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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Voice 2
And I’m Nick Page. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on talking to . . . animals!
Some people may think this is a strange idea. Speaking to animals almost seems a little silly or foolish. And it does not seem possible! But if you think talking to animals is interesting, you should meet a man from the United2 States named Gary Buttery.
Voice 2
Buttery is a teacher and musical performer3. He plays the tuba. This large instrument plays very low notes. Buttery has played the tuba for many years. He has performed all over the world from Italy to Canada to Russia. He has even performed for several Presidents of the United States.
Voice 1
Buttery enjoys making beautiful music with his tuba. He is an expert in playing, writing, and teaching4 music, and directing5 music groups. But he also enjoys listening to beautiful music. This is what interested Buttery in humpback whales. When Buttery was a young man he heard about Humpback whales. They sing beautiful songs under the water.
Voice 2
Humpback whales live deep under the ocean water in all parts of the world. These black, grey, and blue animals can weigh more than 36,000 kilograms6. And humpback whales can be 12 to 16 meters long.
Voice 1
But humpback whales are the most famous for their singing. Male humpback whales can sing long and complex7 songs. These songs can even last from ten to 20 minutes. Many people consider the songs of the humpback whale to be some of the most beautiful in the world. Humpback whale songs change from year to year. And they also change from place to place. Whales living in a group often sing the same song. Here is the song of one humpback whale.
Voice 2
No one knows exactly why humpback whales sing. Some experts believe whales sing to find a mate8. Or, a singing whale may just be trying to find another whale. Experts continue to study humpback whale songs. They hope that studying these songs can help people understand how whales communicate.
Voice 1
Gary Buttery heard about the experts who study these humpback whale songs. And he listened to some of the whale songs they had recorded. The songs were extremely9 interesting to him. He decided10 that he wanted to do something very unusual - he wanted to write music with these whales. How did Buttery write music for a whale? With his tuba!
Voice 2
Buttery wrote this piece of music called “Conversations with Grace11.” He used a recording12 of a humpback whale named Grace. He listened to Grace singing a song. Then he wrote music for his tuba to go with the song. When he played the tuba part, it sounded like he was talking to Grace. Here is a part of that piece of music.
Voice 1
This is more than just a piece of music. It is like a man and an animal are talking. It is a special effort to create something beautiful. Gary and Grace cannot understand each other. But this effort of communication is beautiful to many people.
Voice 2
Buttery performed this song for many people all across the United States. A newspaper even wrote a story about it. Doctor Peter Beamish saw this newspaper story. Doctor Beamish worked with whales in Newfoundland in Canada. He wanted to know how real whales would react13 to Buttery’s tuba playing. Would Buttery be able to communicate with them? Would the whales become angry or calm? Would the whales listen to him? Or would they swim away?
Voice 1
Doctor Beamish invited Buttery to Trinity Bay14 in Newfoundland. This was a place where whales could come to get food. There, Buttery played his tuba for the whales as he floated on the ocean on a small flat boat. As Buttery played his tuba, Doctor Beamish watched the whales. He wanted to see if their behaviour changed. He wanted to see if they showed anger or aggression15 or if they were interested in Buttery’s music. He watched to see if the whales did anything unusual.
Voice 2
The experience of playing for the whales was very special for Buttery. He described the experience to the online magazine Tubanews.com:
Voice 3
“A few times, single humpback whales would swim with me only a few feet from my boat - for over an hour. Being in the company of such a large creature was exciting. The experience made me want to play more creative songs on my tuba - even ones I just made up. It made me want to do my own whale sounds using my tuba. That last idea did not prove to be a good idea with one whale. It left. As it was leaving it hit the water very hard with its tail. It seemed insulted16. But he did return again, when I began playing another song.”
Voice 1
Buttery was also able to play music for whales to help them. Whales can get caught in underwater17 nets, or traps18. A few times, Doctor Beamish asked Buttery to play his tuba for these caught whales. The whales were very frightened. This made it difficult for Doctor Beamish to cut the nets away from them. But when Buttery played his tuba, the whales became calmer. Then the scientists could cut the nets away from the whales more easily.
Voice 2
The experience was good for both Buttery, and the whales. Buttery enjoyed being near the whales. And it helped him to experiment with his tuba playing. The whales also seemed to enjoy Buttery’s music. They swam next to him. And his music made them calmer.
Voice 1
It is also a special experience when people see Buttery playing his tuba for whales. Music like the piece “Conversations with Grace” is beautiful. People all over the world can enjoy it.
Voice 2
Today, Buttery still plays his tuba in concerts around the world. And experts are still trying to discover the secrets of humpback whalesong. Will they ever know why these whales sing these beautiful songs?
Voice 1
The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes19 were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called ‘Communicating with Whales’.
You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio @ radioenglish . net. You can also find us on Facebook. Just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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performer
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| n.执行者，表演者 | |
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teaching
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| n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲 | |
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directing
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| v.（用建议、指示、有益的情报等）指导( direct的现在分词 )；导演（戏剧或电影）；指示方向；把…对准（某方向或某人） | |
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kilograms
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| n.千克( kilogram的名词复数 ) | |
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complex
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| adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体 | |
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mate
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| n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配 | |
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extremely
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| adv.极其，非常，极度 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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grace
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| n.优雅，雅致，魅力，恩惠，慈悲 | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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react
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| vi.起反应，起作用；反抗，起反作用 | |
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bay
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| n.海湾，狗吠声，月桂；vt.吠，使走投无路；vi.吠 | |
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aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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insulted
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| 侮辱，冒犯( insult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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underwater
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| adj.在水中的；adv.在水下 | |
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traps
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| n.随身携带物，随身行李；圈套( trap的名词复数 )；（对付人的）计谋；（练习射击用的）抛靶器；（捕捉动物的）夹子v.诱骗( trap的第三人称单数 )；使受限制；困住；使（水与气体等）分离 | |
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quotes
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| v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价 | |
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