The Sloth: Nature’s Coolest Customer　讓人「樹懶」起敬的慢活動物∼

2020年4月6日星期一

The Sloth: Nature’s Coolest Customer　讓人「樹懶」起敬的慢活動物∼

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本期文章
•	The Sloth: Nature’s Coolest Customer　讓人「樹懶」起敬的慢活動物∼
•	Words for Reference
•	Practical Phrases
•	Words in Use
•	More to Learn
•	Grammar Tips
•	中文翻譯&標準答案
優惠活動訊息：見訊息

The Sloth◆: Nature’s Coolest Customer◆　讓人「樹懶」起敬的慢活動物∼

by Mark Darvill

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　　Many people who have viewed footage◆ of sloths in the wild probably don’t think too highly of this animal, which is characterized by its slow movement and tendency to spend most of its time sleeping or hanging from trees. The sloth not only moves slowly but also takes up to a month to digest its food! However, the sloth may not be as lazy as we think. Here are some interesting facts that could change your perception of one of nature’s most relaxed-looking creatures.
　　As mentioned, sloths spend a significant portion of their lives sleeping, but not all of their time is spent in this manner. In fact, wild sloths rarely rest for over 10 hours at a time, which is not much more than the average human sleeps in a night. However, sloths in captivity typically sleep for 15 to 20 hours per day.
　　Sloths can be found in trees most of the time because they are vulnerable to predators◆. For protection, their fur contains algae that make it green and serve to “camouflage” the animal in the rainforest. Therefore, contrary to common belief, a sloth’s frequent refusal to come down from its tree is not due to laziness but rather because a tree is the safest place for it.
　　One final fun fact about sloths is their incredible strength. Sloths are very strong swimmers; they actually can do the breaststroke◆ with ease. Moreover, if a sloth dies while hanging from a tree, its grip on the branch is so powerful that it will often continue to hang there even in death!
　　With all the enjoyable information, hopefully your impression of one of the world’s most slow-footed animals has changed a bit!
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1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
(A) To emphasize how lazy sloths are.
(B) To discuss how long sloths take to eat their meals.
(C) To elaborate on the behavior and natural habitats◆ of sloths.
(D) To introduce the idea that sloths may not be as lazy as people think.
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2. What contrast◆ between wild sloths and captive sloths is made in the passage?
(A) Wild sloths tend to sleep less than those kept in zoos.
(B) Compared with captive sloths, wild ones are smaller in size.
(C) Sloths in captivity eat more food than those that live in nature.
(D) To protect themselves, wild sloths move faster than captive ones.
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3. Which of the following is an example of “camouflage” in the third paragraph?
(A) Birds building a nest in the tree.
(B) Humans playing dead when coming across a bear.
(C) Octopuses hiding through changing their skin color.
(D) Butterflies collecting nectar◆ from colorful flowers.
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4. What is mentioned in the passage to exemplify◆ the sloth’s amazing strength?
(A) It uses its sharp claws to fend off predators.
(B) It keeps clinging to a branch even after it perishes.
(C) It is able to hang from a tree for 10 hours in a row.
(D) It swims far faster than any other animal in the rainforest.

◆ sloth n. 樹懶（可數）；懶散，怠惰（不可數）
◆ a cool customer　　總能保持冷靜／沉著的人
◆ footage n. 影片（不可數）
◆ predator n. 掠食者；掠食動物
◆ breaststroke n. 蛙式
◆ habitat n. 棲息地
◆ contrast n. 對比，對照
◆ nectar n. 花蜜
◆ exemplify vt. 舉例說明

1. think highly / poorly of sb/sth　　對某人／某物評價很高／很差
• Our boss thinks highly of Zack because he handles everything professionally.
柴克處理任何事情都很專業，因此我們老闆很看重他。
• I could tell the board thought poorly of my proposal.
我看得出來董事會覺得我的提案很糟。

2. in this manner　　以這種方式
in a(n)... manner　　以一種……的方式／態度
• Hank often talks to his parents in a rude manner.
漢克經常以很沒禮貌的態度和他父母說話。

3. contrary to...　　與……相對／相反（的是）
• Contrary to popular belief, that country is actually very safe to travel in.
和一般認知不同的是，到那個國家旅遊其實很安全。

4. come across...　　偶然碰見／發現……
• Gina came across her high school teacher on her way to the supermarket.
吉娜在去超市的途中和她的高中老師不期而遇。

