，识别鲸鱼的种类和鲸鱼群的位置，从而帮助鲸鱼降低撞船的风险。

主题语境：动物保护 篇幅：334词 建议用时：6分钟

1 Humpback whales（座头鲸）are among the worlds most endangered whales. Themain threats humpback whales face are strikes from ships and waste equipment. Re?cently， scientists have developed a technology?powered mapping tool to prevent ships fromhitting whales in areas off Americas west coast. The system is called Whale Safe. It usesequipment placed in the ocean to identify the presence of whales in the surrounding area.

2 Whale Safe was recently launched to the north in San Francisco Bay. There is a prob?lem in the bay with ships hitting whales. Wildlife officials reported that a humpbackwhale was washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay with injuries suggesting the ani?mal was killed in a ship strike. It was the fifth whale killed by a ship strike in the area in2022. However， the actual number of whales killed by ships is likely much higher becausethe bodies of the dead animals are rarely discovered.

3 The system uses three methods to identify and protect several different whale spe?cies. First， it uses flotation devices known as buoys（浮标）to record sounds the whalesmake. Second， it uses computer models to process current and historical ocean data to pre?dict where the whales are most likely to be. Third， it permits trained observers and citizensto report whale sightings through a mobile app. The tool also records shipping activity andships speeds. The collected data is then sent by satellite to scientists who examine it andseek to provide guidance to ship operators.

4 The Whale Safe project is supported by the Marine Mammal Center and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. Officials from the Marine Mammal Center say they have plansto expand the system to other areas where whales face a high risk of being hit by ships.“The system combines the latest technology with thoughtful conservation efforts to create asolution to reduce risk to whales. This is where technology meets Mother Nature for thebenefit of marine life，”said Jeff Boehm， a leader of the Marine Mammal Center.

Reading Check

Detail

1. What is the new tool intended for？

A. Detecting the conditions of ships.

B. Protecting whales from ship strikes.

C. Locating the bodies of the dead whales.

D. Recording the movements of humpback whales.

Inference

2. What is the function of paragraph 2？

A. To introduce the main idea of the text.

B. To add some background information.

C. To provide some advice for readers.

D. To put forward a new topic for discussion.

Gist

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the system？

A. Its working theory.

B. Its application value.

C. Its major advantages.

D. Its operational guidance.

Detail

4. What will the Marine Mammal Center probably do next？

A. Adjust the new system to other sea animals.

B. Provide professional training for ship operators.

C. Apply the system to other places with a high rate of crashes.

D. Seek cooperation with the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.

Language Study

Difficult sentences in the text

1. The main threats humpback whales face are strikes from ships and waste equip?ment. 座头鲸面临的主要威胁是船只和废弃设备的撞击。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，句中的humpback whales face是一个省略了that的定语从句，修饰the main threats。

2. Wildlife officials reported that a humpback whale was washed ashore in the SanFrancisco Bay with injuries suggesting the animal was killed in a ship strike. 野生動物官员报告说，一头座头鲸被冲到旧金山湾岸边，所受的伤表明它是在船只撞击中丧生的。

【点石成金】本句的主句是Wildlife officials reported，后面的that引导的是一个宾语从句；the animal was killed in a ship strike是一个宾语从句。