International Day of the Seal国际海豹日

International Day of the Seal takes place on March 22. It is a day setaside to raise awareness1 about seal conservation around the world. It’salso a day for seal lovers to express love to this amazing sea mammal2.Seals are not only lovely and attractive3， but have big impacts in this world.They are also the most closely watched marine mammals on the planet.These creatures are in danger of soon becoming extinct4. Humans have beenhurting them， as people hunt them for feed， blubber5， or pelts6. As a result，this day is observed to make people know the importance of protecting them.

3月22日是国际海豹日。这一天是为了提高全世界对海豹保护的认识而设立的。这也是海豹爱好者向这种神奇的海洋哺乳动物表达喜爱的日子。海豹不仅可爱迷人，而且对这个世界有很大的影响。它们也是地球上最受关注的海洋哺乳动物。这些生物正面临着很快灭绝的危险。人类一直在伤害它们，因为人们为了食物、海兽脂或皮毛而猎捕它们。因此，庆祝这个节日是为了让人类了解保护它们的重要性。

History of International Day of the Seal

国际海豹日的历史

This international holiday was set up in 1982. Since then， the holiday has beenobserved yearly on March 22. The total number of seal species was alreadydeclining7 at the time. Seals were increasingly becoming victims8 of humans. To putan end to these， the day was proclaimed9 the “Day of the Seal”. The worldwideholiday was set up to raise people’s awareness about the plight10 of seals. The worldgovernments developed several projects to raise awareness about the importance ofprotecting seals.

这个国际节日设立于1982年。从那时起，每年的3月22日人们都会庆祝这个节日。当时海豹物种的总数已经在下降。海豹在不断地成为人类的受害者。为了结束这些，这一天被宣布为“海豹日”。这个全球性节日的设立是为了提高人们对海豹困境的认识。世界各政府开发了一些项目来提高人们对保护海豹重要性的认识。

A seal is classified as a pinniped11. The walrus12 and sea lion are two otherpinnipeds. Seals are different from other pinnipeds in that they do not walk withtheir flippers13. They often move about on their bellies14 when on land. Their flippershelp them to move quickly in the water. Seals are also quieter and smaller than sealions and walruses.

海豹被归类为鳍足亚目动物。海象和海狮是另外两种鳍足亚目动物。海豹与其他鳍足动物的不同之处在于它们不会用鳍足行走，它们在陆地上经常用腹部移动。它们的鳍帮助它们在水中快速移动。海豹比海狮和海象更安静，体型也更小。

Although seals live in the Arctic Circle and Antarctica， millions of peoplearound the world love them very much.

虽然海豹生活在北极圈和南极洲，但世界各地成千上万的人都很喜爱它们。

How to Celebrate International Day of the Seal

如何庆祝国际海豹日

1. Attend a public awareness event.

During International Day of the Seal， many zoos host awareness events. You can attend an event to learn more about these wonderful animals. 1. 参加一个提高公众意识的活动。

在国际海豹日期间，许多动物园都会举办宣传活动。你可以参加一个活动以了解更多关于这种奇妙动物的知识。

2. Watch a documentary about seals.

There are many videos and reading resources available about seals and theirhabitat on the Internet. You can spend the day learning about how climate change affects15 these seals. 2. 观看一部关于海豹的纪录片。

网上有许多关于海豹和它们的栖息地的视频和阅读资源。你可以在这天了解气候变化如何是影响这些海豹的。

3. Visit a seal exhibit zoo.

Seals are related to sea lions and walruses， which live in the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. However， you don’t have to travel to the poles to meet these animals. To celebrate the festival， you can visit a zoo and learn about them. 3. 参观有海豹展览的动物园。

海豹与生活在北极圈和南极洲的海狮和海象有亲缘关系。然而，你不必到两极去见这些动物。为了庆祝这个节日，你可以去参观动物园并了解它们。

（英语原文选自：nationaltoday.com）