节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-07-31
难易度:High
关键字:predatory, wolf, migrate, astonishing
We are on the third day of our article Whales: The Giants of the Sea.
And today we've been learning all about orcas, or killer whales, these stylish
black and white whales that are easily identifiable in the ocean.
We learned that they live in all oceans throughout the world and that they are
predatory hunters.
They prey on many other different animals that live in and around the ocean.
Well, right now we're going to talk about places that you can see whales
throughout the world.
Let's do that now.
(Music).
Whales: The Giants of the Sea.
Canada.
Some of the world's best whale-watching can be done in British Columbia, Quebec,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada.
Orcas, gray whales, blue whales, sperm whales and others can all be spotted from
May through October.
Hawaii.
Another great location is Hawaii, where more than 6,000 humpback whales migrate
to the islands' warm waters to mate and give birth.
Whale-watching season runs from November through early May.
Alaska.
With a season that begins in April and almost never ends, you'll spot orcas,
minke and gray whales.
Other places like Mexico, Iceland, Britain, Norway and the Arctic will also
afford you once-in-a-lifetime views of these astonishing creatures of the sea.
(Music).
Well, Canada, Hawaii and Alaska, here I come!
I'd like to see some whales, too.
And here are some great whale-watching locations.
The first one is Canada.
Some of the world's best whale-watching can be done in British Columbia, Quebec,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada.
That's a lot of places in Canada.
I don't know if you've been to any of these places.
Have you been to any of these places, Carolyn?
I have not.
And well, this might be a good time for me to plan a trip to go whale-watching.
But there are probably certain times of the year that would be better to go than
others.
It's true.
And we do talk about this in our lesson.
Orcas, gray whales, blue whales, sperm whales and others can all be spotted from
May through October.
OK. So that's when you can go and see these whales there in Canada, Carolyn.
Well, May through October.
That would be right now.
Right.
So... so I should plan a trip for next week to go to Canada.
Exactly. I hope you get a nice, cheap plane ticket.
Well, we do know that you can spot these whales at this time over there.
And that kind... that word "spot" is kind of similar to "catch sight of," that
phrase we saw earlier.
Carolyn, I think you can use them in the same way, right?
Yes, that is true.
You can catch sight of whales or you can spot whales on one of these whale tours
or whale trips here in Canada.
And it sounds like a lot of fun.
But there are many other locations you can go as well to go whale-watching.
And the next one is Hawaii.
What do we know about whale-watching in Hawaii, Gabe?
Well, another great location is Hawaii, where more than 6,000 humpback whales
migrate to the islands' warm waters to mate and give birth.
This is a popular place for whales to mate, Carolyn.
It is.
It is a popular place for these humpback whales, 6,000 of them, to migrate to.
And if you "migrate," that is a word from our Word Bank, it means to go from one
place to another.
And for animals, it means that they go from one area of the world to another
part due to weather...
That's right.
... usually because they want to go wherever it is warm during that part of the
year.
I usually think of birds when I think of this word "migrating." We know that
birds fly south for the winter.
That's called migrating.
You might even call it "migration." M-I-G-R-A-T-I-O-N. That's what they do.
OK. So we're talking about humpback whales here.
If you know what a hump is, it's kind of a... it's kind of a lump.
So they look a little bit different, a humpback whale.
All right. What else do we know about here?
Well, in Hawaii, whale-watching season runs from November through early May.
So now would not be a good time to go whale-watching in Hawaii.
But it would be a good time to go to Canada.
But we see a phrase there: runs through. So the season runs from one time to
another.
What does that mean, Gabe?
Well, that means it starts at this time, and then it ends at another time.
So from November through May.
You could use this phrase to talk about other things, too.
I could say the show will run from this weekend all the way through next month.
That's how long you can see the show.
That's right.
So it's a period of time.
And whale-watching season runs from November through early May in Hawaii.
Now there's one more great whale-watching destination - Alaska.
With a season that begins in April and almost never ends, you'll spot orcas,
minke and gray whales.
So it sounds like there are lots of whales you can go see in Alaska.
That's right.
And unlike the other seasons... or other places like Canada and Hawaii, in
Alaska, it seems like the season never ends.
It seems like the whale-watching season never ends.
So there are many times of the year you can see these whales.
There's another kind of whale mentioned here - a minke.
And this is also a baleen whale.
Not like an orca whale, this is a baleen whale.
That's right.
And there are more places that you can go throughout the world as well, not just
Canada, Hawaii and Alaska.
Other places like Mexico, Iceland, Britain, Norway and the Arctic will also
afford you once-in-a-lifetime views of these astonishing creatures of the sea.
And they are "astonishing" - a word from our Word Bank.
If something is astonishing, it is surprising, unexpected and amazing.
That's right, astonishing.
Earlier this month we talked about the word "astounding." And it's kind of a
similar meaning, astonishing or amazing.
For example you could say the performers of Cirque du Soleil were simply
astonishing.
Or: That was an astonishing piano performance. Great job!
That's right.
Well, we have something astonishing for you to enjoy right now - a review skit.
And then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab.
I'm still watching for whales, but I haven't seen any.
That's too bad.
Keep looking.
OK. Oh, I'll look for orca whales.
Orcas are black and white.
They're very stylish and easy to identify.
OK, I'm looking.
Orcas are also called killer whales.
Killer whales?
Yes, because of their aggressive predatory style.
Do they prey on people?
They prey on seals, sharks and other whales.
They live and hunt in groups.
Look for a pod.
An iPod?
No, a pod.
A pod is a group of whales.
Oh.
Killer whales can be found all around the world.
Except for here?
Huh?
Well, I don't see any whales here.
Well, if you really want to see whales, you should go to Canada.
Go to Canada?
Yeah! Some of the best whale-watching can be done there.
You'll see orcas, gray whales, blue whales, sperm whales...
OK, OK. I'll go to Canada.
Or go to Hawaii.
More than 6,000 humpback whales migrate there.
OK. I'll go to Hawaii.
Or go to Alaska.
Alaska has astonishing creatures.
Hmm. I'll go to Alaska then.
Well, just tell me where is the best place to watch whales!
At the aquarium.
Of course!
(Music).
(Chinese).
And now let's get back to our teachers.
Well, I've enjoyed learning about many different kinds of whales as well as lots
of places around the world where you can go whale-watching.
Carolyn, would you enjoy going on one of these whale-watching trips?
Well, I think that this would be great.
As I've mentioned before, I think that this would be a very fun vacation to
plan.
And actually when we were talking about Alaska, it reminded me, my uncle went to
Alaska and was in a kayak and was kayaking.
And I think he saw a few whales during his trip.
That is so cool.
He got to see some whales from... from a little kayak!
That sounds exciting and really cool.
Well, I would like to go on one of these trips as well.
I think I would choose Alaska as well.
Carolyn, which one of these places listed would you choose?
Well, I've never been to Alaska, Hawaii or Canada, but I really like warm
weather.
So I would probably go to Hawaii.
All right.
Well, what about you, friends?
Would you like to go on a whale-watching trip, and where?
Thank you for joining us for this lesson.
And of course, we will see you next time right here on Studio Classroom.
See you then.