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
a poor
a watering hole
abirritation
actual elements
announceable
ask around
ASWEX
Bertraghboy B.
blown tumbler
bobowski
byrrus
c/i (carrier-to-interference power)
cast behind
categorising
center of pressure (cp)
combined transport of container
CYRTIDAE
Dehradun
design contract
desylacetic acid
diaspirin
element of composite symmetry
enameloplasty
factor of model
family felidaes
fernleaf
fish stick
geophysiologist
granide
helminthosporium siccans drechsler
hydraulic belt
hydronic radiation
hydroxy-arabinohexose
i-back
intercrops
kallirotron
konnarite (connarite)
long hair which hangs in small curls
lorentzian noise spectrum
lubber ring
marrubiin-3-ketone
milleped, millepede
milpa
monoxerutin
most stringent level alpha test
multiple factorial experiment
Narcea, R.
narcomedusa
Ngergoi
nonindulgences
Nénébougou
OCO (open-close-open contact)
omni-directional radio beacon
peddle their papers
pitch width of pulley groove
Piyyutim
powder enamel
primer mover
program restructuring technique
reaction of replacement
rubber hydrochloride
sale revenue
sea mew
seismic geophone
selectcares
self-therapy
semi-sample
ship lift with counterweight
simultaneous track processor
solar dry(ing)
special terracing grader
special weapons equipment list
Spritsail-Yard
squeeze biscuit
state-specified standard
stock payment
strip-film camera
syncope due to immoderate drinking
tanker time
tau-b
technical specialist
temporary facilities for construction
termitaria
text-based browser
the younger
therapp
Tinidazole-Livzon
Trichodina
trispyrazolylborate
tropins
turdinaes
two-way push-down automaton
umlaute
unenrichable
USPSRS
variable area
Vyatka
wind-borne material
work-bench measurement
YB, Y.B.
your honour