* 用英语自身来理解和学习英语是最好的方式，这一系列的文章力求帮助大家在英语阅读能力上有所提升，并树立英语思维；* 推荐的阅读的方法是：先原文，适当看解析阅读，实在不行再看双语对照。* 解析中英语单词的音标使用Dictcom和IPA双音标标注，如果需要了解Dictcom音标，请参看我们的《dictionary.com所用的音标体系》一文。
注意这个说法：我国的一些生物学家认为,传说中的美人鱼可能就是一种名叫“儒艮”(俗称海牛)的海洋哺乳动物。
那么，继续往下看吧，下面说的就是有关这种美人鱼的事情。
【解析阅读】It's rare to see a threatened species of sea mammal in shallow waters in southern Thailand but thanks to travel restrictions that have stripped popular destinations of crowds of tourists, a large group of dugongs has made their presence known.—— rare 形容词 [rair][reə] adj. 罕见的；珍贵的；煎得嫩的—— threatened 原型：threaten 过去分词做形容词 ['thret-n]['θretn] v. 威胁；恐吓；似将发生—— species 名词 ['spee-sheez, -seez]['spiːʃiːz] n. 种类；（单复同）物种—— mammal 名词 ['mam-uh l]['mæml] n. 哺乳动物—— shallow 形容词 ['shal-oh]['ʃæləʊ] adj. 浅的；薄的 n. 浅滩；浅处 v. 变浅—— restrictions 原型：restriction 名词复数形式 [ri-'strik-shuhn][rɪ'strɪkʃn] n. 限制；约束—— stripped 原型：strip 动词过去分词 [strip][strɪp] v. 剥去；剥夺；脱衣；除去 n. 脱衣舞；长条；条状—— destinations 原型：destination 名词复数形式 [des-tuh-'ney-shuh n][ˌdestɪ'neɪʃn] n. 目的地；终点—— crowds 原型：crowd 名词复数形式 [kroud][kraʊd] n. 人群；群众；大群；朋友 v. 拥挤；挤满；涌入；贴近；逼迫—— tourists 原型：tourist 名词复数形式 ['too r-ist]['tʊərɪst] n. 旅游者；二等舱 adj. 观光的；乘坐二等舱的—— dugong 名词 ['doo-gong, -gawng]['duːɡɒŋ] n. [动]懦艮—— presence 名词 ['prez-uhns]['prezns] n. 出席；存在；到场；—— 存在度—— Thailand ['tahy-land, -luh nd]['taɪlænd] n. 泰国
Drone video footage released by the Department of National Parks shows a 30-strong herd of dugongs on Wednesday off Libong island in Trang province.—— Drone 原型：drone 形容词 [drohn][drəʊn] n. 雄蜂；游手好闲者；无人驾驶飞机 n. 嗡嗡声；单调的声音 vi. 嗡嗡叫；混日子 vt. 单调低沉地说—— footage 名词 ['foo t-ij]['fʊtɪdʒ] n. —— 以尺计算长度；尺数；连续镜头—— released 原型：release 动词过去式 [ri-'lees][rɪ'liːs] n. 释放；让渡；发行 vt. 释放；让与；准予发表；发射—— herd 名词 [hurd][hɜːd] n. 兽群；牧人；群 vt. 放牧；群集；使 ... 成群，把…赶到一起 vi. 聚在一起—— island 名词 ['ahy-luh nd]['aɪlənd] n. 岛；岛屿；岛状物—— province 名词 ['prov-ins]['prɒvɪns] n. 省—— Department of National Parks 国家公园管理部（局）—— Libong island 立邦岛—— Trang n. 董里(在泰国；东经 99º18' 北纬 7º30')
They were feeding on sea grass and occasionally surfaced to breathe.—— feeding 原型：feed 动词现在进行式或动名词 [feed][fiːd] vt. 喂养；饲养；靠 ... 为生；向 ... 提供 vi. 吃饲料；进餐 n. 一餐；饲料；饲养—— occasionally 副词 [uh-'key-zhuh-nl-ee][ə'keɪʒnəli] adv. 偶尔地—— surfaced 原型：surface 动词过去式 ['sur-fis]['sɜːfɪs] n. 表面；外表；平面 adj. 表面的；肤浅的 vt. 在 ... 上加表层；使 ... 成平面 vi. 浮到水面；显露；在表面工作—— breathe 动词原形 [breeth][briːð] vi. 呼吸 vt. 轻声说；流露（自信等感情）；注入
Naturalists report other marine animals are also taking advantage of the tourism slump that is leaving coastal regions tranquil and undisturbed.—— marine 形容词 [muh-'reen][mə'riːn] adj. 海的；海事的；海生的；航海的 n. 海运业；船舶；水兵—— advantage 名词 [ad-'van-tij, -'vahn-][əd'vɑːntɪdʒ] n. 优势；有利条件 vt. 有利于—— tourism 名词 ['too r-iz-uh m]['tʊərɪzəm] n. 旅游业；观光—— slump 名词 [sluhmp][slʌmp] v. 大幅度下跌；猛然瘫坐；使倒下 n. 暴跌；低潮状态；(土地)下沉—— coastal 形容词 ['kohs-tl]['kəʊstl] adj. 沿海的；海岸的；沿岸的—— regions 原型：region 名词复数形式 ['ree-juhn]['riːdʒən] n. 地区；范围；领域；地带；地域—— tranquil 形容词 ['trang-kwil]['træŋkwɪl] adj. 安静的；宁静的；稳定的；不变的—— undisturbed 形容词 [dih-'sturbd][ˌʌndɪ'stɜːbd] adj. 未受干扰的；安静的；镇定的
