Giant Mammals
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents Big Bodies, Big Brains.
内容表 大体 大脑.
4 Home, Sweet Home.
4号家,甜蜜的家
5 The Incredible Elephant Trunk.
(原始内容存档于2017-05-26). The United Elephant Trunk.
6 Two of a Kind.
6 二个善良。
7 Life In—and Out—of the Herd.
7 生入出出牧群.
9 Dining Elephant-Style.
9 丁宁象-史记.
11 Humans: Friends or Foes?
11个人类:朋友还是福斯?
13 Living Large.
13 活大号。
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
16 How Big Are They?
16 他们有多大?
Human height: 6 feet (1.
人高:6英尺(1.
8 m) weight: 175 pounds (79.
8米)体重:175磅(79.
4 kg) African elephant shoulder height: 13 feet (4 m) weight: 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg) Big Bodies, Big Brains If you don’t think elephants are gigantic, think again.
4公斤) 非洲象肩高:13英尺(4米) 体重:14000磅(6,350公斤) 大身体,大脑 如果你不认为大象很大,
They are the most enormous land animals anywhere on Earth.
他们是地球上最大的陆地动物。
To find bigger animals, you would have to look in the depths of the ocean, where blue whales and a few other whales are larger.
要找到更大型的动物,你就必须看看海洋的深处, 那里有蓝鲸和其他几只鲸鱼。
On land, though, elephants reign supreme.
在陆地上,大象占据了最高地位。
Elephants have impressive intelligence as well.
大象也有惊人的智力
Scientists consider elephants to be among the brightest animals.
科学家认为大象属于最亮的动物.
This is evident in the way they cleverly create and use tools to scratch themselves, and collaborate to solve problems.
这表现在他们巧妙地创造和使用工具来抓自己,合作解决问题。
They also work together to protect their calves.
他们还一起保护幼崽。
They can remember locations of faraway places to find food and water.
他们可以记得远处的地方寻找食物和水.
Some experiments have even discovered that elephants can recognize their own reflections, which only the most advanced animals can do.
一些实验甚至发现大象能够识别出自己的反射,只有最先进的动物才能做到.
Where Elephants Live AFRICA Home, Sweet Home When it comes to their habitat, elephants are more flexible than many other animals.
大象生活在非洲 家,甜蜜的家,亲爱的家 当涉及到它们的栖息地时,大象比其他许多动物更灵活.
As long as these colossal, brainy beasts can find enough food and water, they can thrive in a variety of environments.
只要这些巨大而有智慧的野兽能够找到足够的食物和水,它们就能在各种环境中蓬勃发展.
In Africa, elephants live in hot, dry grasslands, rainforests, and even deserts.
在非洲,大象生活在炎热干燥的草地,雨林中,甚至沙漠中.
They can live at varying elevations, from sea level to high in the mountains.
它们可以在从海平面到高地的不同高地上生活。
In Asia, most elephants live in tropical forests—some that have lengthy rainy seasons called monsoons and others that have long periods of drought.
在亚洲,大多数大象生活在热带森林中,有些季节雨季长,称为季风;而另一些则长期干旱。
They also live in swamps and other habitats that provide the shade they need.
它们也生活在沼泽地和其他提供所需要遮荫的栖息地.
The Incredible Elephant Trunk With their hulking bodies, legs like massive columns, and thick, wrinkly gray or brown skin, elephants don’t resemble any other animals alive today.
不可思议的大象特龙克 大象像其他动物一样活生生的。
Most unusual of all are elephants’ long, flexible trunks, which function as their nose and upper lip combined.
最不寻常的是大象的长而灵活的树干,它们的作用是它们的鼻子和上唇结合.
Elephants use their massive trunks for multiple purposes.
大象用大树干做多种用途.
They breathe through them, use them to grasp food and other objects, and make blaring trumpetlike noises by blowing air through them.
它们通过它们呼吸,用它们来抓住食物和其他物体,通过吹出空气来发出类似叫声的叫声.
An African elephant can suck up 2 gallons (7.
非洲大象可以吸出2加仑(7.
5 L) of water with its trunk and swoosh the water into its mouth for a drink or spray it across its body for a cooling shower.
5L)的水与它的树干并冲入口中取出水来饮用,或将水洒入全身去取冷水.
