常春藤解析英语 91 The Strange Case of the Duck-Billed Platypus 光怪陆离鸭嘴兽

The Strange Case of the Duck-Billed Platypus 光怪陆离鸭嘴兽

by Jeremy Beacock

The duck-billed platypus is a creature that just doesn't fit in.

哺乳类?爬虫类?傻傻分不清楚。

When 18th-century scientists first came across Australia's duck-billed platypus, they thought it was a trick. It is not surprising that the platypus had people confused. This funny-looking animal has feet and a bill like a duck, but is nonetheless a furry, warm-blooded mammal.

While other mammals usually keep their blood at around 37 degrees Celsius, platypuses have a lower body temperature of 32 degrees. Aside from its appearance, the platypus' bill is not really like a duck's bill at all. The platypus' mouth is actually under the bill, which is rubbery, not rigid. The bill is equipped with electroreceptors. The platypus closes its eyes when swimming, and instead of seeing its prey, it uses these electroreceptors to pick up tiny electrical currents made by the creatures underwater.

Strangest of all, the platypus is a mammal that lays eggs. There is only one other family of egg-laying mammals: the echidna (针鼹猬) of New Guinea and Australia. Both the platypus and the echidna lay soft-shelled eggs, and both feed their young with milk that leaks out through their skin. These animals also walk in a way that is similar to crocodiles and other reptiles, with legs on the sides of their bodies rather than underneath. These characteristics are linked with the fact that they are one of the oldest mammals and have kept some reptilian traits.

Though cute, in a weird way, the platypus is actually one of the few mammals that are poisonous. A male platypus has knife-like bones on its back legs which have enough poison to kill a dog. The platypus has the honor of being one of the oldest, and oddest, mammals in the world.

1. Which of the following is false?

(A) Platypuses have a body temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.

(B) Platypuses only open their eyes underwater.

(C) Male platypuses are poisonous.

(D) Platypuses find food by sensing electricity.

2. Characteristics of the platypus are compared with those of _____?

(A) 18th-century scientists

(B) dogs and echidnas

(C) the duck, the crocodile, and the echidna

(D) only the echidna

3. Which of the following cannot be said of both the echidna and the platypus?

(A) Their eggs are soft.

(B) They feed their young with milk.

(C) They walk differently from most mammals.

(D) They are both native to Australia and New Guinea.

精解字词词组

1. come across...　　偶然遇见∕碰上……

= come upon...

= bump into...

= encounter vt.

例: On our trip through Japan, we came across the same man 10 times.

(我们在日本旅行时，不停遇见同一个人 10 次。)

2. It is not surprising + that 子句　　……不足为奇∕不令人惊讶

例: It's not surprising that the lazy student failed the test.

(那懒惰的学生考不及格一点也不令人惊讶。)

3. confused a. 困惑的

be confused about...　　对……感到困惑

例: I think Joe was confused about the instructions.

(我想乔被指示弄胡涂了。)

4. nonetheless adv. 尽管;但是

例: Jenny works full-time, but she is nonetheless an excellent mother.

(珍妮有份全职的工作，尽管如此，她仍是位称职的母亲。)

5. aside from...　　除了……之外

= apart from...

例: Aside from chocolate, Mike doesn't like sweets.

(除了巧克力外，麦克不喜欢甜食。)

6. be equipped with...　　有……的装备

例: All Mercedes vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bags.

(所有奔驰车都配备有驾驶座气囊。)

7. instead of...　　而非……;代替……

= rather than...

例: You should try to deal with your problems instead of escaping them.

(你应该设法处理问题而不是逃避问题。)

8. pick up...　　嗅到∕发现∕收到……

例: NASA reported picking up strange signals from deep space.

(美国航天总署报告说，他们接收到从遥远太空传来的奇怪信号。)

9. lay vt. 产(卵);放置

三态为：lay, laid , laid。

比较:

lie vi. 躺;说谎

lie 表『躺』时，三态为：lie, lay, lain ;动名词及现在分词为 lying。

lie 表『说谎』时，三态为：lie, lied, lied;动名词及现在分词亦为 lying。

例: Kate laid her keys and cell phone on the table.

(凯特把她的钥匙和手机放在桌上。)

例: John dares not lie to his father.

(约翰不敢向父亲说谎。)

10. be similar to...　　与……相似

例: My view on this issue is similar to yours.

(我对这项议题的看法和你的相似。)

11. be linked with...　　与……相关联

例: Chewing betel nut is linked with mouth cancer.

(嚼槟榔与口腔癌有所关联。)

12. have the honor of V-ing　　有幸……

例: I'm happy to have the honor of introducing the famous scientist.

