Learning English

Could the blue whales be back in numbers?

An unusually large number of blue whales have been spotted in the South Atlantic in recent weeks - more than have been seen in the period since commercial whaling finished. Neil and Catherine look at the vocabulary in the news around this story.

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The story

Scientists say they’ve seen a remarkable number of blue whales in recent weeks near the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. A survey counted 55 animals – a figure unprecedented in the decade since commercial whaling ended.

Key words and phrases

unprecedented
never having happened before

• Unprecedented bush fires hit Australia last year.
• Federer is hoping to win an unprecedented ninth Wimbledon.

bouncing back
becoming successful again after a bad experience

• Her hat trick shows she’s really bouncing back from her broken leg.
• The Amazon will never bounce back from deforestation.

soar
increase quickly

• Markets soar when there’s confidence in the economy.
• Ticket prices soared when the home team made the final.

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

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