Afterward, it can pick up dust and blast it over its wet skin for protection from pesky insects and the Sun.
之后,它可以取出尘埃并把它炸到湿皮肤上,以免受斑点昆虫和太阳的侵袭.
Trunks are also important for elephant communication.
特伦克对大象的交流也很重要.
Scientists study how elephants use infrasound—sound that is too low for humans to hear—to communicate.
科学家研究了大象如何使用次声——声音太低,人类听不到——沟通.
Friends and relatives entwine their trunks together to say hello, and young elephants use them to wrestle and play.
朋友和亲戚将他们的后车厢缠在一起打招呼,而年轻的大象则用来摔跤和打球.
A mother elephant is extremely affectionate with her youngster, and might stroke her calf with her trunk to comfort it—but she can also use her trunk to give the calf a slap if it’s misbehaving!
母象对幼崽极为亲切,
Two of a Kind Fossils found in rock sediments from millions of years ago can teach us a lot about life on Earth.
数百万年前在岩石沉积物中 发现的两个金德化石 可以告诉我们很多关于地球上的生命
According to the fossils of elephant remains, the two main species of elephants—African and Asian—both originated in Africa.
根据大象的化石遗存,大象的两个主要物种——非洲和亚洲——都起源于非洲。
After Asian elephants migrated out of Africa, they evolved to adapt to their new environment.
亚洲大象从非洲迁徙出后,它们进化以适应新的环境.
In a side-by-side comparison, it’s evident that African elephants are the larger of the two species.
非洲大象是这两个物种中最大的。
Some adult males measure 13 feet (4 m) tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg).
一些成年雄性在肩部高13英尺(4米),体重可达14000磅(6,350公斤).
Females are shorter and lighter, at around 9 feet (2.
雌性更短更轻,在9英尺左右(2.
7 m) tall and up to 10,000 pounds (4,540 kg).
高7米,可达一万斤(4,540公斤).
Asian elephants are enormous, but they are significantly smaller than their African relatives.
亚洲大象数量巨大,但比起非洲的亲属,它们明显地还小.
Male Asian elephants can grow up to 10 feet (3 m) tall and weigh 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg) and females can grow to a height of 8 feet (2.
雄性亚洲象可长至10英尺(3米)高并重1.1万磅(5000公斤),雌性可长至8英尺高(2米).
4 m).
页:1
An obvious clue to identifying an elephant is its ears.
识别一头大象的一个明显线索就是它的耳朵.
African elephants’ ears are much bigger than those of Asian elephants—often twice as large.
非洲大象的耳朵比亚洲大象的耳朵大得多,往往大一倍。
Scientists think this is because African elephants live in hotter climates and flap their ears to cool themselves.
科学家们认为这是因为非洲大象生活在更炎热的气候中,并拍起耳朵来冷却自己.
The blood vessels throughout the ears are close to the surface, so flapping them cools the blood and lowers body temperature.
整个耳朵的血管都接近地表,因此会扇出血冷却并降低体温.
African elephants have another identifying feature: two “fingers” at the tip of their trunk.
非洲大象具有另一个识别特征:两只“猎犬”位于其树干一端。
These sensitive extensions help the elephant grab large items as well as objects as small as a blade of grass.
这些敏感的扩展能帮助大象抓取大件物品,以及像草叶一样小的物体.
Asian elephants have only one finger at their trunk tip to use to manipulate objects.
亚洲大象只有一只手指指向树干尖来操纵物体.
Unlike African elephants, Asian elephants have big, round bumps on the tops of their heads that are often the tallest points on their bodies.
与非洲大象不同的是,亚洲大象的头顶有大而圆的起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起起伏起伏起伏起伏起伏起起伏起伏起伏起起伏起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起起
Their backs are flat or have a slight arch, while African elephant shoulders and hips are equally tall, often with a clear dip between them.
它们的背部平坦或有微小的拱门,而非洲象的肩和臀部也一样高,它们之间往往有明显的取水.
Elephants use their tusks for digging, fighting, and moving things.
大象用长相来挖掘,打斗和移动东西.
During times of drought, African elephants dig water holes in dry riverbeds.
在干旱时期,非洲大象在干燥的河床上挖出水孔.
Asian elephants can find water fairly easily year- round, so with less need to dig for water Asian elephant tusks are less important.
