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6. Elephants
New Words 新单词
Africa (n.)
读音：['æfrɪkə]
释义：非洲（名词）
meter (metre in British English) (n.)
读音：[ˈmi:tə(r)]
释义：米，公尺（英式英语中为metre）（名词）
adult (n.)
读音：[ˈædʌlt]
释义：成年的人或动物（名词）
tall/ taller (adj.)
读音：[tɔ:l] / [ˈtɔ:lə]
释义：高的/更高的（形容词）
forty (num.)
读音：[ˈfɔ:ti]
释义：四十（数字）
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Elephants are the biggest animals that can walk. They are bigger and stronger than all the other walking animals. In Asia, adult male elephants can grow to be about three meters tall. In Africa, adult male elephants are even taller. Those elephants can be nearly four meters tall! Because elephants are so big, most other animals cannot hurt them.
大象是会行走的最大型的动物。它们比其他会行走的动物更高大、更强壮。在亚洲，成年雄性大象可以长到大约三米高。在非洲，成年雄性大象甚至长得更高。那些大象能有近四米高！因为大象如此高大，大部分其他动物都伤害不了它们。
Most other animals are not dangerous for elephants, but people are. In Africa and Asia, people hunt and kill many elephants every year. That is not good because now there are not many elephants living in the wild. If we do not protect elephants in the wild, soon there will only be elephants living in zoos.
对大象来说，大部分其他动物不危险，但是人类很危险。在非洲和亚洲，人们每年捕杀很多大象。那可不好，因为现在生活在野外的大象不多了。如果我们不保护野生大象，很快就只剩下生活在动物园里的大象了。
Elephants are quiet animals and are not usually dangerous. Female elephants like to live together with other adult females. Usually, twenty, thirty, or even forty females will live together. The females are good mothers and protect the young elephants. The adult male elephants do not usually live with the females.
大象是安静的动物，而且通常不危险。雌性大象喜欢和其他成年雌象生活在一起。通常情况下，二十、三十或甚至四十头雌象会生活在一起。雌象是好母亲，它们保护小象。成年雄象往往不和雌象生活在一起。
In the middle of the day, it is very hot in the parts of Africa and Asia where elephants live. At this time, the elephants do not walk around or look for food. They sleep or wait until it is not so hot before looking for food.
中午时分，大象生活的非洲和亚洲地区非常炎热。这时候，大象不会四处走动或者寻找食物。它们睡觉或者等到天气不热了才去寻找食物。
Then, the young elephants walk after their mothers and the other adult females. Elephants do not hunt, kill or eat other animals. They eat grass, fruit and parts of trees.
这时候小象走在母象和其他成年雌象的后面。大象不会猎杀或者吞食其他的动物。它们吃草、水果和树木枝干。
At first, young elephants are about one meter tall. Like people, they drink their mothers’ milk until they are old enough to eat other food. Female elephants do not have many young. They only have young about every four or five years.
起初，小象大约有一米高。像人类一样，它们喝母象的乳汁，直到它们长大能吃其他食物。雌象不能繁衍很多小象。它们每隔大约四五年才产下小象。
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Lee
I’d really like to go to Africa and see elephants in the wild.
Pat
Elephants don’t only live in Africa. They live in Asia, too.
Lee
I know. But the elephants in Africa are bigger. They can be nearly four meters tall.
Pat
That’s really big, isn’t it? People only grow to be about two meters tall.
Lee
When I’m an adult, I will be nearly two meters tall, but you won’t. An adult man is always taller than an adult woman.
Pat
Not always. What about Tom’s mother? She’s taller than Tom’s father.
Lee
Oh… Yes she is, isn’t she? Tom’s mother is very tall.
Pat
Yes. And she’s very nice, too. She’s much nicer than Tom.
Lee
You don’t like Tom very much, do you?
Pat
No, I don’t. I don’t like many of your friends. They are not very clever, and they are always bad or naughty in school.
Lee
No, they aren’t!
Pat
Yes, they are!
Lee
No, they aren’t!
Pat
Yes, they are. They always make it difficult for the teacher to teach them. They don’t keep their eyes on the teacher and they are always talking in class.
Lee
No, they aren’t!
Pat
Yes, they are. Today, when we studied elephants, all your friends were talking and looking out of the windows.
Lee
No, they weren’t!
Pat
Yes, they were!
李
我真想去非洲看看野生大象。
佩特
大象不只是生活在非洲，它们也生活在亚洲。
李
我知道，但是非洲的大象更高大，它们能有近四米高。
佩特
那真的很高大，对吧？人只能长到大约两米高。
李
等我成年了，我会有近两米高，但你不会。成年男人总比成年女人长得高。
佩特
并不总是。汤姆的妈妈怎么样？她就比汤姆的爸爸更高。
李
噢……是的，不是吗？汤姆的妈妈非常高。
佩特
是的。她也非常友好。她比汤姆友好多了。
李
你不太喜欢汤姆，是吗？
佩特
是的，我不喜欢。我不喜欢你的许多朋友。他们不太聪明，他们在学校总是调皮不听话。
李
不，他们不是！
佩特
是的，他们就是！
李
不，他们不是的！
佩特
是，他们就是。他们总让老师很难教导他们。他们不听老师的话，总在课堂上聊天。
李
不，他们不是！
佩特
是，他们就是。今天，在我们学习大象的时候，你所有的朋友都在聊天，还看着窗户外面。
李
没有，他们没有！
佩特
有，他们有！
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1. How big are elephants in Asia?
2. What about elephants in Africa?
3. Why is it not good to hunt and kill elephants?
4. What do elephants eat?
5. What do elephants do when it is very hot?
6. Who is very tall?
7. Why doesn’t Pat like Lee’s friends?
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