Polar Bear

美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习

Word Wise Introduction Venture into the vast snow-covered winter tundra of the northern Arctic and you will be surprised by the apparent absence of life.

Word Wise Introduction Inventure into the small snow-covered winter tundra of the North Arctics 北极地区大面积被雪覆盖的冬季苔原,你会对生命的明显缺失感到惊讶。

This region is a harsh,unfriendly place for most living things.

对于大多数活物来说,这一地区是一个严酷而不友好的地方。

But one living thing has managed to thrive in the tundra—that is, until now Tundra: Winter Versus Summer During much of the year,the temperature in the tundra is extremely low—well below freezing.

但有一个活生生的东西在苔原上蓬勃发展——即直到现在的苔原: 冬至夏至 在这一年的大部分时间里,苔原的温度极低——远低于冰冻.

Winter lasts for more than six months,and for several weeks during that time the sun never rises above the horizon.

冬季持续了6个多月,在此期间持续了数周,太阳从未升起于地平线上.

The soil just below the surface remains permanently frozen throughout the year.

地表下方的土壤全年保持永久冻结.

And to make conditions even harsher,there are no barriers like trees or hills to slow down the cold winds that sweep across this ice and snow- Word Wise covered land Summer in the tundra.

为了让条件更加严酷, 没有任何障碍,如树木或山丘 来减缓寒风 横扫冰雪... 单词 智慧覆盖了苔原上夏日的土地.

is quite a contrast from.

与此形成鲜明对比。

winter.

冬来.

The sun does not set.

太阳不落地.

for several weeks on end.

几周后结束。

Often.

经常

it just peeks over the horizon,appearing to move as Earth rotates.

它只是从地平线上窥视 似乎在地球旋转时移动

During this season,the average temperature remains above freezing.

在这个季节里,平均温度仍然高于冻结.

The snow has a chance to melt,and lowgrowing plants such as mosses,lichens, grasses,and small shrubs grow.

雪有融化的机会,而低生长的植物如苔藓,利生花,草,而小灌木生长.

Millions of insects hatch and fill the air,ground,and pools of water.

数百万的昆虫孵出并填充了空气,地上和水池.

The abundance of insects attracts.

繁多的昆虫吸引着它们.

huge numbers of birds that migrate to the tundra and make it their summer home.

大量鸟类迁徙到苔原 并使之成为夏天的家园

Even mammals that migrated south to escape the harsh winter return to the tundra to feed each summer Yet despite the region’s harsh conditions, one inhabitant lives there year round—one of Earth’s most magnificent creatures,the.

即使是为躲避严冬而向南迁徙的哺乳动物 每年夏天都回到苔原觅食 然而,尽管该地区条件恶劣,但一名居民却年复一年地生活在那里,这是地球上最伟大的生物之一。

polar bear This creature of the North is well suited.

北极熊 北极熊 这个北方的生物很适合

to the inhospitable conditions of the tundra, but in recent years the polar bears living along the northern edge of the tundra have been struggling to survive.

但近年来生活在苔原北部边缘的北极熊 一直挣扎着生存

The tundra’s harsh conditions are not the Do You Know?

冻原的严酷条件并非你所知道的?

reason—it is the Earth and its rapid alterations Built to Survive Polar bears are adapted to survive the severe conditions of the Arctic.

原因——是地球,它快速的改变 建造到生存的极地熊 适应在北极的恶劣条件下生存

They appear to be all white,but each strand of hair is actually transparent.

它们看起来都是白色的, 但每一根头发实际上是透明的。

It has been commonly believed that this clear fur carries sunlight to the bears’ black skin,where it is absorbed and changed.

人们通常认为,这种清晰的毛皮会把阳光带到熊的黑皮上,而熊被吸收和改变。

to heat.

用来加热。

However,studies on polar bear fur have proven that it does not transmit sunlight to a bear’s skin.

然而,对北极熊皮毛的研究证明,它不会将阳光传递给熊的皮肤.

