黑尾鷸刷新鳥類飛行紀錄

河南 劉同功

黑尾鷸是一種耐力極強的鳥，以不吃不喝且不停歇地長距離飛行而著稱。這種鳥創下了不停歇地從阿拉斯加飛到新西蘭的世界鳥類遷徙紀錄，飛行距離長達12，000千米。

題材動物體裁說明文文章詞數難度建議用時340★★★★7 分鐘

1Every time you see a bird， there is a chance that you may be looking at the greatest marathon athlete in the world， particularly if you live in the US state of Alaska in late summer， and happen upon a bar-tailed godwit (黑尾鷸).

2These little birds were recently found to travel 7，500 miles (12，000 kilometers) in a non-stop flight of 11 days from Alaska to the Firth of Thames near Auckland， New Zealand. It's not the longest migration ever—that title goes to the Arctic tern (燕鷗)which goes from the Arctic to the Antarctic along the west coast of North and South America—or straight down the Atlantic every year for a total of around 14，000 kilometers. However， it is the longest non-stop flight known to scientists.

3Unlike the tern， the godwit weighs a much heavier one-fifth to four-fifths of a pound， and relies on a muscular build much like a modern jet with narrow pointed wings and a smooth body to reduce air drag. Despite these advantages which allow it to flap its wings nearly uninterruptedly for the entire journey， how can a small bird that lives for a few years navigate for days over nothing but empty ocean to arrive in New Zealand?

4Some scientists have shown birds use the sun as orientation， but there is also evidence of migration as a learned skill—one study showing that adult raptors (猛禽) were better at course correcting for wind than juveniles， suggesting that experience comes into play. Another thought is that some birds may use electromagnetic sensory equipment that allows them to “see” the magnetic field in a way that humans cannot.

5Even with the help of a magnetic compass， the record-breaking bar-tailed godwit，known as 4 BBRW， departed from Alaska and passed over the Aleutian Islands in a 224-hour flight without sleep over open ocean and with no land markers to use as visual guidance. At one point he faced winds that blew so hard that he was being blown off course towards Australia. Amazingly， he managed to correct his flight path.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Language Study

Ⅰ. Analyze some difficult sentences in the text

1. Unlike the tern， the godwit weighs a much heavier one-fifth to four-fifths of a pound， and relies on a muscular build much like a modern jet with narrow pointed wings and a smooth body to reduce air drag. 與北極燕鷗相比，黑尾鷸的體重要比燕鷗重五分之一到五分之四磅，它的飛行依賴于與現代噴氣式飛機結構相似的肌肉結構，尖銳的翅膀和平滑的身體曲線大大減少了空氣阻力。

【點石成金】本句中and連接兩個并列的謂語，with結構作后置定語。

2. Another thought is that some birds may use electromagnetic sensory equipment that allows them to “see” the magnetic field in a way that humans cannot. 還有一種觀點認為，一些鳥類可能會使用電磁感應設備，這種功能可以讓鳥“看到”人類不能看到的磁場。

【點石成金】本句是一個復合句。第一個that引導的是表語從句，第二個that引導的是一個定語從句，該從句的先行詞是equipment。