Human intrusion and marine pollution have made dugong sightings in southern Thailand rare in recent years.—— intrusion 名词 [in-'troo-zhuh n][ɪn'truːʒn] n. 闯入；侵扰—— pollution 名词 [puh-'loo-shuh n][pə'luːʃn] n. 污染；污染物—— sightings 原型：sighting 名词复数形式 [sahyt]['saɪtɪŋ] n. 看见 动词sight的现在分词形式.—— recent 形容词 ['ree-suhnt]['riːsnt] adj. 近来的；新近的
"It's quite unusual," marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat told The Associated Press on Thursday when asked about the dugongs.—— unusual 形容词 [uhn-'yoo-zhoo-uhl, -'yoozh-wuhl][ʌn'juːʒuəl] adj. 异常的；独特的；与众不同的—— Thon Thamrongnawasawat 人名—— The Associated Press 美联社（新闻机构）
"This species of mammal is very sensitive to speed boats and people.—— species 名词复数形式 ['spee-sheez, -seez]['spiːʃiːz] n. 种类；（单复同）物种—— sensitive 形容词 ['sen-si-tiv]['sensətɪv] adj. 灵敏的；敏感的；感光的；易受伤害的；善解人意的 n. 敏感的人
When they are gone, they feel free to gather in a large group and come close to shore."—— gather 动词原形 ['gath-er]['ɡæðə] v. 聚集；集合；收集；推测 n. 聚集；褶子—— shore 名词 [shawr, shohr][ʃɔː] n. 岸；滨
Dugongs - closely related to the manatee or sea cow - are officially classified as vulnerable.—— related to 与…有关；例句：Yes, the ads are related to what you are looking at, but that can make them more useful. 是的，显示的广告是和你正在看的内容相关，正是因为这样广告才更有用。—— closely 副词 [verb klohz; adjective, adverb klohs or for 51, klohz; noun klohz for 59, 60, 63–65, 67, 68, klohs for 61, 62, 66]['kləʊsli] adv. 紧密地；接近地；严密地；亲近地—— related 原型：relate 动词过去分词 [ri-'leyt][rɪ'leɪt] v. 叙述；使有联系；有关联；涉及；符合；发生共鸣—— manatee 名词 ['man-uh-tee, man-uh-'tee]['mænətiː] n. 海牛—— cow 名词 [kou][kaʊ] n. 母牛；雌象；雌鲸；雌犀牛—— officially 副词 [uh-'fish-uh l][ə'fɪʃəli] adv. 官方地；正式地；公务上；职务上—— classified 原型：classify 动词过去分词 ['klas-uh-fahy]['klæsɪfaɪ] vt. 分类；归类—— vulnerable 形容词 ['vuhl-ner-uh-buhl]['vʌlnərəbl] adj. 易受伤害的；有弱点的；脆弱的
They can grow up to 3.4 meters (11 feet) in length.—— up to ... 是多意短语，可能的意思主要有：“一直到”，“多达.../最多到”，“忙于…”，“正在做…”，“由…决定”等；当然如果前面是get等与up固定搭配的词，up是它的基本意思（向上的）；例句：She can count up to one hundred and backward. 她能数到一百然后再倒着数回来。Our history textbooks only go up to the World War Ⅱ. 我们的历史教科书仅写到第二次世界大战。The figures add up to 450. 这些数字加起来的总数是450。—— meters 原型：meter 名词复数形式 ['mee-ter]['miːtə] n. 公尺；米 n. 计量器；计时器 vt. (用仪表)测量—— feet 原型：foot 名词复数形式 [foo t][fʊt] n. 脚；英尺；最底部；音步 v. 表演舞步；步行—— length 名词 [lengkth, length, lenth][leŋθ] n. 长度；时间长短；距离；一段；距离的测量单位
Thailand's population is put at around 250.—— Thailand 原型：thailand 名词 ['tahy-land, -luh nd]['taɪlænd] n. 泰国—— population 名词 [pop-yuh-'ley-shuh n][ˌpɒpju'leɪʃn] n. 人口；(全体)居民；群体
Last year a record number of dead dugongs were found in Thai waters.—— record 名词 [verb ri-'kawrd; noun, adjective 'rek-erd]['rekɔːd] n. 这里是纪录的意思—— dead 形容词 [ded][ded] adj. 死的—— Thai [tahy][taɪ] n. 泰国人；泰国语 adj. 泰国（人）的
