VOA慢速英语听力：人类应该捕猎鲸鱼吗-

VOA!速英语听力：人类应该捕猎鲸鱼吗 ？以下是笔者为大家整理的 VOA慢速英语听力：人类应该捕猎鲸鱼吗？，希望大家能够喜欢！ThisisSCIENCENTHENEWSnVOASpecialEnglish.I'mShirleyGriffith.AndI'mChristopherCruise.Today,wetellaboutwhales.Somepeoplewanttohunttheanimals,whileotherssimplyenjoywatchingtheminthewild.WetellaboutaplanforanAmericanaquariumtoimportbelugawhalesfromRussia.Andwetalkaboutawhalethatcouldmakehuman-likesounds.EnvironmentalactivistsinSouthKoreaarecondemningagovernmentplantohuntendangeredwhalesforscientificresearch.Theybelievetheplanispartofanefforttore-startcommercialwhalingactivities.Suchactivitiesarebannedinmanycountries.TheInternationalWhalingCommissionhasyettomakeadecisionontheSouthKoreanplan.Theorganizationbannedcommercialwhalingin1986becauseofconcernsaboutthesurvivalofwhalespecies.Butnow,someSouthKoreanfishermensaytheyarefacingathreatfromminkewhales.Theysaytheseanimalsareeatingwhatwouldhavebeentheircatch.Theplanwasimmediatelycondemnedbyanti-whalingnations.Wildlifeactivistsalsocriticizedtheproposal.HanJeong-heeworksinSeoulfortheenvironmentalgroupGreenpeace.“It'sreallyregretfultohearthatKoreangovernmentis,like,consideringconductingscientificwhaling.Scientificwhalingisjust,like,thinly-disguisedcommercialwhaling.And,youknow,weareofcourseagainstallcommercialwhaling.Japan'stheonlycountrywhichisdoingscientificwhalingatthemomentandKoreaisjusttryingtofollowthat. ”Koreahasalonghistoryofwhaling.Cavepaintingsfoundonthesouthcoastshowimagesofwhalehunts.Butsuchhuntsandtheuseofwhalemeatasfooddidnotreallybecomepopularuntillateinthenineteenthcentury.Everyyear,theSouthKoreantownofUlsanholdsaneventthatre-createsthosewhalingexpeditions.Visitorsareurgedtoeatatlocalrestaurantsthatservewhalemeat.SouthKorea'sMinistryofAgricultureandFisheriessaysthegoaloftheplanistohelpfishermen.Itnotesthatlimitedwhalingforscientificresearchispermittedunderthecommercialwhalingban.Japanhascontinuedhuntingwhalesunderthisexception.CriticsofwhalingdonotbelieveclaimsbyJapanthatitswhalingactivitiesareforscientificresearch.TheynotethatwhalemeatfromthehundredsofwhaleskilledinthehuntissoldtotheJapanesepublic.Recently,weaskedtheInternationalWhalingCommissionabouttheSouthKoreanrequest.CommissionspokesmanSimonBrockingtontoldVOAbye-mailthatsincetheJulymeeting, “therehasbeennofurthercommunicationfromtheGovernmentoftheRepublicofKoreatotheIWConthisissue.”Thenextmeetingofthecommission'sScientificCommitteeissetfornextyear.Mr.BrockingtonsaidtheIWC'srulesrequire "governmentstoprovidetheCommission'sscientificcommitteewithcopiesoftheproposedpermitsintimeforthemtobereviewed. ”Headdedthat“atthecurrenttime,nosuchcopieshavebeenreceived.”Fourmonthsago,theSouthKoreangovernmentreportedtothecountry'slawmakersabouttheplantore-startwhaling.AForeignMinistryofficialsaystheplanisstillunderconsideration.ShesaysthegovernmentwilllistentotheopinionsofconcernedorganizationsandmembersoftheInternationalWhalingCommission.Earlierinthisreport,weheardfromHanJeong-heeofGreenpeace.Shesayspro-whalingforcesappeartobeincontroloftheSouthKoreangovernment.“Suddenlytheyjustreportedthisaboutthetaskforceandgoingbacktothescientificwhalingdecision.Thisisverydisappointing.Wehopethegovernmentchangetheirmindagainandgofornon-lethalresearch.”LeeHae-chanistheheadofSouthKorea'smainopposition.Hesayssomepeopleincoastalcommunitiessupporttheideaofresearchwhalingbecauseitwillhelpthelocaleconomy.Mr.Leeadmitsthathiscountrynolongerfacespovertyanddoesnotneedwhalemeatforprotein.Buthesaysifthereisatrueneedforscientificresearch,limitedwhalingmightbeacceptable.LeeMan-wooisvicerepresentativeoftheWhaleCulturePreservationAssociationinUlsan.HeandotherssaywhalinghasbeenapartofKoreancultureforthousandsofyears.Healsosaysmeatfromhuntedwhalesshouldnotbewasted.Hisgroupsaysitshouldbesoldatareasonablepricetoforeigntouristsandtothosewholiketoeatwhalemeat.Recently,asmallservingofmeatsoldinUlsanforupto$50.BothSouthKoreaandJapansaytherearesomanywhalesintheirwatersthattheselargestofallmammalsareeatingtoomuchfish.Japanhasbeenwidelycriticizedforitsresearchprogram.ThousandsofwhaleshavebeenkilledinthenorthernPacificandnearAntarcticwaterssincethe1980s.AnaquariumintheAmericanstateofGeorgiawantstoimporteighteenbelugawhalesfromRussia.TheUnitedStatescurrentlyhas31belugawhales.Theyarelivinginsixaquariumsandmarineparks.FourofthemareattheGeorgiaAquariuminAtlanta.TheGeorgiaAquariumhasaskedtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationforpermissiontoimportthebelugawhales.Ifapproved,aquariumofficialswouldsendsomeoftheanimalstotheotherfacilities.TheGeorgiaAquariumsaysithopestousethebelugawhalesinresearch,educationandbreedingprograms.TheycurrentlyarebeingheldataRussianresearchcenter.Yetmanypeopleopposetheplan.Theysayitiswrongtokeepanywildanimalcaptive.InOctober,theNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationheldahearingontheproposal.Morethan130peopleattendedthemeeting.NOAAsaysitreceivedabouteightthousandninehundredwrittencommentsabouttheGeorgiaAquarium'splan.Becauseofthegreatinterestinthesubject,theagencygave60daysforpubliccomments.Usually,peoplearegiven30days.NOAAofficialsarestudyinghowthebelugawhalesmightbeaffectedbybeingbroughttotheUnitedStates.TheyalsowanttoknowwhethertheGeorgiaAquariumanditspartnerscanproperlycareforthewhalesandhowtheymightbeusedineducationalactivities.ThefederalMarineMammalProtectionActsetsruleswhichNOAAmustconsiderwhendecidingwhethertheseanimalsmaybeimported.NOAAofficialstoldVOAtheyplantomakeadecisionontherequestbyearlynextyear.Recently,belugawhaleswereinthenewsforanotherreason.ThejournalCurrentBiologyreportedthatoneofthewhalesmadehuman-likesounds.Researchershadbeencaringforthewhaleforyearsbeforeitdiedin1999.Overmanyhours,theyrecordedwhattheysayisthewhalerepeatinghumanspeechithadjustheard.Ther