科学家们称，他们在亚南极地区的英属南乔治亚岛的沿海水域看到了数量惊人的蓝鲸。他们在历时23天的调查中统计了55头蓝鲸，这是自商业捕鲸活动结束后，几十年来前所未有的。

Whale experts have described the number of sightings as astonishing and say it's a positive sign that Antarctic Blues are making a solid recovery from their catastrophic collapse.

鲸鱼专家们称看到这么多鲸鱼令人震惊，并表示这是一个积极的迹象，表明了南极蓝鲸正从灾难性的毁灭中稳步恢复。

When the whaling industry set up business in South Georgia in the early 1900s, it’s estimated there might have been nearly a quarter of a million of these majestic animals in the Southern Ocean. But within just a few decades, butchery on an industrial scale had reduced their numbers to a few hundred.

20世纪初，当捕鲸业在南乔治亚开展业务时，南冰洋中估计有近25万头这种大型动物。但在短短几十年里，大规模的残杀活动使它们的数量减少到了几百头。

South Georgia's waters teem with the shrimp-like krill that whales love to eat, so Blues really ought to be returning to this productive feeding ground, and after 50 years of protection this seems finally to be the case. The last assessment of Antarctic Blue whale numbers was done in 1997 and estimated the abundance at just over 2,000. The next assessment will come out in a couple of years and may indicate that there are now up to 10,000.

南乔治亚的水域生产像磷虾等鲸鱼爱吃的虾类，所以蓝鲸确实应该回到这片物产丰富的觅食地。经过50年的保护，这似乎终于成为现实。上一次对南极蓝鲸的评估是在1997年进行的，当时估计的数量刚刚超过2000头。下一次的评估数量将在几年后公布，可能会显示蓝鲸的数量近万。

词汇

astonishing 惊人的
catastrophic 灾难性的，毁灭性的
majestic 雄伟的
butchery 残杀
industrial scale 大规模，工业规模
teem with 充满，盛产
krill 磷虾
feeding ground 觅食地
assessment 评估
abundance 丰富、大量

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题 。

1. Which industry led to the decline in the number of blue whales?

2. What has caused experts to say the recovery of blue whale numbers is a positive sign?

3.  Other than blue whales, what else can be found in the waters around South Georgia?

4. True or false? The next assessment will probably show that the number of blue whales has increased.

答案

1. Which industry led to the decline in the number of blue whales?
The whaling industry led to butchery on an industrial scale and reduced the numbers of blue whales.

2. What has caused experts to say the recovery of blue whale numbers is a positive sign?
Whale experts have described the number of sightings as astonishing and say it's a positive sign that Antarctic Blues are making a solid recovery from their catastrophic collapse.

3.  Other than blue whales, what else can be found in the waters around South Georgia?
South Georgia's waters teem with the shrimp-like krill that whales love to eat. 

4. True or false? The next assessment will probably show that the number of blue whales has increased.
True.The next assessment will come out in a couple of years and may indicate that there are now up to 10,000 blue whales – so an increase.