亚洲象可以很轻松地在一年中找到水, 所以不需要挖取水的亚洲象牙就不那么重要了。
Female Asian elephants have pint-sized tusks or none at all.
女性亚洲象有品脱大小的象牙,或根本没有.
African elephant skin is more wrinkled than Asian elephant skin.
非洲象皮比亚洲象皮更皱.
The wrinkles trap moisture and help cool them.
皱纹会捕捉出水分 帮助冷却它们
Life In—and Out—of the Herd Scientists have learned that female elephants are social animals that form close relationships with others of their herd.
雌性大象是社会动物,
In the wild, female elephants spend their entire lives in the company of related females and their young.
在野外,雌性大象的一生都与相关的雌性并肩而行.
Each herd is an extended family group led by a matriarch— usually the oldest female elephant with the most experience surviving in the wild.
每个牧群都是由母猪所领导的大家庭-通常是在野外生存经验最丰富的最古老雌象.
The entire herd might descend from the matriarch, including her adult daughters and their calves.
整个牧群可能来自母系,包括她的成年女儿和幼崽.
An elephant is born weighing around 250 pounds (110 kg) and while able to stand, it doesn’t walk very well.
一头大象出生体重在250磅(110公斤)左右,
Right away, the herd is ready to help the mother care for her calf and protect it from predators such as lions and tigers.
立即,牧群准备帮助母亲照顾她的幼崽并保护它免受狮子和老虎等食肉动物的伤害.
These predators won’t attack an adult elephant, but they are a more serious match for a young calf.
这些掠食者不会攻击成年大象,
The adults cooperate to defend the young calf, driving away any animals that pose a danger.
成年人合作保卫幼崽,驱赶任何构成危险的动物.
Elephants can live for sixty to seventy years, so it makes sense that they have extra-long childhoods.
大象可以活到60到70年,因此它们有超长的童年是有道理的.
Calves nurse from their mothers for up to three years and spend several more years learning survival skills from the herd.
幼崽护士从母亲那里得到最多3年的护理,再花几年时间从牧群那里学习生存技能.
As female calves grow up, they prepare for their own offspring by helping care for younger calves.
雌性幼崽长大后,通过帮助照顾更年轻的幼崽来为自己的后代做准备.
Studies show that these allomothers increase the chances that young elephants will survive.
研究表明,这些同母异母会增加年轻大象存活的机会.
Adult male elephants have different social needs than female elephants.
成年雄性大象的社会需要与雌性大象不同.
At around ten to fifteen years old, the mature males leave the herd to wander alone or form a so-called bachelor herd with other male elephants, only visiting female herds when they want to mate.
在十到十五岁左右,成熟的雄性会离开牧群独自游走,或者与其他雄性大象组成所谓的"单身牧群",只有在想交配时才去拜访雌性牧群.
Females stay with their mother’s herd for the rest of their lives and may eventually become matriarchs themselves.
女性在母亲的畜牧下半生都与母畜在一起,最终有可能成为母畜。
the elephant’s closest living relatives.
大象最亲近的活人
Do You Know?
你知道吗?
Elephants seem to know when they see elephant bones.
大象似乎知道当他们看到大象的骨头。
In one experiment, elephants were shown three large animal skulls.
在一次实验中,大象被展示出三个大型动物头骨.
They spent twice as long touching the elephant skull as they did touching either of the other skulls.
他们花了两倍的时间去触摸大象的头骨 和触摸其他头骨的两倍
Dining Elephant-Style As herbivores, elephants eat plants—a lot of them.
晚饭大象 - 时尚 作为食草动物,大象食用植物,其中有许多。
They spend 80 to 90 percent of their time eating, with each elephant consuming up to 300 pounds (136 kg) of food a day.
他们花80%到90%的时间吃东西,每头大象每天消耗高达300磅(136公斤)的食物.
However, much of it passes right through them.
然而,大部分都经过他们。
Elephants only digest about 44 percent of the grass, leaves, branches, tree bark, seeds, and fruit that they eat.
大象只消化了大约44%的草地,叶子,树枝,树皮,种子,和所吃水果.
African elephants regularly travel tremendous distances to find food and water.
非洲大象经常去很远的地方寻找食物和水。
One group of African elephants in the country of Mali migrates across an area of more than 7,500 square miles (20,000 sq km) each year!