Since the sun is either low on the horizon or not even above the horizon during the coldest Arctic months,it wouldn’t make much difference if the fur was able to transmit sunlight to the bear’s skin.

在北极最寒冷的几个月里, 太阳要么低地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平地平,

Do You Know?

你知道吗?

Polar bear fur is waterproof,so the icy waters in which they swim don’t make them cold.

极地熊皮防水,

Their white fur also helps them to blend in with the snow,making it easier for them to stalk their prey Polar bears’ main food source is seals,but they also eat walruses,smaller whales,and some land animals.

它们的白毛也帮助它们融入雪中, 这使得它们更容易跟踪猎物极地熊的主要食物来源是海豹,

They do most of their seal hunting during the winter months when ice forms over the Arctic Ocean.

它们大部分捕食海豹 在冬天的几个月里 冰层在北冰洋上空形成

By blending into the snowy landscape,a polar bear poised to pounce may not be spotted by a seal.

通过混入多雪的地平地 可能不会被海豹发现

Polar bears will wait patiently for hours near a hole in the ice where seals come up for air Adult polar bears need to eat a great deal of food to survive.

北极熊会耐心地等待数小时 靠近冰上的一个洞 在那里海豹出现 空气 成年北极熊需要吃大量食物生存

They store fat to get them through the seasons in which they are not hunting.

他们储存了脂肪 让他们度过他们不狩猎的季节

They have large stomachs and will eat nearly 45 kilograms (100 lbs) in a single meal.

它们的胃很大,每餐食用近45公斤(100磅).

That would be like eating 400 quarterpound hamburgers at one time!

这就像一次吃400磅汉堡一样!

Two layers of fur and a thick layer of body fat insulate polar bears from extremely cold temperatures.

两层皮毛和一层厚厚的体脂肪将北极熊隔绝出极冷的温度.

They even have fur on the bottoms of their large paws Polar bears are excellent swimmers.

他们的大爪子底有皮毛 北极熊是优秀的游泳者。

They have been spotted hunting seals up to 80 kilometers (50 mi) out to sea.

他们被发现在出海80公里(50米)以内捕猎海豹。

They swim with their heads above water by dog-paddling at over 9 kilometers (6 mi) per hour.

它们头部以每小时9公里(6米)的速度从水上游出。

Bears use their huge paws like large paddles to move through the water.

熊会用自己巨大的爪子如大桨来从水中移动.

A thick layer of blubber helps them remain afloat 4 – Math Minute Shrinking Ice The polar bear has only one enemy— humans.

厚厚的脂肪有助于他们活活 4 — 数学分钟刮出冰块 北极熊只有一个敌人——人类.

Currently,it is not so much humans hunting the polar bear that poses the greatest threat to its survival.

目前,猎取北极熊的人类并不多,对北极熊的生存构成最大的威胁。

Instead,it may be what humans are doing to the environment that poses the greatest threat Many scientists believe that Earth is getting warmer and warmer.

相反,可能是人类对环境的所做所为 构成了最大的威胁 许多科学家认为地球越来越温暖

This warming of Earth.

地球变暖

is known as global warming.

被称为全球变暖。

Scientists believe global warming is caused by pollutants that are being released into the atmosphere.

科学家认为全球变暖是由排放到大气中的污染物所引起.

More pollutants are released each year as Earth’s growing population burns more and more gasoline,oil,and coal Global warming is particularly troubling.

每年释放出更多的污染物,因为越来越多的地球人口燃烧了越来越多的汽油、石油和煤炭,全球变暖尤其令人不安。

in regions where a great deal of ice exists.

在存在大量冰块的地区

The warmer temperatures of the air and the.

气和之更温.

sea cause the polar ice to melt.

海会让极地冰融化

You might be thinking,so what?

你可能在想,那又怎样?

Why is it such a big deal that some ice is melting?

为何冰层在融化?

It may not seem like a huge problem to you, but it is to the polar bear.

这对你来说可能不是一个大问题 但对于北极熊来说

Polar bears depend on the sea remaining frozen for most months.

