Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. gloomy (adj.) [gloo-mee] – partially dark or dim
Example: The forest appears gloomy because of the big trees that cover the sunlight.
2. harbor (n.) [hahr-ber] – a
sheltered part in a body of water
Example: The small island served as a harbor for sea travellers.
3. hind (adj.) [hahynd] – located at the back of something (usually an
animal)
Example: Kangaroos have strong hind legs for jumping.
4. clumsily (adv.) [kluhm-zee-li] – in
an awkward manner or lacking physical coordination
Example: The drunken man clumsily walked along the streets.
5. aquatic (adj.) [uh-kwat-ik] – relating
to being in water
Example: The ocean museum was built to look like
an aquatic environment.
Article
Read the text below.
Seals, though not as charming as
whales and dolphins, are greeted with delight whenever they visit the cold
northeastern Hokkaido or, sometimes, the warmer rivers in Tokyo and Yokohama
areas.
During the winter season, the gloomy frozen seas of Cape Notoro in
Abashiri, Hokkaido occasionally serve as a harbor to seals—some of which may have reached the area by
swimming through the Bering Sea from Russia.
Yet after seeing a seal, one realizes
that they are not very exciting to watch, observes naturalist Mark Brazil.
Unlike whales and dolphins, he says, seals are calm when floating on the
water. Seals usually just move up the water’s surface slowly, open their
nostrils to breathe [breeth], and quietly
go under again, tightly closing their nostrils.
Though they do not move much above
water, they prove to be expert swimmers in it.
Evolution has made seals fully
adapted to aquatic environments.
They have flexible spines and short hind
[hahynd] limbs for steering in water. They
can dive several hundred meters below the water’s surface and stay there for
several hours.
The ability to move from water to
land is another thing that sets seals apart from whales and dolphins. Their
short forelimbs with strong nails allow them to crawl on land or ice,
although they do so clumsily. Land
is also where they give birth to their young.
Despite not being as exciting as
whales or dolphins, seals are still very much appreciated creatures in Japan,
that upon their appearances, they are given special treatment. For instance,
Tama-chan, a bearded seal that appeared in Tama, Tsurumi, Katabira and Naka
rivers in 2002 and 2003, became popular on national television and was even
awarded a juminhyo or residency
registration. Another seal, named Ara-chan, was spotted in Saitama
Prefecture’s Arakawa river in 2011 and was also made a special resident.
It seems whenever seals come for a
visit, one thing is sure—they are always welcome guests in the country.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do
you think it was necessary for the seals to be registered as residents? Why or
why not?
·
In
what other ways do you think people can show appreciation for these seals?
Discussion B
·
Do you think people should know about the
wonders of nature? Why or why not?
·
What
for you is the best way to learn about nature?