马里国内有一群非洲大象每年迁徙到超过7500平方英里(20,000平方千米)的地区!
What Makes an Elephant a Mammal?
什么让一头大象变成哺乳动物?
All mammals • have a backbone • have hair on their bodies at some time in their lives • are warm-blooded • produce milk to feed their babies Young elephants drink milk from their mothers for up to three years.
• 所有哺乳动物都有骨干; 幼象从母取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取出取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取来取取取取取取取取取取取取取来取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取
An elephant’s big, round feet have soft pads on the bottom.
大象的大圆脚下有软垫.
An elephant uses its trunk to breathe, drink, pick up food, and more.
一头大象用树干来呼吸,饮用,取取出食物等.
An African elephant’s ears are twice as big as an Asian elephant’s.
非洲大象的耳朵是亚洲大象的两倍。
Elephants don’t sleep much.
大象睡不着多.
This Indian elephant will spend much of its day roaming and foraging for food to sustain its huge body.
这头印度大象将花大把时间游走并觅取食物来维持其巨大的身体.
Humans: Friends or Foes?
人类:朋友还是福斯?
Adult elephants are too hefty and powerful to be threatened by other wild animals.
成年大象的威力太大,无法被其他野生动物所威胁.
But humans are increasingly encroaching into elephant habitats.
但人类正在日益侵占大象栖息地.
Humans build roads, plant crops, cut down trees, and construct houses in territories where elephants once roamed freely.
人类建造了道路,种植了农作物,砍伐了树木,并在大象一度自由行走的地盘上建造了房屋.
At one time, elephants lived in nearly every part of Africa and across South Asia.
有一次,大象生活在非洲几乎每个地区和整个南亚.
Today, they are restricted to a small fraction of that territory.
今天,它们仅限于该领土的一小部分。
Poaching is another challenge.
偷猎是另一个挑战。
Even though many countries have laws protecting elephants, hunters continue to slaughter them for their ivory tusks.
尽管许多国家都有法律保护大象,但猎人仍为象牙而继续屠宰.
Ivory is especially popular in China, where it’s carved into art.
象牙在中国特别受欢迎,
Some people believe ivory objects bring good luck, even though methods for getting ivory are tragic for the elephant.
有些人认为象牙物体带来好运气,尽管得到象牙的方法对大象来说是悲剧.
Humans and elephants have a long history together.
人类和大象在一起有着悠久的历史.
Some studies report that ancient armies used elephants in battle.
一些研究报告说,古代军队在战斗中使用了大象.
Asian elephants have been used to move trees and other heavy objects throughout history.
在整个历史中,亚洲象被用来移动树木和其他重物.
Elephants have been kept and studied in zoos for hundreds of years.
大象被动物园保存并研究了数百年.
However, today many experts argue that zoo environments rarely meet elephants’ needs.
动物园环境很少能满足大象的需求。
Their natural family structures are not supported and due to their high intelligence, elephants are likely to be bored and stressed in captivity.
他们的自然家庭结构得不到支持,由于他们的高智慧,大象很可能在被囚禁时感到无聊和紧张.
Animal welfare activists fight to have zoo elephants moved to sanctuaries where they can live a more natural existence.
动物福利活动家争相让动物园大象迁入圣所,在那里他们可以活得更自然.
In 2014, a Kenyan police officer stacks seized elephant tusks.
2014年,一名肯尼亚警察堆起大象牙。
animals in the arena.
在竞技场的动物。
in the world.
在这个世界。
Living Large With their imposing presence, elephants have drawn humans’ attention for centuries.
长相活 数个世纪以来,大象的出现引起了人类的注意。
Today, we know many fascinating things about these super- sized beasts.
今天,我们知道很多关于这些超大野兽的令人着迷的东西.
Scientists are learning more and more about just how intelligent elephants are, as well as how complex their relationships are.
科学家们越来越了解大象的智慧, 以及它们的关系有多复杂。
We have many things still to learn about elephants, so it’s a good thing that dedicated wildlife groups are striving to protect them and their habitats.
我们还有很多关于大象的知识,
If we protect elephants and respect their habitats, they will be roaming the Earth for many years to come.
如果我们保护大象并尊重它们的栖息地,它们将会在地球漫游多年.