科学家们已经研究出海洋中一些体型最大的鲸鱼发出令人难忘的复杂叫声的方式，它们的叫声被人们称为 “鲸歌”。座头鲸和其它须鲸体内有一种进化而来的特殊的 “音箱”，使它们能够在水下 “唱歌”。

The humpback's song sounded so strange and haunting to sailors, they used to think it belonged to ghosts or mythical sea creatures. Now, a study has revealed how the animals produce their complex songs.

座头鲸的鲸歌听起来很奇怪，让水手们难以忘记，他们曾认为这种 “歌声” 来自鬼魂或神话中的海洋生物。现在，一项研究揭示了这些动物唱出复杂 “歌声” 的原理。

Researchers examined the voice boxes of three dead whales: larynxes that were taken from a stranded minke, humpback and a sei whale. Pumping air into the giant U-shaped structures from the whales' throats showed how they vibrate to make a sound when air moves across them. 

研究人员检查了三头死鲸体内的 “音箱”，也就是它们的 “喉部”，三头死鲸分别是一头因被搁浅而死亡的小鳁鲸、一头座头鲸和一头塞鲸。研究人员向巨大 U 型结构的鲸鱼喉咙中注入空气，结果发现当空气流过时，这个U型结构通过振动发声。

That's similar to how our vocal folds work, but baleen whales can recycle the air around this specialised vocal anatomy, meaning they can sing while holding their breath without inhaling water.

这些鲸鱼的发声方式与我们声带的发声方式相似，但须鲸可以回收循环利用其体内这种特殊的发声结构周围的空气，这意味着它们可以不吸水而屏住呼吸 “唱歌”。

More analysis showed that the frequency of the whale song overlaps with the noise ships produce, so the sound of human activity in the ocean can interrupt communication that's essential to these animals' lives.

进一步的分析表明，鲸歌的频率与船只行驶时产生的噪音重叠，因此海洋中人类活动的声音会干扰这些鲸鱼生活中至关重要的沟通和交流过程。

词汇表

haunting 令人难忘的
voice boxes 音箱
larynxes 喉头，喉咙
stranded 搁浅的
vibrate 振动
vocal folds 声带
baleen 鲸须，有鲸须的
anatomy （动植物的）结构
inhaling 吸气

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. What did sailors use to think whale song was? 

2. Which whale body part did the researchers use for this study?

3. What is different about how whales sing compared to humans?

4. Why can human activity interrupt whale communication? 

答案

1. What did sailors use to think whale song was? 

Sailors used to think that whale song was the sound made by ghosts or mythical sea creatures.

2. Which whale body part did the researchers use for this study? 

Researchers used the larynxes from three dead whales.

3. What is different about how whales sing compared to humans?

Differently to humans, whales can sing while holding their breath.  

4. Why can human activity interrupt whale communication?

The frequency of whale song overlaps with the noise that ships produce.