藍鯨是地球上體型最龐大的動物。在印度洋的一片水域，它們曾因捕鯨活動而幾乎滅絕，而幾十年後，這片水域的藍鯨數量已經恢復。
The deep very low frequency song of the blue whale is difficult for us to hear. Depending on what device you’re listening on, it might be too low for your speakers.
我們人耳很難聽到藍鯨發出的低沉、低頻的叫聲。你在這段音頻中能不能聽到它們的叫聲取決於你使用的音頻播放設備，因為藍鯨叫聲的頻率可能低於一些揚聲器可播放的頻率范圍。
But it’s the tell-tale loud pulsing call of the world’s largest animal, and it’s what scientists managed to capture with an underwater “sound trap” – a microphone and recording rig planted on the sea floor near the Seychelles for a whole year.
作為世界上最大的動物，藍鯨發出的叫聲頗具辨識度，響亮而富有節奏感。幫助科學傢們記錄到這種叫聲的設備是一種水下 “聲音陷阱”，它由一個麥克風和錄音裝置組成，被放置在塞舌爾附近水域的海床上一整年。
Painstaking analysis of all those hours of sound revealed that blue whales spend months in the tropical waters around the tiny island nation.
科學傢們對錄制的大量音頻進行瞭細致的分析，發現藍鯨在小面積島國塞舌爾周圍的熱帶水域生活瞭幾個月的時間。
The researchers have described this as a conservation win – evidence that the population has recovered decades after a ban on commercial whaling.
研究人員稱藍鯨的回歸是一個動物保護的成功案例 —— 在禁止商業捕鯨幾十年後，藍鯨的數量已經恢復。
詞匯表
frequency 頻率
tell-tale 泄露秘密的，足以辨識的
pulsing 脈沖的，節奏強烈的
recording rig 錄音裝置
painstaking 精心的，仔細的
whaling 捕鯨（活動）
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。
1. Why can it be difficult to hear the blue whale’s song?
2. How did scientists record the blue whale’s song?
3. True or False? Blue whales are not found in warm regions of the world.
4. What has happened to the blue whale population since whaling was banned?
答案
1. Why can it be difficult to hear the blue whale’s song?
It can be hard to hear the blue whale’s song because it is a very low-frequency sound.
2. How did scientists record the blue whale’s song?
Scientists used a microphone and recording rig placed on the sea floor.
3. True or False? Blue whales are not found in warm regions of the world.
False. They spend several months near the tropical island nation of the Seychelles.
4. What has happened to the blue whale population since whaling was banned?
Blue whale population numbers have recovered since whaling was banned.
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