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High-tech backpacks open world of whales to deaf students
阅读难度：★★★☆☆（学校生活）Words: about 305; Time: 5 minutes
语篇导读：在无声的世界里听到最纯净的声音，一定是非常美妙的事情。一群失聪的学生借助“神奇的背包”，终于感受到了鲸鱼动人的“吟唱”。
Every winter, tourists are taken on whale-watching trips to ride alongside whales in the Caribbean. Recently, one special group of people tracked whales for their mysterious songs.
Dozens of deaf students wore high-tech backpacks that turn whale songs into vibrations (振动). They opened the world of whales to children who were surprised at feeling the sounds for the first time.
“When I first felt the vibration, I felt it in my heart,” said Nicole Duran, 15. She is a student at the St. Rose Institute for Deaf Assistance in Santo Domingo. It is in the Dominican Republic. “It reminded me of a heartbeat,” she said through a sign language interpreter (译员).
Nicole was among 47 students from Santo Domingo. The trip went to Samana province on the north coast, a three-hour bus ride.
In grades 7 through 12, the children used their hands to express the beats, pings and gentle vibrations they felt on their skin. Stretching (伸展) their arms high and low to follow the different tones they sensed, the students opened and closed their hands rapidly to express the strong impacts.
Introducing deaf students to the whales and their music was the idea of Dominican artist and musician Maria Batlle, 34. In 2013, she founded the Muse Seek Project. The project's goals include using music as an educational tool for deaf children.
Batlle said she learned in 2014 of the Subpac technology, developed for music producers by a Los Angeles company. A year later, the devices (装置) were combined with a music program Batlle launched for the 500-student National School for the Deaf. It is in Santo Domingo.
Every year, thousands of whales travel to the Dominican Republic, making it a natural learning opportunity for students, Batlle said.
“They learn about whale behavior and the environment. They learn why whale watching is important and why whale hunting should stop.”
From: www.tweentribune.com
---选自英语周报2017-2018上学年《高一人教课标综合》第04期
Help:
launch v. 使（某人或某事物）行动; 使开始:
The company is launching a new model next month.
【思考】 科学技术还在哪些方面给予了残疾人士帮助？人类应如何利用科学技术保护环境？
语音要点：
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