International Day of the Seal takes place on March 22. It is a day setaside to raise awareness1 about seal conservation around the world. It’salso a day for seal lovers to express love to this amazing sea mammal2.Seals are not only lovely and attractive3， but have big impacts in this world.They are also the most closely watched marine mammals on the planet.These creatures are in danger of soon becoming extinct4. Humans have beenhurting them， as people hunt them for feed， blubber5， or pelts6. As a result，this day is observed to make people know the importance of protecting them.

3月22日是國際海豹日。這一天是為了提高全世界對海豹保護的認識而設立的。這也是海豹愛好者向這種神奇的海洋哺乳動物表達喜愛的日子。海豹不僅可愛迷人，而且對這個世界有很大的影響。它們也是地球上最受關注的海洋哺乳動物。這些生物正面臨著很快滅絕的危險。人類一直在傷害它們，因為人們?yōu)榱耸澄铩⒑＋F脂或皮毛而獵捕它們。因此，慶祝這個節(jié)日是為了讓人類了解保護它們的重要性。

History of International Day of the Seal

國際海豹日的歷史

This international holiday was set up in 1982. Since then， the holiday has beenobserved yearly on March 22. The total number of seal species was alreadydeclining7 at the time. Seals were increasingly becoming victims8 of humans. To putan end to these， the day was proclaimed9 the “Day of the Seal”. The worldwideholiday was set up to raise people’s awareness about the plight10 of seals. The worldgovernments developed several projects to raise awareness about the importance ofprotecting seals.

這個國際節(jié)日設立于1982年。從那時起，每年的3月22日人們都會慶祝這個節(jié)日。當時海豹物種的總數已經在下降。海豹在不斷地成為人類的受害者。為了結束這些，這一天被宣布為“海豹日”。這個全球性節(jié)日的設立是為了提高人們對海豹困境的認識。世界各政府開發(fā)了一些項目來提高人們對保護海豹重要性的認識。

A seal is classified as a pinniped11. The walrus12 and sea lion are two otherpinnipeds. Seals are different from other pinnipeds in that they do not walk withtheir flippers13. They often move about on their bellies14 when on land. Their flippershelp them to move quickly in the water. Seals are also quieter and smaller than sealions and walruses.

海豹被歸類為鰭足亞目動物。海象和海獅是另外兩種鰭足亞目動物。海豹與其他鰭足動物的不同之處在于它們不會用鰭足行走，它們在陸地上經常用腹部移動。它們的鰭幫助它們在水中快速移動。海豹比海獅和海象更安靜，體型也更小。

Although seals live in the Arctic Circle and Antarctica， millions of peoplearound the world love them very much.

雖然海豹生活在北極圈和南極洲，但世界各地成千上萬的人都很喜愛它們。

How to Celebrate International Day of the Seal

如何慶祝國際海豹日

1. Attend a public awareness event.

During International Day of the Seal， many zoos host awareness events. You can attend an event to learn more about these wonderful animals. 1. 參加一個提高公眾意識的活動。

在國際海豹日期間，許多動物園都會舉辦宣傳活動。你可以參加一個活動以了解更多關于這種奇妙動物的知識。

2. Watch a documentary about seals.

There are many videos and reading resources available about seals and theirhabitat on the Internet. You can spend the day learning about how climate change affects15 these seals. 2. 觀看一部關于海豹的紀錄片。

網上有許多關于海豹和它們的棲息地的視頻和閱讀資源。你可以在這天了解氣候變化如何是影響這些海豹的。

3. Visit a seal exhibit zoo.

Seals are related to sea lions and walruses， which live in the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. However， you don’t have to travel to the poles to meet these animals. To celebrate the festival， you can visit a zoo and learn about them. 3. 參觀有海豹展覽的動物園。

海豹與生活在北極圈和南極洲的海獅和海象有親緣關系。然而，你不必到兩極去見這些動物。為了慶祝這個節(jié)日，你可以去參觀動物園并了解它們。

（英語原文選自：nationaltoday.com）