6. Elephants大象

New Words新單詞

Africa (n.)

讀音：['æfrɪkə]

釋義：非洲（名詞）

meter (metre in British English) (n.)

讀音：[ˈmi:tə(r)]

釋義：米，公尺（英式英語中為metre）（名詞）

adult (n.)

讀音：[ˈædʌlt]

釋義：成年的人或動物（名詞）

tall/ taller (adj.)

讀音：[tɔ:l] / [ˈtɔ:lə]

釋義：高的/更高的（形容詞）

forty (num.)

讀音：[ˈfɔ:ti]

釋義：四十（數字）

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Elephants are the biggest animals that can walk. They are bigger and stronger than all the other walking animals. In Asia, adult male elephants can grow to be about three meters tall. In Africa, adult male elephants are even taller. Those elephants can be nearly four meters tall! Because elephants are so big, most other animals cannot hurt them.

大象是會行走的最大型的動物。它們比其他會行走的動物更高大、更強壯。在亞洲，成年雄性大象可以長到大約三米高。在非洲，成年雄性大象甚至長得更高。那些大象能有近四米高！因為大象如此高大，大部分其他動物都傷害不了它們。

Most other animals are not dangerous for elephants, but people are. In Africa and Asia, people hunt and kill many elephants every year. That is not good because now there are not many elephants living in the wild. If we do not protect elephants in the wild, soon there will only be elephants living in zoos.

對大象來說，大部分其他動物不危險，但是人類很危險。在非洲和亞洲，人們每年捕殺很多大象。那可不好，因為現在生活在野外的大象不多了。如果我們不保護野生大象，很快就只剩下生活在動物園裡的大象了。

Elephants are quiet animals and are not usually dangerous. Female elephants like to live together with other adult females. Usually, twenty, thirty, or even forty females will live together. The females are good mothers and protect the young elephants. The adult male elephants do not usually live with the females.

大象是安靜的動物，而且通常不危險。雌性大象喜歡和其他成年雌象生活在一起。通常情況下，二十、三十或甚至四十頭雌象會生活在一起。雌象是好母親，它們保護小象。成年雄象往往不和雌象生活在一起。

In the middle of the day, it is very hot in the parts of Africa and Asia where elephants live. At this time, the elephants do not walk around or look for food. They sleep or wait until it is not so hot before looking for food.

中午時分，大象生活的非洲和亞洲地區非常炎熱。這時候，大象不會四處走動或者尋找食物。它們睡覺或者等到天氣不熱了才去尋找食物。

Then, the young elephants walk after their mothers and the other adult females. Elephants do not hunt, kill or eat other animals. They eat grass, fruit and parts of trees.

這時候小象走在母象和其他成年雌象的後面。大象不會獵殺或者吞食其他的動物。它們吃草、水果和樹木枝幹。

At first, young elephants are about one meter tall. Like people, they drink their mothers’ milk until they are old enough to eat other food. Female elephants do not have many young. They only have young about every four or five years.

起初，小象大約有一米高。像人類一樣，它們喝母象的乳汁，直到它們長大能吃其他食物。雌象不能繁衍很多小象。它們每隔大約四五年才產下小象。

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Lee and Pat are talkingabout elephants.

李和佩特正在談論大象。

Lee

I’d really like to go to Africa and see elephants in the wild.

Pat

Elephants don’t only live in Africa. They live in Asia, too.

Lee

I know. But the elephants in Africa are bigger. They can be nearly four meters tall.

Pat

That’s really big, isn’t it? People only grow to be about two meters tall.

Lee

When I’m an adult, I will be nearly two meters tall, but you won’t. An adult man is always taller than an adult woman.

Pat

Not always. What about Tom’s mother? She’s taller than Tom’s father.

Lee

Oh… Yes she is, isn’t she? Tom’s mother is very tall.

Pat

Yes. And she’s very nice, too. She’s much nicer than Tom.

Lee

You don’t like Tom very much, do you?

Pat

No, I don’t. I don’t like many of your friends. They are not very clever, and they are always bad or naughty in school.

Lee

No, they aren’t!

Pat

Yes, they are!

Lee

No, they aren’t!

Pat

Yes, they are. They always make it difficult for the teacher to teach them. They don’t keep their eyes on the teacher and they are always talking in class.

Lee

No, they aren’t!

Pat

Yes, they are. Today, when we studied elephants, all your friends were talking and looking out of the windows.

Lee

No, they weren’t!

Pat

Yes, they were!

李

我真想去非洲看看野生大象。

佩特

大象不只是生活在非洲，它們也生活在亞洲。

李

我知道，但是非洲的大象更高大，它們能有近四米高。

佩特

那真的很高大，對吧？人只能長到大約兩米高。

李

等我成年了，我會有近兩米高，但你不會。成年男人總比成年女人長得高。

佩特

並不總是。湯姆的媽媽怎麼樣？她就比湯姆的爸爸更高。

李

噢……是的，不是嗎？湯姆的媽媽非常高。

佩特

是的。她也非常友好。她比湯姆友好多了。

李

你不太喜歡湯姆，是嗎？

佩特

是的，我不喜歡。我不喜歡你的許多朋友。他們不太聰明，他們在學校總是調皮不聽話。

李

不，他們不是！

佩特

是的，他們就是！

李

不，他們不是的！

佩特

是，他們就是。他們總讓老師很難教導他們。他們不聽老師的話，總在課堂上聊天。

李

不，他們不是！

佩特

是，他們就是。今天，在我們學習大象的時候，你所有的朋友都在聊天，還看著窗戶外面。

李

沒有，他們沒有！

佩特

有，他們有！

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Questions

1. How big are elephants in Asia?

2. What about elephants in Africa?

3. Why is it not good to hunt and kill elephants?

4. What do elephants eat?

5. What do elephants do when it is very hot?

6. Who is very tall?

7. Why doesn’t Pat like Lee’s friends?

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