來源：《用美國小孩的方法學英語最有效》

　　Tales of Tail 動物尾巴的作用

睡眠

　　(4th Grade)

　　Tales of Tail

　　Many animals have tails. They use their tails for many different purposes. For instance, some animals use their tails as flyswatters. Have you ever seen a cow flicking its tail back and forth? It's getting rid of bugs. Horses use their tails in this way, too。

　　Some animals hang by their tails. Monkeys often do this. Then they can use all four of their paws for other things, such as eating. Another animal that uses its tail as a "hanger" is the opossum. The opossum also uses its tail to help it climb trees。

　　Animals that live in the water use their tails to help them swim. A fish moves its tail from side to side. The rest of its body curves in the opposite direction from its tail. Alligators and crocodiles also swing their tails as they swim. Their large tails give them power and speed。

　　The kangaroo has a large, useful tail. It is like a chair. The kangaroo leans on its tail to rest. The tail is also good for leaping and landing. It helps the kangaroo to keep its balance. This is important because an adult kangaroo can leap as far as 15 feet at a time。

　　A fox has a big, bushy tail. This is a good tail to have on cold nights. The fox can put its tail over its nose and paws while it sleeps. The tails is a blanket that keeps the fox warm。

　　Some animals don't keep their tails with them at all times. One example is the lizard. If an enemy pulls the lizard's tail in a struggle, the tail breaks off. The lizard leaves its tail and runs to safety. Don't worry! The lizard will soon grow a new tail。

　　Words and Phrases 單詞和短語

　　for instance 例如，比如

　　flyswatter ['flaiˌswɔtə] n. 蒼蠅拍

　　flick [flik] vt. 輕拍，輕彈

　　back and forth 來回地

　　get rid of 除掉，去除

　　opossum [ə'pɔsəm] n. 負鼠

　　from side to side 左右(搖擺)

　　curve [kə:v] v. (使)彎成弧形

　　alligator ['æliˌgeitə] n. 短吻鱷

　　crocodile ['krɔkədail] n. 鱷魚

　　kangaroo [ˌkæŋgə'ru:] n. 袋鼠

　　bushy ['buʃi] adj. 濃密的

　　lizard ['lizəd] n. 蜥蜴

　　break off (使)離別；(使)脫離

　　譯 文

　　動物尾巴的作用

　　很多動物都有尾巴，它們的尾巴有不同的用途。比如，有些動物把它們的尾巴當蒼蠅拍。你是否見過一頭牛來回不停地輕彈著尾巴以驅趕蚊蟲？馬的尾巴也有這樣的用途。

　　有些動物的尾巴用來浮吊自己。浮吊是猴子最常做的事情。這樣，它們就可以騰出四肢去做其他的事情，比如吃東西。負鼠也是一種把尾巴當維系使的動物，除此之外，負鼠的尾巴還有助於它攀爬樹木。

　　居住在水裡的動物，它們用尾巴來幫助自己在水裡遊來遊去。魚就是通過用尾巴左右搖擺，身體呈與尾巴相反方向的彎曲來遊動的。短吻鱷與鱷魚也是通過擺動尾巴來遊動，此外尾巴還能為它們提供力量和速度。

　　袋鼠也有一條大的、有用的尾巴。尾巴對它們來說就像一把椅子，它可以倚靠在上面休息。此外，尾巴還有助於袋鼠跳躍、著陸和保持身體的平衡，這點很重要，因為袋鼠一跳就高達15英尺。

　　狐貍也有一條大的、絨毛濃密的尾巴，這條尾巴在寒冷的夜晚真是有用極了。狐貍睡覺時，尾巴能夠遮蓋其鼻子和四肢，這時候尾巴就如同一條毛毯，起到禦寒的作用。

　　還有一些動物，它們的尾巴可以脫離身體。蜥蜴就是這種動物之一，當敵人扯起蜥蜴的尾巴時，它就會自行斷尾，逃生。不過不用擔心，不久它還會長出一條新的尾巴。

　　Practice

　　1. Animals use their tails for different ___________ 。

　　A. periods B. purposes C. seasons D. lengths

　　2. The monkey uses its tail to ___________ 。

　　A. swim B. climb C. hang D. talk

　　3. Alligators and crocodiles use their tails for ___________ 。

　　A. fishing B. flying C. power D. curves

　　4. A kangaroo's tail is also helpful for ___________ 。

　　A. jumping B. swimming C. walking D. crying

　　練 習

　　1. 動物的尾巴有不同的 ___________ 。

　　A. 時期 B. 用途 C. 季節 D. 長度

　　2. 猴子用它的尾巴來 ___________ 。

　　A. 遊泳 B. 攀爬 C. 浮吊 D. 交談

　　3. 短吻鱷和鱷魚用它們的尾巴來 ___________。

　　A. 釣魚 B. 飛翔 C. 力量 D. 彎曲

　　4. 袋鼠的尾巴對 ___________ 也很有用。

　　A. 跳躍 B. 遊泳 C. 行走 D. 哭泣

　　答 案

　　1. B 2。 C 3。D 4。 A