1. I want to talk today about some studies that seem to indicate that there has been a startling world-wide decline in the number of amphibians such as frogs.

我今天要講的是一些研究，表明在世界范圍內青蛙等兩棲動物的數量正以驚人的速度下降。

2. There is little doubt that one reason why the number of amphibians is declining is that their habitats are being destroyed. When developers fill in ponds and marshes to build houses, amphibians can’t just move somewhere else.

我們基本上可以確定，兩棲動物數量減少的原因之一是它們的棲息地遭到破壞。房地產開發商填平池塘和濕地以建造房屋，但兩棲動物們卻沒有其它地方可以遷徙。

3. Another reason for the amphibians’ decline is the growing fish industry. A narrow range of popular edible fish has been introduced to many lakes and ponds all over the world.

兩棲動物數量下降的另一原因是漁業的不斷發展。世界各地許許多多的池塘湖泊只引入少數幾種食用魚。

4. Other factors that could be contributing to the decline of amphibians include acid rain and the

spread of the pesticide residues. Many pesticides that the farmer applied to their crops are eventually washed away by the rain.

其它造成兩棲動物數量下降的原因包括酸雨和殺蟲劑殘留物的廣泛擴散。農民用于莊稼的殺蟲劑最終被雨水沖走。

5. The pesticides end up in ponds or other bodies of water where amphibians live. Amphibians are especially vulnerable to the pesticides dissolved in the water because of their moist skin.

這些殺蟲劑最終進入池塘或其它兩棲動物生存的水體。由于皮膚潮濕，兩棲動物對溶解在水中的殺蟲劑尤其沒有抵抗能力。

6. In today’s lesson, we’re going to continue with our study of the elephant, an endangered species. As a matter of fact, throughout history, the elephant has played an important role in human economies, religion, and culture.

今天的課上，我們將繼續研究大象這一瀕危物種。事實上，在歷史上大象在人類經濟、宗教和文化中都扮演著重要的角色

7. Today we are going to see a really interesting topic in linguistics, I mean studying second languages acquisition, or to put it simple, how people learn foreign languages.

今天我們要學習語言學中非常有趣的話題—第二語言習得。簡而言之就是研究人們如何學習外語。

8. Today, we’re going to see what it means to be bilingual and what the different types of bilinguals are.

今天，我們要談談做一個兼通雙語的人意味著什么，以及他們的不同類型。

9. In a broad definition, a bilingual person is anyone with communicative skills in two languages, be it active or passive.

廣義上，兼通雙語者指那些掌握兩門語言交際技能的人，這既包括了主動的技能，也包括了被動的技能。

10. In a narrow definition, the term bilingual is often reserved for those speakers with native or native-like proficiency in two languages. And most people tend to think of a bilingual more like the narrow definition.

狹義上，兼通雙語者這一術語特指那些對兩門語言的掌握都有母語或近似母語水平的人。大部分人通常所指的兼通雙語者更傾向于狹義的那一類。

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