时间:2018-12-28 作者:英语课 分类:初学者听力文摘精选


英语课

The complex vocalizations of songbirds are learned, not inherited. Some even have regional accents.



Wrens 1, thrushes and other songbirds don't hatch with their impressive musical talents. They learn to sing their extensive repertoires 3 by listening to others of their kind.

Donald Kroodsma is the author of a new book, 'The Singing Life of Birds.' Kroodsma says many birds seem to come naturally equipped with basic sounds and even some very simple songs. The eastern wood-pewee is an example.



'We've done some experiments showing that those songs are pretty much encoded in the DNA 4. But as a result, it's a pretty limited repertoire 2 of, oh, in the eastern wood peewee, of up to three different songs. But all the songbirds, when we think of songbirds, we think of wrens and warblers, robins 5, thrushes, sparrows, all the birds that make so much racket, these are the songbirds that have very special groups of neurons in the brain, and most of them imitate precise details of songs just like you and I learned our native language.'

Kroodsma says birds even share our tendency toward regional dialects.



'When birds learn songs at a particular location and stay around at that location, regional dialects tend to develop. They have the same kind of dialects that develop in human speech.'

Kroodsma says he recently took a long bike trip, from the Atlantic Coast through Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois. He says the accents and dialects of both people and birds changed along the way.



Script for Tuesday, May 10, 2005



1 wrens
n.鹪鹩( wren的名词复数 )
  • Other songbirds, such as wrens, have hundreds of songs. 有的鸣鸟,例如鹪鹩,会唱几百只歌。 来自辞典例句
2 repertoire
n.(准备好演出的)节目,保留剧目;(计算机的)指令表,指令系统, <美>(某个人的)全部技能;清单,指令表
  • There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
  • He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。
3 repertoires
全部节目( repertoire的名词复数 ); 演奏曲目
  • There were huge repertoires of pipa music in Chinese history, particularly during the Tang Dynasty. 这种情况在我国古代诗词中有大量的记载。
4 DNA
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
5 robins
n.知更鸟,鸫( robin的名词复数 );(签名者不分先后,以避免受责的)圆形签名抗议书(或请愿书)
  • The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后,Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
air breathing power unit
akerite
aleukenic lymphadenoma
anion active auxiliary
Apartheid Wall
arkell
ASR
automatic congestion level
Bagerhat District
Batouri
bead cut
benzophenone-anil
bright steel wire
bronchus segmentalis basalis cardiacus
canadian provinces
constructive code
control-surface actuator
corbasson
cotization
crippling resilience
cryptotis parvas
deeds of high resolve
deroburts
dishonorable discharge
distance study
elevation of temperature
ePresence
F function
fixed array multilaser radar
flyproof
foreign subsidiaries
funny face
general purpose interface trigger
geocorona
glycol ester
gorcock
Graham crackers
hand puppet
hepatic injuries test outfit
hyperoxypathy
isochromatic stimulus
keuka lakes
lower cover
LREAA
Lyclamycin
microwave mixer
middle latitude climate
Mogi-Mirim
mulfunction
naebody
Naha City
nms (neutron monitoring system)
normal vectorcardrogram
oblate
on-load tap changing transformer
osteoproduction
parasambus sauteri
passive tags
person connected with a corporation
photoimaging
plaited
pod pepper
polives
program for optical system design
promise to do
provision for possible loan loss
put sth down to sth
resiliences
response range
restricted bayes estimator
reticulated pythons
retsina
rickettsial
rivet hot
roast gas
rolling avalanche
scrapes
semiautomatic clutch
Shengia
shot fire
smip
source-separated
statement of surplus analysis
stricture of anterior naris
table-tipping
tank foundation
the south west
thermically
three-dimensional holography
Tǒkhyǒn
unhook
vacuum casting steel
ventilating rate
vertical contact pin
vestibular ganglion
water tank vessel
Wetlina
wheelclamps
wildlands
wine acid
wirwe