Dolphins are social animals that communicate with each other through squeaks and grunts. They make these sounds by rapidly opening and closing their blowhole. Dolphins travel in groups called pods. A pod can include up to 100 dolphins. The dolphins work together to hunt prey, and they depend on each other for protection. One of their biggest enemies is the shark. Dolphins often escape1 sharks by playing dead. Sharks are only interested in live prey, so they’ll ignore2 the “dead” dolphin. What a clever trick!

　　Unfortunately, dolphins have an even more dangerous enemy　an. Fishing nets often trap3 dolphins underwater. The animals drown because they cannot return to the surface to breathe. They are also threatened4 by water pollution. With more awareness5 of dolphins, we can help them. In the past, sailors thought of dolphins as lucky. The sailors believed that if they saw dolphins, they would have a safe trip. Hopefully, we can ensure6 the future of the dolphin, clown prince of the sea.

　　海豚是一种群居性动物，会通过尖叫声和呼噜声相互沟通。它们用快速开闭气孔的方式来发出这些声音。集体行动的海豚称作一群海豚（pod），一群海豚的数目可高达一百只。海豚会一起合作捕杀猎物，并且彼此依赖以得到保护。鲨鱼是海豚最大的敌人之一，而海豚经常靠装死来躲避鲨鱼的猎捕。鲨鱼只对活的猎物感兴趣，因此无视于“死”海豚的存在。这招真是高明呀！

　　不幸的是，海豚还有更危险的敌人──人类。渔网常将海豚困在海里，致使海豚无法游回到海面呼吸而溺毙。水污染问题亦对海豚造成威胁。当我们更加了解海豚时，我们才能够拯救它们。从前，水手们将海豚视为吉祥物；他们认为若在海上看见海豚，就会一路顺风、平安归来。诚心盼望人类能确保逗趣的海王子──海豚的明天会更好！

　　Vocabulary

　　1. escape v. to get away from a person, place or situation 逃避；逃脱

　　The tiger escaped from the zoo because the zookeeper forgot to lock its cage.

　　老虎从动物园逃脱了，因为管理员忘了把笼子锁上。

　　2. ignore v. to not pay any attention to sb./sth. 无视；不理会

　　I told the dog to be quiet, but it ignored me and kept barking.

　　我叫那只狗安静下来，但是它不理我，继续吠叫。

　　3. trap v. to catch sb./sth. and not allow them to get away 捕捉；使受困

　　The miners were trapped underground for days after the entrance to the mine collapsed.

　　矿井的入口处坍塌了，矿工在地底下受困好几天。

　　4. threaten v. to have the potential to cause harm 对 … 构成威胁；危及

　　The town was threatened by rising flood waters, so most families fled to higher ground.

　　上涨的洪水对此城镇造成威胁，因此大多数家庭都撤至地势较高之处。

　　5. awareness n. knowledge of sth. 理解

　　Reading the newspaper every day will greatly increase your awareness of local politics.

　　每天看报纸可以增进你对地方政治的理解。

　　6. ensure v. to make sure that sth. happens or is done 确保；保证

　　Put this cream on your skin to ensure that you don’t get a sunburn.

　　把这乳霜涂在身上，以确保你不会灼伤。

　　More Information

　　1. squeak n. 吱吱叫

　　2. grunt n. 呼噜叫

　　3. pod n. （鲸鱼、海豚、海豹等的）一群

　　4. prey n. 猎物