极地熊靠海洋维持了几个月的冰冻状态

of the year.

(单位:千美元)

When the sea freezes over,polar bears walk onto the ice and search for air holes where seals are likely to surface for a fresh supply of oxygen.

当海洋被冰冻后,极地熊会走入冰上,寻找海豹可能露出海口的空气孔来取出新鲜的氧气供应.

The longer the sea is frozen, the longer polar bears can hunt.

海被冰冻的时间越长,北极熊可以打猎的时间就越长.

And the more they eat,the more food they store as fat.

他们吃得越多,他们储存的食物就越是脂肪.

for the short summer season when they fast Scientists who track the effects of global warming have calculated that the ice pack is melting at a rate that is 1 5 to 2 weeks faster than 20 years ago.

在短短的夏季,当他们快速的科学家 跟踪全球变暖的影响 计算出冰群正在融化 速度比20年前快15到2周。

Some scientists estimate.

一些科学家估计.

that the ice pack is 14 percent smaller than it was 20 years ago.

冰块比20年前小14%

They also estimate that each.

他们也估计每个。

week that the polar bear loses in its hunting season results in a loss of 10 kilograms (22 lbs) of body fat for the summer Do You Know?

北极熊在狩猎季节损失了10公斤(22磅) 夏季的脂肪

Due to their lower body weight,female polar bears are giving birth to fewer cubs.

由于体重较低,雌性北极熊所生的幼崽数量较少.

This is a grave problem for the survival of.

这对生存是一个严重问题。

an animal that has an average of only two cubs every 28 months Polar bears in search of food are also venturing into areas inhabited by humans during the summer.

每28个月平均只有两只幼崽的动物 寻找食物的极地熊也在冒险进入夏季人类所居住的地区.

In some places,these bears are captured and put into bear compounds until the winter ice returns.

在有些地方,这些熊被捕获并被放入熊的化合物中,直到冬季冰雪返回.

They are then released so they can hunt.

然后释放他们,让他们可以打猎。

and restore their body fat Other Problems Global warming isn’t the only bad effect.

全球暖化并非唯一的不良后果。

of human activity on polar bears.

人类在北极熊身上的活动

Many pollutants reaching the air and water are toxic.

许多污染物到达了空气和水中是有毒的。

These pollutants often end up in the blubber of seals.

这些污染物往往会最终被放入海豹的脂肪中.

When bears eat these seals, they ingest the toxins How Pollution Reaches Polar Bears Think About It Another threat to polar bears comes from the desire of humans to use more and more fuel.

当熊食用这些海豹时,它们摄取了毒素 污染如何到达极地熊的脑海中 北极熊又受到另一个威胁 来自于人类对使用越来越多的燃料的渴望

To meet this human need,oil and gas companies are planning to drill in Arctic regions where polar bears live.

为了满足人类的这一需要,石油和天然气公司正计划在北极熊居住的地区进行钻探。

Much of this drilling would occur where female polar bears build dens in which they give birth to their cubs.

大部分钻探都发生在雌性北极熊建立穴穴时,它们会生出幼崽.

This exploration and drilling could have serious consequences for the polar bears’ ability to survive Conclusion There is no question that the world’s polar bear population is shrinking.

这种探索和钻探可能会对北极熊的生存能力造成严重后果 毫无疑问,世界上的北极熊人口正在减少。

In the Western Hudson Bay region of Northern Canada alone, the population has dropped from over 1,200.

仅在加拿大北部的西哈德逊湾地区,人口就从1200多人下降.

in 1995 to fewer than 900 bears in 2010 Polar Bear Facts Many people and organizations like Polar Bears International and the World Wildlife Fund are concerned about the plight of the polar bear.

许多人和组织如极地熊国际和世界野生动物基金,

They are taking steps to protect these magnificent creatures.

他们正在采取措施保护这些伟大的生物。

For more information,visit their websites:

欲了解更多信息,请访问网站: