2015职称英语考试理工类AB级阅读判断(1)

　　Irish Dolphins may have a unique dialect

　　The Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation 1 has been studying a group of up to 120 bottle-nose dolphins in the River Shannon2 using vocalisations collected on a computer in a cow shed3 near the River Shannon.

　　We are building up a catalogue of the different whistle types they use and trying to associate them with behaviour like foraging, resting, socialising and the communications of groups with calves, project leader Simon Berrow said. Essentially we are building up what is like a dictionary of words they use or sounds they make.

　　When I first heard it I was surprised as I thought sperm whales were the only species who used it. We can speculate the dolphins are using it for the same reason as the sperm whales, Berrow said.

　　They are regularly seen by passengers on the Shannon ferry and an estimated 25,000 tourists every year take special sightseeing tours on local boats to visit them.

　　Irish adj. 爱尔兰的 socialise v. 社交，交往

　　bottle-nose dolphin 宽吻海豚 sperm whale 巨头鲸

　　estuary n. 河口，江口

　　shed n. 小屋，棚

　　whistle n. 啸声

　　gunshot n. 射击声

　　pulse n. 脉冲

　　注释:

　　2. the Shannon River：香农河[ 位于爱尔兰共和国的中西部]

　　4. those 指代前半句的 whistles。

　　6. most = most categories

　　8. References in local legend:：当地传说中的有关说法

　　1. The difference in eating habits between the bottle-nose dolphins and the sperm whales interested the SDWF scientists.

　　2. Ronan Hickey analyzed almost 2000 different dialects of the bottle-nose dolphins.

　　3. Of the 32 categories, eight were produced only by the Irish dolphins.

　　4. Whistles could also be used to communicate between adult dolphins and baby dolphins.

　　5. Sperm whales can produce stronger ultrasonic waves to kill their prey than dolphins.

　　6. As early as the 6th century, Irish fishermen started raising dolphins in the Shannon estuary.

　　7. Irish dolphins attract tourists and over 25,000 people come to see them every year.

　　答案与解析：

　　2.直接解题：

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned