Giant Birds
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
How Big Is It?
这么大?
Table of Contents Meet the Condor.
目录 见鹰.
4 Life on Wind and Rock.
4"活在风和岩石上".
5 Check Out the Condor.
页:1 检查 出神鹰.
10 A One-Egg Nest.
10个一蛋巢.
12 Condors in Trouble.
12只鹰在麻烦中。
13 A Truly Giant Bird.
13 一个真正的巨鸟。
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
16 Meet the Condor Weighing over 30 pounds (13.
16 见"孔多维"号重30多斤(13.
5 kg), an enormous bird lifts off high in the majestic Andes Mountains of South America.
5公斤),一巨型鸟类在南美洲的巨型安第斯山脉上高起.
Its powerful wings, measuring an amazing 10.
它强大的翅膀,测量出惊人的10个.
5 feet (3.
5英尺(3个).
2 m) across, propel the bird to a dizzying height of 15,000 feet (4,600 m).
2米)横穿,将鸟儿推进到15,000英尺(4,600米)的晕倒高度.
This is the largest flying bird in the world—the giant Andean condor.
这是世界上最大的飞鸟——巨大的安第斯神鹰.
As it glides along, it uses its impressive wingspan and extra-keen eyesight to search for food far below.
当它滑翔时,它利用它令人印象深刻的翅膀和外凸的视力来寻找远在下方的食物.
Life on Wind and Rock Andean condors live in the western parts of South America, and California condors live in the American Southwest.
风地和岩地安第斯神鹰上的生活生活在南美洲西部,而加利福尼亚神鹰则生活在美国西南部.
All condors need a wide-open habitat so that when they spot food, they have enough space to fly down with their huge wings and land.
所有神鹰都需要一个宽敞的栖息地,这样当它们发现食物时,它们有足够的空间以巨大的翅膀和地来向下飞行.
Condors also need sufficient wind currents to enable them to climb high and fly long distances.
秃鹰还需要足够的风流来使其能攀登高地并长途飞行.
These birds can fly as far as 150 miles (240 km) in one day to find food and may reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kmph).
这些鸟可以在一天内飞到150英里(240公里)以寻找食物,并可能达到高达每小时50英里(80公里ph)的速度.
Some condors live near the sea, and perch high up on cliffs, which provide an excellent view of the shoreline.
一些神鹰住在海边,而高耸起的山崖上,这为海岸线提供了极佳的景观.
Most condors, however, live in dry places where they can soar above rocky canyons, deserts, and mountains.
然而,大多数神鹰生活在干燥的地方,可以高涨于岩石峡谷,沙漠和山地上.
Condors prefer to nest on elevated landforms.
秃鹰更喜欢在高地形上筑巢.
Lofty nests help keep condor eggs safe from potential predators on the ground.
洛夫蒂巢能保护秃鹰卵免受地上潜在的捕食者的威胁.
Condors don’t use twigs and feathers to make an inviting, cozy nest.
鹰不使用树枝和羽毛来做一个邀请,舒适的巢.
Instead, they nest directly on rocky cave floors or jagged outer ledges.
相反,它们直接在多岩石的洞穴地上筑巢,或者在外侧被堵住.
Some California condors nest in large holes near the top of the world’s tallest trees—the towering California redwoods.
一些加利福尼亚神鹰在靠近世界最高地的树顶的大洞中筑巢,
In 2006, California condors (left) were found nesting in the redwoods near Big Sur.
2006年,在大苏尔附近的红杉中发现了加利福尼亚神鹰(左).
Andean condors (right) are named for the Andes Mountains they inhabit.
安第斯神鹰(右)被命名为所居住的安第斯山脉.
A condor can devour up to 4 pounds (1.
秃鹰可吞噬4磅(1.
8 kg) of food in one day and then go for days without eating.
8公斤)的食物在一天之内,然后去几天而不吃.
Condors have a special diet that you wouldn’t find very tasty.
鹰有特别的饮食,
They only eat carrion—dead and decaying animals.
他们只吃腐烂而死的动物。
California condors eat small mammals such as rabbits and gophers.
加利福尼亚神鹰会吃兔子和地鼠等小型哺乳动物.
However, they prefer to eat larger mammals such as deer and cattle.
然而,他们更喜欢吃鹿和牛等较大的哺乳动物.
Condors feeding near the ocean clean the beaches of all kinds of seafood, from small fish to huge whales that have washed ashore.
在海洋附近觅食的秃鹰清理了 从小鱼到被冲上岸的巨型鲸鱼 各种海鲜的海滩
Decomposing animals can be filled with harmful bacteria that can cause disease.
腐殖质的动物可以被可引起疾病的有害细菌所填充.
Condors, though, have special digestive systems and are not in danger from bacteria.
不过,秃鹰有特殊的消化系统,没有受到细菌的威胁.
