見見老鼠凱薩琳和大象馬克。凱薩琳非常勇敢又喜歡冒險,但馬克的個性十分害羞,對許多事情都感到害怕。不過,朋友都喜歡黏在一起,所以凱薩琳走到哪兒,馬克就會跟到哪兒。有時候,他們也會碰上非常棘手的情況...
Jungle trouble 叢林遇難記
One steamy summer day, Mark and Kathleen were walking through the jungles of Africa. They had gone on a safari but got separated from the group when Mark saw a lion through his binoculars and ran away as quickly as he could.
"I think we're just heading deeper and deeper into the jungle," Kathleen said.
"I hear noises up ahead," Mark replied. "Maybe there's a village."
The two pressed on even as the trees got thicker and the animal noises got stranger. Mark stopped for a sip of water when suddenly he and Kathleen found themselves surrounded by a pack of wild elephants.
"These elephants should be able to help us," Kathleen said.
"I d-d-d-on't know," Mark stuttered. "I don't like the looks of this."
An elephant, who appeared to be the dominant male, came up to Mark and began stomping his feet.
"We come in peace," Mark said, but the elephant just stared at him.
"I don't think they speak English," Kathleen told Mark.
"I don't think they speak any human languages," Mark said.
Kathleen picked a few berries off a nearby bush and offered them to the head elephant. Without warning, the pack of elephants raised their trunks and made a loud trumpeting noise …(Michael Kearney, staff writer)
一個炎熱的夏日,馬克和凱薩琳正穿越非洲的叢林。他們本來參加了非洲狩獵旅行,孰料馬克從望遠鏡中看到一頭獅子後竟拔腿狂奔,結果他們兩人就脫隊了。
「我覺得我們只是愈來愈往叢林深處走,」凱薩琳說。
「我聽到前面有聲音,」馬克回說:「也許是座村莊。 」
兩個人加緊腳步,即使樹木愈來愈茂密,動物叫聲愈來愈奇怪。馬克停下來喝了口水,突然間,他和凱薩琳發現他們被一群野生大象包圍了起來。
「這些大象應該能夠幫助我們,」凱薩琳說。
「我不...不知道,」馬克結巴地說:「我不喜歡這種場面。」
一隻看似首領的公象朝馬克走了過來,並開始跺腳。
「我們沒有任何惡意,」馬克說,但是這隻大象直盯著馬克看。
「我覺得牠們聽不懂英語,」凱薩琳說。
「我不覺得牠們聽得懂人話,」馬克說。
凱薩琳在附近一株矮灌木摘了幾顆莓果,獻給這隻大象頭目。在毫無預警的情況下,這群大象捲起了牠們的鼻子,發出了一聲巨吼...
(翻譯:楊鴻泰)
WHAT HAPPENED? 究竟怎麼回事?
1. Why did Mark and Kathleen end up getting separated from the group?
a. Because Kathleen had to go to the bathroom.
b. Because they fell asleep under a tree.
c. Because they got into an argument with the group leader.
d. Because Mark ran away from a lion he saw.
2. How did the dominant male of the elephant pack try to communicate with Mark?
a. He wagged his tail.
b. He wiggled his ears.
c. He stomped his feet.
d. He blinked his eyes.
TODAY'S ANSWERS: 1. d 2. c
FINISH IT 故事接龍
Write your own ending to the story! 寫下你的故事結局:
Idea 1: Kathleen unknowingly offered the head elephant poisonous berries! What do the pack of elephants do? Are Mark and Kathleen ever able to communicate with them? Do Mark and Kathleen make it out of the jungle?
想法一:凱薩琳在不知情的情況下給了大象頭目有毒的莓果!這群大象會做出什麼事?馬克和凱薩琳有辦法跟牠們溝通嗎?馬克和凱薩琳能夠逃出叢林嗎?
Idea 2: Kathleen unknowingly offered the head elephant sacred berries! Are the elephants upset that Kathleen picked the berries? Does the head elephant eat the berries? What makes the berries sacred?
想法二:凱薩琳在不知情的情況下給了大象頭目神聖的莓果!這群大象會因為凱薩琳摘了聖果而生氣嗎?大象頭目會吃掉莓果嗎?為何這些莓果是神聖的?
Idea 3: Kathleen picked the berries off a bush that has a lot of thorns. The elephants love to eat the berries, but whenever they try to pick them, they get thorns stuck in their trunks. Do the elephants want Kathleen to pick more berries? What do the elephants do in return for Kathleen's kindness? Why did all the elephants make a trumpeting noise?
想法三:凱薩琳從一株長滿棘刺的矮灌木上摘下莓果。這些大象很喜愛這些莓果,但是每當牠們要摘這些莓果時,牠們的鼻子都被棘刺刺到。大象們會希望凱薩琳摘更多莓果給牠們嗎?大象們會做什麼來回報凱薩琳?為什麼所有的大象要一起大聲吼叫?
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
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Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
A: As well as Eid al-Fitr, Southeast Asia is celebrating the Water Festival this week. B: And this year, Thailand is expanding the celebration between April 12 and 16 for the event, officially known as the Songkran Festival, expecting to make 24.3 billion Thai baht in tourism revenue. A: Does Taiwan celebrate the Water Festival? B: Some local cities and counties do have similar activities. A: Let’s go experience the festival then. A: 除了「開齋節」外,東南亞「潑水節」本週也盛大登場! B: 泰國今年從4月12日到16日擴大「宋干節」連假,預估觀光收入可高達243億泰銖。 A: 台灣會慶祝「潑水節」嗎? B: 有些縣市會舉辦類似活動。 A: 那我們也去體驗一下吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)