Question 19 is based on the passage you have just heard.

听力原文

    (19) [An endangered species of whale is experiencing a small baby boom off the coast of America.] The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest species of whale on the planet, numbering only about 411. But the Center for Coastal Studies said Friday that its aerial survey team spotted a mum with two babies in Cape Cod Bay a day earlier. That brings the number seen in nearby waters alone this year to three. That’s big news because the whale population has been falling, and no baby whales were seen last year. In all, seven baby whales have been spotted so far this year. (20) [The whale population has become endangered due to commercial whaling activities in recent years.] This is because they are sometimes hunted for their meat or their skin. Over-hunting could lead to the disappearance of the whale population, possibly causing major problems to the global food chain. (21) [The whales give birth off the southeast coast of America in the winter and travel to feeding grounds off the northeast coast in the early spring.] The northeast coast is a critically important source of food. The animals often feed close to shore. This provides watchers on land with “unbeatable views of one of the rarest of marine mammals.” It’s illegal to get within 1,500 feet of the animals without a federal research permit, so whale watchers are discouraged from attempting to get close to the whales.

19. What do we learn from the passage about the North Atlantic right whale?（关于北大西洋露脊鲸，我们可以从文章中了解到什么？）

解析：D。此题为录音开头出题，考察句意理解。录音开头提到，一种濒临灭绝的鲸鱼（北大西洋露脊鲸）正在美国海岸附近经历一次小规模的生育潮。因此D项符合题意，Its population is now showing signs of increase是对录音中experiencing a small baby boom的同义替换，为正确答案。

错项排除：A项利用录音中的give birth和babies作干扰，但录音中只说到了露脊鲸的分娩地，没有提到露脊鲸一次性可产几头幼鲸，A项属于主观臆断，排除。录音中只提到露脊鲸是地球上最稀有的物种之一（one of the rarest species of whale），未提及它是最缺乏保护的哺乳类动物，排除B项。录音中未提及露脊鲸的繁衍地是否得到了更好的保护，排除C项。