By Christine McGourty, London

Background: 如果全球变暖导致冰海以目前的速度减少，那么依赖冰海在南极地区栖息的皇帝企鹅可能会在本世纪末濒临灭绝。研究人员们在《国家科学院学报》上发表了这项新的研究结果，是根据40年来对一个南极大陆皇帝企鹅种群的具体研究和观察经验。

Questions: 请在听下面录音的时候试着回答这些问题。这是一个用来帮助你提高听力技能的练习。

1. True or false? People associate Antarctica with the emperor penguin.

2. True or false? Data from the colony of penguins was combined with models of a computer.

3. True or false? Scientists are predicting that emperor penguins will be extinct by 2100.

4. True or false? The penguins need ice to reproduce.

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Listen to Christine McGourty's report 点击此处下载录音材料

The emperor penguin is the iconic 具有代表性的 creature of the frozen south. Now for the first time scientists have studied in detail what the future holds 将来会是怎样 for the species 种类 in a warmer world.

They used data from a colony 群体 that's been monitored 被观察 for over 40 years, and combined that with computer models 模型 forecasting 预测 the future Antarctic climate 南极气候.

They predicted 预言 that the colony of 6,000 penguins now could be reduced to just 800 by the end of the century. A similar population crash 数量巨减 across the continent would lead to near extinction 濒临灭绝 of the entire species.

The creatures rely on the sea ice to breed 繁殖 and mate 交配, and are expected to find it difficult to adapt or migrate 迁移，移栖 if ice cover decreases as predicted.

GLOSSARY 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

iconic 具有代表性的

what the future holds 将来会是怎样

species 种类

colony 群体

monitored 被观察

models 模型

forecasting 预测

Antarctic climate 南极气候

predicted 预言

population crash 数量巨减

near extinction 濒临灭绝

breed 繁殖

mate 交配

migrate 迁移，移栖

Answers

1. True or false? People associate Antarctica with the emperor penguin.
True. It is an "iconic creature of the frozen south".

2. True or false? Data from the colony of penguins was combined with models of a computer.
False. "Computer models" were used – these are not the same as models of a computer 电脑型号.

3. True or false? Scientists are predicting that emperor penguins will be extinct by 2100.
False. The study indicates that the penguins could be nearly extinct by the end of this century.

4. True or false? The penguins need ice to reproduce.
True. They "rely on the ice to breed and mate".

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