Mon, Feb 19, 2007 page9

• Everything you didn't know about precious pigs 你所不知道的豬寶貝

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  The year of the pig has arrived, and auspicious pig-related items can be seen everywhere. But you might not be that knowledgeable about pigs.

  The pig is in actuality a clean and smart animal, even smarter than cats and dogs. It is, in fact, among the smartest of all mammals.

  The English phrase “sweat like a pig” also isn't entirely accurate, since pigs do not have any sweat glands and are totally unable to sweat. When the weather is hot, pigs take a dip in mud or water, lowering their body temperature as the water evaporates.

  Pigs have a very sensitive sense of smell, at least as sensitive as a dog's. Pigs are not only often used to locate truffles (a sort of underground fungi), but have even been used to search for landmines.

  Pigs can also be kept as pets. There is a type of pig called a miniature pet pig. Its head and tail are black, while its body has a large swath of black and the rest of the skin is pink. It is said that the pig gives off a smell like milk. However, one must pay attention to the type of pet pig one gets. Otherwise the miniature pig may grow up to be a huge sacrificial pig.

  One must know what one is getting into before taking care of any pet. Otherwise, after swarming to buy a miniature pig, you may find yourself wanting to get rid of it after the novelty has worn off!

  (Translated by Jason Cox)

  豬年到了，有關豬的吉祥物隨處可見，有關豬的知識

  ，你可能就沒那麼熟悉了。

  豬其實又愛乾淨又聰明，甚至比貓狗都聰明，在哺乳類動物的排行中名列前茅。

  英文片語中的「sweat like pig」也所言不實，因為豬身上沒有汗腺，根本不會排汗，天氣熱時，牠們會將自己浸在水或泥巴裡，藉由水氣蒸發來降低體溫。

  豬的嗅覺非常敏銳，比起狗可有過之而無不及，牠們不僅常被用來找出珍貴的松露(一種地底下的蕈菇)，甚至曾經被用來偵查地雷。

  豬也可以被當成寵物，有一種「迷你麝香豬」，頭部和尾巴呈黑色，身軀有一大塊黑，其餘部位呈粉紅膚色，據說身上會散發出牛奶的香味。不過得注意麝香豬的品種，否則體型嬌小的「迷你豬」可能會被養成龐大的「神豬」。

  養任何寵物前都得想清楚，可別一窩蜂地搶著飼養麝香豬，新鮮感退卻後就隨意拋棄喔！（鄭湘儀編撰）

  For your information

  Today's Word 今日單字

  1. auspicious v.i. /v.t. 吉祥的 (ji2 xiang2 de5) 例: Today is an auspicious day to get married. (今天是結婚的良辰吉日。) 2. actuality v.i. /v.t. 事實 (shi4 shi2) 例: They thought that the trip would only take two hours, but in actuality it took four. (他們以為路程只要兩小時，但其實要四小時。) 3. gland v.i. /v.t. 腺體 (xian4 ti3) 例: The pituitary gland is located at the base of the skull. (腦下垂體位在頭骨底部。)
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