2007年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-Dolphins Dodge Danger in the Bosphorus St

If you've ever been to Istanbul, you know that it's a bustling¹ city that straddles Europe and Asia. The divider of the Bosporus Strait and the international shipping² lane is only about a mile wide. The Bosporus is so congested it might surprise you to learn it's also home to a community of sea mammals. From Istanbul, NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Once a week, a group of marine³ biologists sets out in a small boat into the busy Bosporus Strait to count the dolphins in Istanbul. Dr. Ayaka Ozturk is a marine biologist with the Turkish Marine Research Foundation. She and her Turkish colleague, Dr. Ayhan Dede, studied the three species of dolphins commonly found in the Bosporus, a narrow channel which runs some 20 miles through Istanbul from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It's midday when the scientists finally get their first sighting.

"Just in front of the mosque⁴, but probably one animal."

Dr. Ozturk says it's in harbor porpoise⁵, that's barely visible as it comes up for air near a waterside mosque. These are the smallest and most elusive⁶ of the Bosporus dolphins.

"They are really scared of humans, boats."

The dolphins have to dodge⁷ the constant stream of ferry boats, freighters, and oil tankers⁸ which sail through the Strait. The ship traffic and the garbage from the millions of people who live on the banks of Bosporus have left the water horribly polluted. The scientists have given the dolphins a very urban nickname, calling them the Strait Kids of the Bosporus.

"Strait Kids. Why?"

"They just go around, and do whatever they want to. But they don't get protected. They get kind of neglected by the other people."

The marine biologists say a group of some 60 bottlenose dolphins have made the Bosporus their permanent home.

"Look, oh my god, what kind of these..."

In the afternoon, the scientists find these resident dolphins feeding in the open area where the Strait widens to meet the Marmara Sea.

"There are probably maybe 15 to 20 over there, maybe another 15, 20 over here."

The bottlenose dolphins are clustered in groups some 50 yards away from the boat. Their gray dorsal⁹ fins¹⁰, tails, and barrel-shaped bodies shine in the sun when they come up for air. One dolphin leaps out of the water to the delight of Dr. Ozturk.

"Sit down. It's going up."

It's a remarkable¹¹ sight seeing these creatures so close to the shipyards and Ottoman palaces of Istanbul. Dr. Ozturk says this is one of the only places in the world where you can see dolphins living so close to so many humans.

"Right now, we can say that in spite of all these traffic and population, there are still dolphins now trying to stay in this area. And I think they need to be protected."

The scientists would like to give the scrappy Strait Kids of the Bosporus a helping¹² hand. They hope to convince the Turkish government to protect their marine habitat so that Istanbul's dolphins can continue to live alongside their many human neighbors.

"They are leaving now."

Ivan Watson, NPR News, Istanbul

1 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

2 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

5 porpoise   

n.鼠海豚

参考例句：

• What is the difference between a dolphin and porpoise?海豚和和鼠海豚有什么区别？
• Mexico strives to save endangered porpoise.墨西哥努力拯救濒危的鼠海豚。

6 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

7 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

8 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

9 dorsal   

adj.背部的，背脊的

参考例句：

• His dorsal fin was down and his huge pectorals were spread wide.它的脊鳍朝下耷拉着，巨大的胸鳍大张着。
• The shark's dorsal fin was cut off by the fisherman.鲨鱼的背鳍被渔夫割了下来。

10 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。