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Baby steps 蹣跚學步
Friday, Mar 09, 2007,Page 20
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Andrea takes her first steps together with her mother, Lotti, in Berlin, Feb. 23, 2007.
今年2月23日在柏林，安德莉亞在母親羅蒂伴同下蹣跚學步。 (照片：法新社)
PHOTO: AFP
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The baby giraffe in the picture is taking her first steps. The calf, named Andrea, was born last month in a zoo in Berlin, Germany.
Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. Andrea is quite tall for a newborn. She is already 1.81m tall. Giraffes grow up to be around 5.4m tall. In their first year of life they grow about 1.2m.
Giraffes' tongues can be up to 53cm long! They use their tongues to strip leaves off the branches of trees. Their favorite leaf to eat is the Acacia tree's.
Giraffes can see for a long way around themselves because they are so tall. This helps them spot predators. Only lions, hyenas and wild dogs attack giraffes. Sometimes crocodiles try to attack giraffes while the giraffes are drinking water.
It is very hard for a predator to catch a fully grown healthy giraffe. The giraffes' front hooves can give fatal kicks. Giraffes also take turns to rest and eat so that there is always a lookout. Giraffes live to be about 25 years old in the wild.
(Catherine Thomas, staff writer)
照片中的長頸鹿正在學步。這隻名為安德莉雅的長頸鹿上個月在德國柏林一所動物園出生。
長頸鹿是世界上最高的動物。安德莉雅在新生兒中算是相當高的，已有一百八十一公分。長頸鹿可以長到約五百四十公分，出生第一年大約可增高一百二十公分。
長頸鹿的舌頭可以長達五十三公分！牠們用舌頭來摘取樹枝上的葉子，最喜歡吃的是金合歡樹的樹葉。
由於長頸鹿如此高大，牠們能夠看得很遠。這有助於牠們發現掠食者的位置。只有獅子、土狼與野狗會攻擊長頸鹿。有時候長頸鹿喝水時，鱷魚也會攻擊之。
掠食者很難捕捉成年的健康長頸鹿。長頸鹿的前蹄一踢足以致命。長頸鹿也會輪番休息、吃飯，故總會有看守者。野生長頸鹿的壽命約為二十五年。
（翻譯︰賴美君）
| Today's Words 今天單字 |
1. strip v.i. /v.t.
剝(bo1)，脫 (tuo1)
例: Don't forget to strip down your bed and put the sheets in the wash.
(別忘記把床單取下來洗一洗。)
2. predator n.
掠奪者 (lue4 duo2 zhe3)
例: Elephants have no natural predators. Mice, on the other hand, have many.
(大象並無天敵。)
3. hoof n.
蹄 (ti2)
例: A horse has four hooves.
(馬有四隻蹄。) |
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