(我很开心能有荣幸介绍这位有名的科学家。)

13. be compared with/to...　　与……相比较

compare A with/to B　　比较 A 与 B

例: My parents always compare me with/to my older sister.

(我父母老是拿我和我的姊姊相比。)

14. be native to + 地方　　是某地特有的，原产于某地

例: Ostriches are native to Africa.

(驼鸟原产于非洲。)

单字小铺

1. duck-billed a. 鸭嘴形的

2. platypu n. 鸭嘴兽

3. trick n. 恶作剧;把戏

4. bill n. 鸟嘴，喙

5. furry a. 覆有毛皮的

6. mammal n. 哺乳动物

7. Celsius a. 摄氏的

Fahrenheit a. 华氏的

8. rubbery a. 有弹性的;橡胶似的

9. rigid a. 坚固的

10. electroreceptor n. 电流感受器

11. prey n. 猎物

12. current n. 电流

13. echidna n. 针鼹猬

14. soft-shelled a. 软壳的

15. leak vi. 渗出

16. crocodile n. 鳄鱼

17. reptile n. 爬虫类

18. underneath adv. 在下面

19. reptilian a. 爬行动物的

21. trait n. 特征

22. weird a. 奇特的

23. odd a. 古怪的

24. sense vt. 感应;感觉到

中文翻译&标准答案

18 世纪时，当科学家首次遇见澳洲鸭嘴兽，他们还以为那是个恶作剧。鸭嘴兽令人如此困惑其实一点都不意外。这种长相奇特的动物有着像鸭子一般的足部和扁喙，但却是全身毛茸茸的温血哺乳类动物。

其它哺乳类动物的血液通常都维持在摄氏 37 度左右，而鸭嘴兽的体温却比较低，只有 32 度。除了外观外，鸭嘴兽和一般鸭子的喙部其实并不相同。鸭嘴兽的喙具有弹性而不坚硬，而且嘴巴其实是长在喙部的下方。鸭嘴兽的喙部具有电流感受器。鸭嘴兽在游水时眼睛是闭着的，所以牠们看不到猎物，但牠们使用电流感受器侦测水底生物所释放出的微弱电流。

最奇怪的是，鸭嘴兽是一种会产卵的哺乳类动物。所有的哺乳类动物中，除了鸭嘴兽外，只有新几内亚和澳洲的针鼹猬是卵生的。鸭嘴兽和针鼹猬都会产下软壳的卵，两者的腹部皮肤也都会分泌出乳汁以喂养幼兽。这两种动物走路的方式也都与鳄鱼或其它爬行类动物相似，前进时双腿会在身体两侧而非在身体下方。这种种特性显示了牠们是最原始的哺乳类动物，而且还保留了爬虫类动物的一些特征。

虽然长相怪得可爱，鸭嘴兽却是少数几种有毒的哺乳类动物之一。雄性鸭嘴兽的后足上有刀刃一般的毒刺，毒刺中的毒液足以杀死一只狗。鸭嘴兽堪称是世界上最原始且最古怪的哺乳类动物。

1. 下列叙述何者为非?

(A) 鸭嘴兽的体温为摄氏 32 度。

(B) 鸭嘴兽只在水底下才会张开眼睛。

(C) 雄性鸭嘴兽有毒。

(D) 鸭嘴兽利用感应电流觅食。

题解: 根据文章第二段，鸭嘴兽游水时眼睛是闭着的，由此可知，(B) 选项叙述有误，故选之。

2. 鸭嘴兽的特性被拿来和 _____ 相比较。

(A) 18 世纪的科学家 (B) 狗和针鼹猬

(C) 鸭子、鳄鱼和针鼹猬 (D) 针鼹猬而已

题解: 根据文章第一段，鸭嘴兽有着像鸭子一般的足部和扁喙;第三段则提到鸭嘴兽和针鼹猬的相似之处，除了会产卵外，这两种动物走路的方式也都很像鳄鱼或是其它爬行类动物，由此可知，(C) 为正确选项。

3. 下列何者并非针鼹猬及鸭嘴兽两者共有的特性?

(A) 两者产下的卵皆为软壳。

(B) 两者都以乳汁哺育幼兽。

(C) 两者走路的方式与大多数哺乳类动物不同。

(D) 两者均原产于澳洲和新几内亚。

题解: 根据文章第三段，鸭嘴兽和针鼹猬都会产软壳的卵，两者的腹部皮肤也都会分泌出乳汁以喂养幼兽，这两种动物走路的方式也都很像鳄鱼或其它爬行类动物，前进时双腿会在身体两侧而非在身体下方，故 (A)、(B)、(C) 均为两者共有的特性。惟鸭嘴兽仅原产于澳洲，可知 (D) 选项叙述有误，故选之。

标准答案: 1. (B)　2. (C)　3. (D)