Their fate captured attention last June after images circulated of Thai veterinarians cuddling an ailing baby dugong and hand-feeding her with milk and sea grass.—— hand-feeding ['hand-'feed]['hændf'iːdɪŋ] 人工饲养； 人工加料。这是名词 动名词组成的复合形容词，复合形容词一般用作前置定语，修饰后面的名词性内容；例句：It was a heart-breaking presentation. 陈述令人心碎。—— fate 名词 [feyt][feɪt] n. 命运；宿命—— captured 原型：capture 动词过去分词 ['kap-cher]['kæptʃə] vt. 捕获；占领；夺取；吸引；(用照片等)留存 n. 捕获；战利品—— attention 名词 [noun uh-'ten-shuhn; interjection uh-ten-'shuhn][ə'tenʃn] n. 注意；注意力；照料；留心；关怀；(口令)立正—— images 原型：image 名词复数形式 ['im-ij]['ɪmɪdʒ] n. 印象；形象；影像；图像；肖像 vt. 反映；想像；描绘—— circulated 原型：circulate 动词过去式 ['sur-kyuh-leyt]['sɜːkjəleɪt] vi. 流通；循环；传播 vt. 使流通，使环流—— veterinarians 原型：veterinarian 名词复数形式 [vet-er-uh-'nair-ee-uh n, ve-truh-][ˌvetərɪ'neəriən] n. 兽医—— cuddling 动词现在进行式或动名词 ['kuhd-l]['kʌdl] vt. 怀抱；拥抱 vi. 拥抱；依偎 n. 搂抱；拥抱—— ailing 原型：ail 现在分词做形容词 [eyl][eɪl] v. 使 ... 苦恼；苦恼；生病 n. 小病
【双语对照】It's rare to see a threatened species of sea mammal in shallow waters in southern Thailand but thanks to travel restrictions that have stripped popular destinations of crowds of tourists, a large group of dugongs has made their presence known.—— 在泰国南部的浅水区很少能看到一种受到威胁的海洋哺乳动物，但由于旅游限制，许多游客的热门目的地被剥夺，一大群儒艮已经让人们知道了它们的存在。
Drone video footage released by the Department of National Parks shows a 30-strong herd of dugongs on Wednesday off Libong island in Trang province.—— 国家公园管理局公布的无人机视频画面显示，星期三，在董里府利邦岛附近有30多只儒艮。
They were feeding on sea grass and occasionally surfaced to breathe.—— 它们以海草为食，偶尔浮出水面呼吸。
Naturalists report other marine animals are also taking advantage of the tourism slump that is leaving coastal regions tranquil and undisturbed.—— 博物学家报告说，其他海洋动物也在利用旅游业的衰退，这使得沿海地区平静和不受干扰。
Human intrusion and marine pollution have made dugong sightings in southern Thailand rare in recent years.—— 近年来，人类入侵和海洋污染使得在泰国南部看到儒艮的情况非常罕见。
"It's quite unusual," marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat told The Associated Press on Thursday when asked about the dugongs.—— “这很不寻常，”海洋科学家Thon Thamrongnawasawat周四在被问及儒艮时对美联社说。
"This species of mammal is very sensitive to speed boats and people.—— “这种哺乳动物对快艇和人非常敏感。
When they are gone, they feel free to gather in a large group and come close to shore."—— 他们走了以后，可以自由地聚在一大群人中，向岸边靠近。”
Dugongs - closely related to the manatee or sea cow - are officially classified as vulnerable.—— 儒艮——与海牛或海牛关系密切——被官方列为易受攻击的物种。
They can grow up to 3.4 meters (11 feet) in length.—— 它们可以长到3.4米（11英尺）长。
Thailand's population is put at around 250.—— 泰国儒艮的数量约为250只。
Last year a record number of dead dugongs were found in Thai waters.—— 去年在泰国水域发现了创纪录数量的死亡儒艮。
Their fate captured attention last June after images circulated of Thai veterinarians cuddling an ailing baby dugong and hand-feeding her with milk and sea grass.—— 去年6月，泰国兽医抱着生病的儒艮宝宝，亲手喂她牛奶和海草的画面传开后，他们的命运引起了人们的关注。
,
