英语词汇文章7~9

Passage 7

Dolphins are often regarded as one of Earth’s most intelligent animals.

They are social creatures, living in pods of up to a dozen individuals. In places with a high abundance of food, pods can merge temporarily, forming a superpod; such groupings may exceed 1,000 dolphins. They communicate using a variety of clicks, whistle-like sounds and other vocalizations.

regarded as - treated as - view

social 群居的

whistle 哨声，呼啸

pods 族群

vocalization 发声

Membership in pods is not rigid; interchange is common. Dolphins can, however, establish strong social bonds; they will stay with injured or ill individuals, even helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface if needed. This altruism does not appear to be limited to their own species. The dolphin Moko in New Zealand has been observed guiding a female Pygmy Sperm Whale together with her calf out of shallow water where they had stranded several times. They have also been seen protecting swimmers from sharks by swimming circles around the swimmers or charging the sharks to make them go away.

membership 成员身份

interchange 内部交换

social bonds 社交纽带

stay with 陪伴

altruism 利他主义

shallow 浅的 - skin deep

stranded 搁浅

Dolphins also display culture, something long believed to be unique to humans. In May 2005, a discovery in Australia found Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) teaching their young to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging (looking or searching for food or provisions.) Using sponges as mouth protection as well as other transmitted behavior proves dolphins’ intelligence. This knowledge is mostly transferred by mothers to daughters.

bottlenose 宽嘴

snout 喙

sponge 海绵

foraging 觅食

• are Dolphins solitary creatures? ×
• are Dolphins selfish? ×
• Do Dolphins teach each other some behaviors? ×

Passage 8

What are rainforests?

Rainforests are forests characterized by biodiversity and high rainfall, with annual rainfall between 250 and 450 centimeters (98 and 177 in). There are two types of rainforest: tropical rainforest and temperate rainforest. Tropical rainforests are characterized by a warm and wet climate with no substantial dry season: typically found within 10 degrees north and south of the equator in areas such as South America, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

be characterized by …为特征

biodiversity 生物多样性 - diverse - diversify

rainfall 降水量

temperate 温和的，温带的

with no = without

substantial 大量的

Temperate rainforests, however, are only found in few temperate regions around the world such as Europe, North America and East Asia.

Biodiversity

Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests. It has been estimated that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests have been called the “jewels of the Earth” and the “world’s largest pharmacy“, because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there. Rainforests are also responsible for 28% of the world’s oxygen turnover; that is why tropical forests are also called “Earth’s lungs”.

biotic - antibiotic

indigenous = native

microorganism

jewel - jewelry

quarter - quarterback - headquarter

turnover 营业额，流通

lung - heart - kidney - liver - spleen - stomach -> Guts

Economy

Rainforests produce many items that we all use in our daily lives. Tropical rainforests provide timber as well as animal products such as meat and hides. Other common rainforests products include: chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, rubber, medicine, and pineapples. Rainforests also have value as tourism destinations and for the ecosystem services provided.

timber 木材

hides = fur = leather -> feather

cinnamon 肉桂

tourist attraction 名胜古迹

tourist destination 旅游目的地

ecosystem- ecology

Are tropical forests found in tropical regions? √

Many species of plants, insects and microorganisms haven’t been discovered in tropical rainforests yet. √

Rainforests have contributed to economic development. √

Jewel 宝石
Characterize 以...为特征
Estimate 估计
Hides 隐藏
Annual 每年的
Rubber 橡胶
Climate 气候
Lung 肺
Temperate 温带的
Microorganism 微生物
Ecosystem 生态系统
Substantial 大量的
Insect 昆虫
Indigenous 本土的
Tropical 热带的
Rainforest 雨林
Rainfall 降雨

lweej aeizcrtrhaec aimteets hside lunnaa rerubb cleimta lngu epteraemt omimrscigraon osesmtyce slstbiaaunt itnsec oegunniids trilocap oratfreisn lfaarinl

Passage 9

Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901. Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. He is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design.

is noted for 因…闻名 = be famous for = be known as

particularly = especially

innovator - innovate - innovative - creative

Disney is famous for his contributions in the field of entertainment during 20th century. His first success was through the series, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit which was created by the Disney studio for Charles Mintz of Universal Studios. When Disney asked for a larger budget for his popular Oswald series, Mintz refused and Disney had to quit. Later, Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney started from scratch and co-founded Walt Disney Productions, now known as The Walt Disney Company. Today, this company has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion. This success is largely due to a number of the world’s most famous fictional characters he and his staff created including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice.

budget 预算，经济实惠 - on budget 预算之内 - budget airline 廉价航班

Refuse - reject

start from scratch 白手起家 - from rag to rich 从穷到富 - alliteration 压头韵

approximately - about - nearly - almost - around

revenues - income

fictional 虚构的，小说的

due to … good cause - owing to … bad cause

Disney won 26 Academy Awards out of 59 nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He is also the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts in Japan, France, and China.

academy awards 奥斯卡金像奖

nominations 提名 - nominee 候选人，提名者 - name

namesake 同名同姓的

Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated The Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.

inaugurated 揭幕

The following is a list of some of Walt Disney best quotes:
All our dream can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.
I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things.

optimistic == positive

pessimistic = negative

complex- complicated - sophisticated - intricate

I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it. If you can dream it, you can do it.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

Annual 年度的
Motion 运动
Nomination 提名
Approximately 大约
Inaugurate 就职
Create 创造
Producer 制片人
Studio 工作室
Theme 主题
Budget 预算
Staff 员工
Showman 演出者
Pursue 追求
Fictional 虚构的
Refuse 拒绝
Series 系列
Original 原创的
Optimistic 乐观的
Courage 勇气
Award 奖项
Particularly 特别是
Revenue 收入
Scratch 划伤
Co-found 共同创立