We have been resuming reading NCE4 for five lessons. Hooray! 謝謝一起朗讀的小夥伴們！
Practice makes perfect. Only listening to others reading is not the same as you read by yourself. You may have a try to see whether it is easy to read from the beginning to the end without repeating a single word.
Please post your reading and the text as well.
那誰，那誰，一起來讀吧！
讀書百遍，其義自見！：）
每兩周一課，兩周後 NCE4 19課。
美音原讀：https://www.tingclass.net/show-5046-936-1.html
Lesson 18
Porpoises
海豚
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
What would you say is the main characteristic of porpoises?
There has long been a superstition among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by pushing them to the surface, or protect them from sharks by surrounding them in defensive formation. Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably a mistake to credit dolphins with any motive of lifesaving. On the occasions when they have pushed to shore an unconscious human being they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or for sport, as in riding the bow waves of a ship. In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it may have been because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal attracted the sharks. Porpoises and sharks are natural enemies. It is possible that upon such an occasion a battle ensued, with the sharks being driven away or killed.
Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They are constantly after the turtles, who peacefully submit to all sorts of indignities. One young calf especially enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his snout and then shoving him across the tank like an aquaplane. Almost any day a young porpoise may be seen trying to turn a 300-pound sea turtle over by sticking his snout under the edge of his shell and pushing up for dear life. This is not easy, and may require two porpoises working together. In another game, as the turtle swims across the oceanarium, the first porpoise swoops down from above and butts his shell with his belly. This knocks the turtle down several feet. He no sooner recovers his equilibrium than the next porpoise comes along and hits him another crack. Eventually the turtle has been butted all the way down to the floor of the tank. He is now satisfied merely to try to stand up, but as soon as he does so a porpoise knocks him flat. The turtle at last gives up by pulling his feet under his shell and the game is over.
RALPH NADING HILL Window in the Sea
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
porpoise
n. 海豚
mariner
n. 水手
shark
n. 鯊魚
formation
n. 隊形
dolphin
n. 海豚科動物
unconscious
adj. 不省人事
beaver
n. 海狸
ashore
adv. 上岸
waterlogged
adj. 浸滿水的
scent
n. 香味
ensue
v. 接著發生
intrigue
v. 引起興趣
indignity
n. 侮辱
snout
n. 口鼻部
shove
v. 硬推
aquaplane
n. 駕浪滑水板
oceanarium
n. 水族館
swoop
v. 猛撲
belly
n. 腹部
equilibrium
n. 平衡
butt
v. 碰撞
crack
n. 重擊
長期以來，海員中流傳著一種迷信的說法，認為海豚會把快要淹死的人托到水麵，救人性命；或在人們周圍列隊保護，使他們免遭鯊魚傷害。海洋攝影室的生物學家指出，無論海豚多麽聰明，認為它們有救人的動機可能是錯誤的。當它們偶爾把一個失去知覺的人推到岸邊時，更大的可能是出於好奇或遊戲，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。1928年，有人拍攝到了海豚像海狸一樣把浸透水的床墊推上岸的情景。正如報道中所說，如果海豚保護人不受鯊魚侵害，那麽它們可能是出於好奇；而鯊魚可能是聞到了可以美食一頓的香味。海豚和鯊魚是天然仇敵，雙方可能隨之發生搏鬥，搏鬥結果是海豚趕走或咬死鯊魚。 海豚對凡是活的東西都感興趣，不管是鳥、是魚，還是野獸。它們經常追逐海龜，海龜則溫順地忍受著各種侮辱。一隻小海豚特別喜歡用鼻子把海龜推到水麵，然後像滑水板一樣把海龜從水池的這一邊推到那一邊。幾乎每天都可以看到一隻小海豚把鼻子頂入一隻300磅重的海龜的硬殼下麵，拚命地把它翻過來。這並非易事，可能需要兩隻海豚合夥幹才行。在另一場遊戲中，當海龜遊過水族館時，第一隻海豚從上方猛撲下去，用腹部撞擊龜殼。這一下子把海龜撞下去好幾英尺。海龜剛恢複平衡，第二隻海豚又衝過來猛擊一下。這隻海龜最終被撞到池底。此時的海龜，隻要能站起來就滿足了，但它剛站起來，就被一隻海豚擊倒。海龜終於屈服了，將4條腿縮進殼內。遊戲到此結束。
