Orcas
These stylish black and white mammals are probably the most easily identifiable whales in the sea. Also called "Killer whales" because of their aggressive predatory style, orcas prey on seals, sharks and even other whales. Orcas often travel, live and hunt in groups called "pods," which are somewhat similar to a pack of wolves. Killer whales can be found in every ocean around the world and have no natural predator except humans.
Whale-watching locations
Here are some of the best places to catch sight of these giant mammals.
Canada
Some of the world's best whale-watching can be done in British Columbia. Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, Canada. Orcas, gray whales, blue whales, sperm whales and others can all be spotted from May through October.
Hawaii
Another great location is Hawaii, where more than 6,000 humpback whales migrate to the islands' warm waters to mate and give birth. Whale-watching season runs from November through early May.
Alaska
With a season that begins in April and almost never ends, you'll spot orcas, minke and gray whales.
Other places like Mexico, Iceland, Britain, Norway and the Arctic will also afford you once-in-a-lifetime views of these astonishing creatures of the sea.
Info Cloud
Since our lesson today is about whales, why don't we take a look at some idioms that use the word whale.
Good idea Ken. Here is an example. You know, "I had a whale of time at Scarlett's birthday party yesterday."
So you had an exciting and fun time at the party. To have a whale of a time means "having a really good time".
Well Steve, "I think you did a whale of a job playing the guitar at the rally last week."
Thanks, Ken. I'm glad you liked it. Friends, a whale of a job means "a very good job".
Okay, we know the whale is a very large animal. So the word whale can also be used to refer to something very big.
That's another meaning of whales. Something huge, we might talk about "a whale of a problem" or "a whale of a difference".
You know, "There is a whale of a difference between learning English from Studio Classroom and learning English from a cheap cram school."
Well, that's pretty obvious. If you learn English from the wrong person, you might have "a whale of a problem".
One final idiom, "like a beached whale".
Oh, I wish I'd never seen a beached whale as that animal is in a pretty bad situation.
Once the whale is on a beach, it cannot move and get back into the ocean easily.
As if you are completely stuck somewhere and can't get away, you are stranded "like a beached whale".
Not a good situation to be in.
beached (beach v.)
- a beached whale
一隻在沙灘上擱淺的鯨魚
- I feel like a beached whale.
我在一個進退不得的困境
whale 巨大
- There's a big differnece.
= There's a whale of a difference.
a whale of a something:
- You did a whale of a job. 你表現的非常棒
- I had a whale of a time. 我玩得超開心
stranded adj.
a person or vehicle that is stranded is unable to move from the place where they are [= stuck]
Language Lab
predatory adj. -hunt fro prey. 以捕食其他動物為生的, 食肉的
/ˈprɛdəˌtori/
living by killing and eating other animals
- Many predatory mammals have sharp teeth and strong jaws.
許多肉食性哺乳動物都有尖牙和強壯的下顎
predator 食肉動物; 掠奪者
/ˈprɛdətɚ/
an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals : an animal that preys on other animals
- Antelopes run extremely fast so they can escape from their predators.
羚羊跑得這麼快, 才可以逃離掠奪者的捕捉
wolf n. 狼 plural wolves
a wild animal that looks like a large dog and lives and hunts in groups
- You can hear wolves crying during the night.
夜晚的時候, 你可以聽到狼的叫聲
wolf v. 狼吞虎咽
to eat something very quickly, swallowing it in big pieces
- My son's soccer-team friends wolfed down eight large pizzas after the game.
球賽之後, 我兒子足球隊的朋友狼吞虎咽吞了八個大pizza
migrate v. 遷移; 移居 [migra字根 -漂泊之意]
/ˈmaɪˌgreɪt/
if birds or animals migrate, they travel regularly from one part of the world to another;
if people migrate, they go to live in another area or country, especially in order to find work
- Canadian Geese migrate between Canada and United States.
加拿大雁在美國和加拿大之間按季節遷徙
migration n. 遷移; (候鳥等的)遷徙
- The massive migration of farmers to cities has caused a lot of social problems.
農夫大量遷徙到都巿中, 造成許多社會問題
astonishing adj. 令人驚訝的; 驚人的
/əˈstɑ:nɪʃɪŋ/
so surprising that it is difficult to believe
- The circus performance is astonishing. ( astonishing performance)
馬戲團的表演令人目瞪口呆
astonish v.使人驚訝的
/əˈstɑ:nɪʃ/
to cause a feeling of great wonder or surprise in (someone)
- The couple's sudden breakup astonished many of their friends.
這對情侶突然分手讓他們的朋友都很驚訝
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