VOA慢速英语--新西兰黑色小章鱼:逃脱大师

AS IT IS 2016-04-16 Inky the Octopus¹: 'Escape Artist' and Celebrity² 新西兰黑色小章鱼:逃脱大师

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A small New Zealand octopus has become an international celebrity.

His name is Inky.

Inky had been living in an aquarium³ at the National Aquarium New Zealand since 2014. But, three months ago, Inky managed to escape. And no one has seen the octopus since.

Just this week, Inky has been in newspapers around the world. And the story of his mysterious escape went viral on social media.  

New Zealand’s Napier County communications manager, Robyn McLean, said in a media release that the aquarium staff noticed Inky was missing one morning.

She said the top to Inky’s tank was slightly open. The staff then saw a wet path across the floor. The path led to a drainpipe to the Pacific Ocean.

Although Inky was about the size of a soccer ball, octopuses⁴ have no bones. They are able to fit in very small spaces, like narrow drainpipes.

National Aquarium Manager Rob Yarrall told the Guardian⁵ newspaper that octopuses are known for being good “escape artists.” He called the animals curious and intelligent.

It’s probable that Inky is now enjoying life in the vast Pacific Ocean.

Words in This Story

drainpipe – n. a pipe for carrying off rainwater or liquid refuse from a building

celebrity - n. the state of being famous or celebrated⁶

aquarium - n. a building people can visit to see water animals and plants

go viral - v. to be spread rapidly on the Internet

staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

1 octopus   

n.章鱼

参考例句：

• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
• One octopus has eight tentacles.一条章鱼有八根触角。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

4 octopuses   

章鱼( octopus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snails and octopuses are molluscs. 蜗牛和章鱼是软体动物。
• Limpets, snails and octopuses are mollusks. 帽贝、蜗牛和章鱼都是软体动物。

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。