Condors play an important role in nature.
秃鹰在自然界中扮演了重要的角色.
They do an expert job of gobbling up rotting flesh and helping to keep ecosystems a little more germ-free.
他们做一个专家的工作, 挖出腐烂的肉 并帮助生态系统保持 有点没有细菌。
Condors do not have a good sense of smell, but their excellent eyesight is an important tool when hunting for food.
秃鹰没有很好的嗅觉,但是其出色的视力是猎取食物时的重要工具.
They can see their food from very high in the sky.
他们能从天上看到食物
Condors sometimes see other carrion-eating birds circling nearby—a sure sign that they’ve found food.
秃鹰有时会在附近看到其他吃肉的鸟,
This sight often leads to a condor’s next meal.
这往往导致神鹰的下顿饭。
The condor will simply swoop in and eat the food that other birds have found.
秃鹰会飞来吃其他鸟类发现的食物
Normally, condors share their food.
通常,神鹰分享食物。
This California condor is about to feast on what’s left of a humpback whale.
这个加州神鹰即将在座头鲸身上盛宴。
Andean condors feast on all kinds of animals, including llamas and alpacas.
安第斯神鹰会用各种动物进行盛宴,包括羊驼和羊驼.
Sharp, curved beaks help condors tear at flesh.
尖锐而弯曲的喙能帮助秃鹰撕裂肉体.
Check Out the Condor There are definite similarities between adult male and female California condors—both have black feathers and fluffy black “collars” or necks.
检查出神鹰 成年男女加利福尼亚神鹰之间肯定有相似之处——两者都有黑色羽毛和绒毛黑色的"领"或颈.
Andean males and females both have black feathers and white necks.
安第斯雄性和雌性都有黑色羽毛和白颈.
Andean males, however, have large, fleshy lumps on their heads called combs.
然而,安第斯雄性头部有被称作梳子的大而肉质的肿块.
California condors don’t have combs, so when deciding which species of bird you’re looking at, check for a comb.
加州神鹰没有梳子, 所以当决定你看到的鸟类种类时,
If it’s present, it’s a male Andean condor.
如果它存在,它是一个男性安第斯神鹰。
What Makes a Condor a Bird?
什么让一只鹰成为鸟?
All birds • have a backbone • have feathers • have wings • have a bill • lay eggs • are warm-blooded A condor’s wings can reach as wide as 10.
所有鸟类都有骨干 有羽毛 有翅膀 有帐单 产卵 温暖出血 秃鹰的翅膀能达到10个
5 feet (3.
5英尺(3个).
2 m).
2米长).
A condor has strong legs and wide talons.
秃鹰有很强的腿和宽的地铁.
A condor’s bill is strong and sharp.
一个神鹰的法案是有力而尖锐的。
A condor has feathers on its body but not on its head.
秃鹰身上有羽毛 但头部没有
When condors are excited or angry, their heads turn deep pink or orange.
当神鹰兴奋或愤怒时,它们的头会变成深粉色或橙色.
All condors have a bald head—a very useful adaptation.
所有的神鹰都有一个秃头——一个非常有用的适应.
Being feather-free from the neck up makes grooming simpler for condors, especially after they stick their heads in decaying animals to feed.
从脖子上取出羽毛 使得神鹰们更简单 特别是当它们把头插入腐烂的动物中喂食后
Condors have hardly any feathers for the messy stuff to stick to.
秃鹰几乎没有任何羽毛 来维持混乱的东西。
A One-Egg Nest A female condor produces just one egg every two years, so it’s crucial that the egg be protected.
一个鸡蛋巢 一只雌性秃鹰每两年只产出一只蛋,
The female and male each sit on the egg, which hatches in about fifty-six days.
雌雄各坐于卵上,卵在约56天后孵出.
As the chick matures, its feathers gradually turn from gray to black.
随着雏鸟的成熟,其羽毛从灰色逐渐向黑色转变.
The young bird starts to fly when it is around six months old.
幼鸟在6个月后开始飞行.
If they’re lucky, wild condors usually live about sixty years, and condors in zoos or refuges can live for more than seventy-five years.
野生神鹰通常活到六十多岁,
Most animals, including condors, live longer in captivity.
包括神鹰在内的大多数动物在被囚禁期间活得更长.
In these protected environments, condors are pretty pampered!
在这些被保护的环境中,神鹰是相当受宠若惊的!
In the wild, though, condors face many hazards.
不过在野外,秃鹰面临着许多危险.
Sadly, one of the most damaging influences on condors has been human beings.
可悲的是,对神鹰最有害的影响之一是人类。
rocks and tree branches.
石头和树枝。
They also bathe in water and then spend hours smoothing their feathers.
它们也会在水中洗澡,然后花上几个小时来平滑羽毛.
closest relatives of condors.
