【英语趣味课堂】五大受欢迎的野生动物-Five Popular Wild Animals

Ana: I heard that South Africa is famous for its wild animals.

 

Mike: That's true. We have many different kinds of animals in South Africa. Have you heard of the big five?

 

Ana: I think so but I don't remember what it is.

 

Mike: So the big five are the animals that foreign tourists like to come and see in South Africa. And there are safaris¹ and trips you can go on to wildlife reserves to see these animals.

 

Ana: So what are they?

 

Mike: So would you like to guess?

 

Ana: I guess lions.

 

Mike: Yes, that's one of them.

 

Ana: And elephants.

 

Mike: Yes.

 

Ana: And giraffes.

 

Mike: No. The giraffe is definitely a big animal but it's not one of the big five. The other three are rhinoceros², the – is it the water buffalo³, I think. And the final one is – what is the final one?

 

Ana: Is it the cheetah⁴?

 

Mike: Yes, the cheetah. Yes. The cheetah can run very, very fast.

 

Ana: Okay, and have you seen all of these animals?

 

Mike: Let me think. It's been a while since I visited a wildlife reserve but I've seen elephants before. And let's see; I've seen a lion. I don't think I've ever seen a cheetah. I've seen a rhinoceros from far away.

 

Ana: I've heard they're quite dangerous.

 

Mike: I don't think that there are not many of them in the wild. I don't know if there are any in the wild. They're all in wildlife enclosures so that actually I don't think many people are injured or killed by rhinoceroses⁵. But actually, do you know what the most dangerous animal is in Africa?

 

Ana: Is it the lion?

 

Mike: No, it's not. It's the hippopotamus⁶.

 

Ana: Really?

 

Mike: I think they killed more people every year in the world than any other animal.

 

Ana: Wow, that's very surprising.

 

Mike: Maybe mosquitoes kill more with malaria⁷ but in terms of big animals, it's definitely the hippopotamus.

 

Ana: Wow.

 

Mike: They have very long teeth as well.

 

Ana: That's scary.

 

Mike: Yeah. It is pretty scary. You don't want to be – you know, they can swim as well. So they would – and if you go out on the river in a little bit on a dam and there's a hippopotamus, he can tip your boat over and bite you in half.

 

Ana: All right. So you should definitely look out for hippos when you go to South Africa.

 

Mike: Yeah. You should be careful. Crocodiles can also be nasty.

 

Ana: Okay.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

wildlife reserve

 

You can go on to wildlife reserves to see these animals.

 

A wildlife reserve is protected land for wild animals. Notice the following:

 

African safaris are usually on wildlife reserves.

There is a wildlife reserve for native birds near my city.

enclosure

 

They're all in wildlife enclosures.

 

An enclosure is an area with a wall or fence around it. Notice the following:

 

The animals are kepts in a small enclosure. 

The deer escaped from the enclosure.

tip -- over

 

He can tip your boat over.

 

When something tips over, it turns over. Notice the following:

 

The wave tipped the raft over.

Our boat tipped over when I leaned over the side.

in half

 

Bite you in half

 

When something is cut in half, it is split into two pieces. Notice the following:

 

She cut her spending in half.

He broke the candy bar in half so we could share it.

nasty

 

Crocodiles can also be nasty.

 

Nasty means not nice. For animals it can mean dangerous. Notice the following:

 

Be careful, that dog can be nasty.

He can be nasty if he does not get his coffee in the morning.

1 safaris   

n.游猎，陆路旅行（尤指在东非或中非）( safari的名词复数 )；类似游猎的假日旅行

参考例句：

• I've had too many safaris with rich dentists to listen to any more suicidal ideas. 我已经带过太多有钱牙科医生的狩猎队，我不能再听取任何自杀性建议了。 来自电影对白
• Camel diving safaris are a popular attraction in South Sinai. 骆驼的潜水之旅是南西奈一个受欢迎的景观。 来自互联网

2 rhinoceros   

n.犀牛

参考例句：

• The rhinoceros has one horn on its nose.犀牛鼻子上有一个角。
• The body of the rhinoceros likes a cattle and the head likes a triangle.犀牛的形体像牛，头呈三角形。

3 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

4 cheetah   

n.(动物)猎豹

参考例句：

• The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal.猎豹被公认是世界上跑得最快的动物。
• The distribution of the cheetah ranges from Africa to Central Asia.印度豹的足迹遍及从非洲到中亚的广大地区。

5 rhinoceroses   

n.钱，钞票( rhino的名词复数 )；犀牛(=rhinoceros)；犀牛( rhinoceros的名词复数 )；脸皮和犀牛皮一样厚

参考例句：

• Rhinoceroses and dragons for once will let us walk in peace. 犀牛与龙安歇，让我们能平静地行走。 来自互联网
• Although the rhinoceroses are very heavy, they can run very fast. 犀牛虽然体型笨重，但仍能以相当快的速度行走或奔跑。 来自互联网

6 hippopotamus   

n.河马

参考例句：

• The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
• A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。

7 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。