英语听力：自然百科 考拉熊

 It seems these days mobile phone technology can do just about anything, even help scientists learn more about the sex life of a koala. The bellows¹ of male koalas may sound a bit raucous², but the team says so far data appears to indicate the calls may attract females.

 

The vocalizations are the focus of the research study. The researchers from the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology want to understand more about some of the species' breeding habits. The marsupials on St. Bees Island have been fitted with GPS collars which track their every move.

 

We hope to be able to decipher this sort of koala code in their vocalizations and the potential for that to be deployed³ to other areas of koala conservation.

 

Remote listening stations have been strategically placed around the island, and solar-powered mobile phones are programmed to record the bellows of vocalizations.

 

Well, we hope to work with the koala researchers to get a better understanding of the koalas and their ecology. More generally, what we're trying to do is to understand the heartbeat of the environment. We want to be able to measure environmental health using the advanced acoustic⁴ technologies.

 

Thanks to these recordings⁵, scientists could be a step closer to cracking the koala code, and the research may be used to help with breeding programs in the future.

1 bellows   

n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• His job is to blow the bellows for the blacksmith. 他的工作是给铁匠拉风箱。 来自辞典例句
• You could, I suppose, compare me to a blacksmith's bellows. 我想，你可能把我比作铁匠的风箱。 来自辞典例句

2 raucous   

adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的

参考例句：

• I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
• They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

5 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