离神鹰最近的亲戚
An Andean condor chick waits for its parents to deliver food.
安第斯秃鹰小鸡等父母送来食物
Condors in Trouble Andean condors and California condors are endangered.
有麻烦的安第斯神鹰和加利福尼亚神鹰面临危险。
Their numbers are much lower today than they were two hundred years ago.
今天他们的人数比200年前要低得多。
The trouble began when people started moving into areas where condors lived.
麻烦始于人们开始迁入神鹰所居住的地区.
Many people in North and South America didn’t like the big birds, so they shot them.
北美和南美许多人不喜欢大鸟,
People also didn’t like coyotes and wolves, so they left poison out to kill them.
人们也不喜欢野狼和狼,
When the condors ate the dead animals, they died from the poison, too.
当神鹰吃死畜生后也从毒死.
Many condors died of lead poisoning, too.
许多秃鹰也死于铅中毒.
They would feast on animals people had shot and sometimes accidentally eat lead bullets.
他们吃人射杀的动物 有时会不小心吃铅弹
In more recent times, electrical power has also proved a danger to condors.
近代以来,电力也证明对神鹰是一种危险.
As sharp as condors’ eyesight is, they can’t always see power lines, so they fly into the wires and die.
他们不能总能看到电线,
In 1987, California condors were dangerously close to extinction—only about ten were alive in the wild.
1987年,加利福尼亚神鹰危险地濒临灭绝——只有约10只在野外活了下来.
Scientists captured the wild birds and brought them to refuges.
科学家捕取了野生鸟类并带去避难.
There, the scientists could protect them and help the birds raise their young.
在那里,科学家可以保护它们 并帮助鸟儿养活幼鸟
After five years of hard work and dedication, scientists began releasing California condors back into the wild.
经过5年的辛勤工作和奉献,科学家们开始释放出加利福尼亚神鹰回到了野外.
By May 2013, over 230 California condors were flying free again.
至2013年5月,超过230个加利福尼亚神鹰再次自由飞行.
Since 1973, similar efforts have been made in South America to save Andean condors.
自1973年以来,南美洲也作出了类似的努力来拯救安第斯神鹰.
Organizations there have set aside land for condors.
那里的组织为神鹰保留了土地。
Today, their numbers are rising, and it’s estimated that a few thousand birds live in the wild.
估计有数千只鸟生活在野外。
These condors have been rescued and released back into the wild.
这些神鹰被救出并放回了野外.
The numbered tags help researchers keep track of the birds.
编号标记帮助研究人员追踪鸟类.
A Truly Giant Bird Can you imagine what it would be like to see such a gigantic bird fly overhead?
一个真正的巨鸟 你能想象看到这样巨大的鸟在空中飞会是什么感觉吗?
It’s an amazing sight since a condor’s wingspan measures twice as wide as an eagle’s and five times as wide as a falcon’s!
一只鹰的翅膀比鹰宽一倍,
Many California condors live in protected reserves, which is one of the only places left where the huge birds fly.
许多加利福尼亚神鹰生活在被保护的保护区中,这是仅存的巨型鸟类会飞的地方之一.
Serious dangers remain for condors.
秃鹰仍然面临严重危险。
But if people continue to protect these giant, high-flying birds and their environments, they will keep us in awe for centuries to come.
但是,如果人们继续保护这些巨型高飞鸟及其环境,那么,他们就会让我们在未来几个世纪里感到敬畏.
Glossary adaptation (n.)
词汇调整(n.)
a change in an organism or species that allows it to survive better in its environment (p.
有机体或物种的变化,使其能够在环境中更好地生存(p.
11) captivity (n.)
11) 监禁(n.)
the state of being confined or without freedom (p.
被限制或没有自由的状况(p.
12) carrion (n.)
12)活体(n.
the decaying meat of a dead animal (p.
已死亡动物腐烂的肉类(p.
7) currents (n.)
7) 电流 (n.
air or waters that flow in a certain direction (p.
气或水向一特定方向流动(p.
5) decomposing (v.)
5) 分解(五.
decaying, rotting, or breaking down into small parts (p.
腐烂,腐烂,或分解为小部分(p.
7) ecosystems (n.)
(7) 生态系统(不详)
communities of living things together with their habitats (p.
生物群落及其栖息地(p.
7) propel (v.)
7)螺旋桨(五.
to push somebody or something forward (p.
推动某人或东西向前(p.
4) refuges (n.)
4) 难民(不详)
places of safety, comfort, or protection (p.
安全、舒适或保护场所(第2页)
12) wingspan (n.)
12) 翼展 (n.
the distance from tip to tip of a pair of wings (p.
从尖端到一对翅膀尖端的距离(p.
4) A rare California condor soars above a canyon in Utah.
4)犹他州一峡谷上方有罕见的加利福尼亚神鹰.