5. fend off... / fend... off　　擋開／避開……（的攻擊）
• That police officer fended off the attacks of nine men by himself.
那名警察隻身抵擋九名男子的攻擊。

6. in a row　　連續地
• The exceptional golfer won three tournaments in a row.
那位優秀的高爾夫選手連續贏得三場錦標賽。

1. characterize vt. 以……為特徵
　be characterized by...　　具有……特徵
• The common cold is characterized by sneezing, coughing, and a runny nose.
一般感冒的症狀是打噴嚏、咳嗽和流鼻水。

2. tendency n. 傾向；趨勢
　have a tendency to V　　有（做）……的傾向
• Jill has a tendency to look away when she is telling a lie.
吉兒說謊時往往會把目光移向別處。

3. digest vt. 消化；理解
• You’d better rest and digest the food you just ate before exercising.
你運動前最好先休息一下，讓剛剛吃的食物消化。

4. perception n. 看法，觀點
• Please do not let my outburst affect your perception of me.
請別因為我的情緒失控而影響你對我的觀感。
＊outburst n.（情緒）爆發

5. captivity n. 囚禁，關押
　in captivity　　被圈養；被監禁
• The zoologists observed the Bengal tigers in captivity.
動物學家觀察被圈養的孟加拉虎。
＊zoologist n. 動物學家

6. vulnerable a. 易受傷害的；脆弱的
　be vulnerable to...　　易受……的傷害
• Children and the elderly are vulnerable to the flu.
小孩子和老年人容易得到流感。

7. camouflage vt.（用偽裝）遮掩，掩飾 & n. 保護色；偽裝，掩飾
• Its branch-like body perfectly camouflaged the stick insect on the tree.
竹節蟲樹枝般的身體使牠完美地隱身於樹上。

8. refusal n. 拒絕
• Max persisted in his refusal to pay the extra interest on his credit card bill.
麥克斯堅持拒付信用卡帳單上額外的利息。

9. incredible a. 驚人的；難以置信的
• This new sports car moves at an incredible speed.
這款新跑車奔馳的速度相當驚人。

10. impression n. 印象
make a good / bad impression on...　　給……留下好／壞印象
• Cathy dressed up in hopes of making a good impression on her boyfriend’s parents.
凱西盛裝打扮，希望能給男友的父母留下好印象。

11. elaborate vi. 詳細說明
　elaborate on...　　詳細說明……
• The lawyer was not willing to elaborate on the discussion he had with his client.
那名律師不願意詳述和客戶之間的討論內容。

12. captive a. 被關在籠內的；受監禁的
• Barbara feels it’s wrong for animals to be held captive, so she never visits zoos.
芭芭拉覺得把動物關在籠子裡是不對的，所以她從來不去動物園。

13. cling vi. 緊抓；纏著
　三態為：cling, clung, clung。
　cling to...　　緊抓住／纏著／堅持……
• The boy was scared and clung to his dad.
那男孩感到害怕並緊緊抓住他爸爸。

grip n. & vt. 緊緊抓住，握緊
• Miranda refused to loosen her grip on her husband’s arm when he was trying to leave.
當她老公試圖要離開時，米蘭達拒絕放開他的手臂。
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以下介紹其他表「抓住，握緊」的單字：
a. grasp n. & vt. 抓緊，抓牢
• Howard grasped his daughter’s hand when they crossed the street.
霍華在過馬路時緊抓著女兒的手。
b. grab n. & vt.（突然猛烈地）抓住／抓取
• Both Wendy and Rita made a grab for the same toy in the box.
溫蒂和瑞塔都伸手去抓箱子裡的同一個玩具。
c. clasp n. & vt. 緊握；抱緊
• Peter clasped the vase tightly, fearing that it might drop.
彼得緊緊抓住花瓶，害怕它可能會掉下去。
d. clutch n. & vt.（因害怕、疼痛等而突然）抓住／緊握
• Sean clutched his chest and appeared to be in great pain.
尚恩緊抓自己的胸口，看似感到劇痛。
e. snatch n. 抓；搶奪 & vt.（尤指以武力）抓走；攫取，搶奪
• Ella felt someone behind her trying to snatch her bag.
艾拉感到背後有人在試著搶走她的包包。
f. seize vt.（突然猛烈地）抓住／攫取；（用武力）奪取／搶去
• I was surprised when Kelly suddenly seized my arm.
凱莉突然抓住我的手臂時我感到很驚訝。

... their fur contains algae that make it green...
Octopuses hiding through changing their skin color.
介紹外來語名詞的複數形
在英文中，大多數的規則名詞只要在字尾加 -s 即可形成複數，但有些外來語會保留原來的複數形式，常見者如下（第二個為現代用法）：
單數：-a　　複數：-a → -ae
alga → algae　藻類
formula → formulae / formulas　公式
• Apply these formulas and you can solve the problem with ease.
套用這些公式，你就能輕鬆解出這道題目。

單數：-us　　複數：-us → -i
octopus → octopi / octopuses　章魚
cactus → cacti / cactuses　仙人掌
stimulus → stimuli　刺激物
• The cactus is one of the few plants that can flourish in the desert.
仙人掌是少數可以在沙漠中茁壯成長的植物。

單數：-um　　複數：-um → -a
bacterium → bacteria　細菌
curriculum → curricula / curriculums　課程
datum → data　資料
medium → media / mediums　媒介
• The data was collected by many researchers.
這些資料是由許多研究人員收集而來。
＊ data 今多作不可數名詞，可接單數或複數動詞；datum 則罕用。

單數：-on　　複數：-on → -a
criterion → criteria　標準
phenomenon → phenomena　現象
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.
這項比賽的參賽標準很嚴格。

單數：-sis　　複數：-sis → -ses
analysis → analyses　分析
diagnosis → diagnoses　診斷
oasis → oases　綠洲
• The farmer made an analysis of the soil to see if it was fertile.
這名農夫分析土壤，看看它是否肥沃。

讓人「樹懶」起敬的慢活動物∼
　　

　　許多看過野生樹懶影片的人對這種動物的評價可能不會太高，牠們的特點就是行動緩慢且往往會花大部分的時間睡覺或是吊在樹上。樹懶不只行動緩慢，還會花上多達一個月的時間來消化食物！不過，樹懶可能不像我們想像的那麼懶惰。以下是一些可能改變你對這種大自然看似最放鬆生物之一看法的有趣真相。
　　就像剛剛說過的，樹懶一生大部分的時間都在睡覺，但也不是所有的時候都這樣度過。事實上，野生樹懶很少一次休息超過十個小時，這沒有比人類一晚的平均睡眠時間多多少。不過，人工圈養的樹懶一天通常會睡十五至二十小時。
　　樹懶大部分的時間都在樹上是因為牠們很容易受到掠食者的攻擊。為了保護自己，牠們的毛皮中含有能使牠們變綠的藻類，在熱帶雨林中起到以保護色偽裝的作用。因此，與普遍看法不同的是，樹懶經常不願從樹上下來不是因為牠懶惰，而是因為樹木就是牠最安全的棲身之所。
　　關於樹懶的最後一個有趣真相是牠們驚人的力氣。樹懶是非常厲害的游泳健將，牠們實際上可以輕鬆地游蛙式。此外，如果樹懶在吊在樹上時死掉，由於其抓住樹枝的力量很強，因此就算是死後也常常會繼續吊在原處！
　　知道了這所有的有趣資訊後，希望你對於這世上速度最慢的其中一種動物的印象已經有了一些轉變！
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1. 第一段的主旨是什麼？
(A) 強調樹懶有多麼懶惰。
(B) 討論樹懶吃一餐要花多長時間。
(C) 詳細說明樹懶的行為和其自然棲息地。
(D) 介紹樹懶可能不像人們想像一樣懶惰的概念。
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2. 本文做出野生樹懶和圈養樹懶間的何種對比？
(A) 野生樹懶往往比動物園飼養的樹懶睡得少。
(B) 相較於圈養樹懶，野生樹懶的體型較小。
(C) 圈養的樹懶吃得比生活在大自然的樹懶多。
(D) 為了保護自己，野生樹懶的行動比圈養樹懶快。
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3. 下列哪一項是第三段 “camouflage” 的例子？
(A) 鳥類在樹上築巢。
(B) 人類遇到熊時裝死。
(C) 章魚透過改變皮膚顏色藏身。
(D) 蝴蝶從色彩繽紛的花朵上採集花蜜。
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4. 本文提及哪一點來作為例子說明樹懶的驚人力氣？
(A) 牠使用利爪來擊退掠食者。
(B) 牠即使死後仍繼續抓緊樹枝。
(C) 牠能夠連續吊在樹上十小時。
(D) 牠比熱帶雨林裡的其他動物游得都快。
答案：1. D　2. A　3. C　4. B

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