32 Living Communities

Living Communities by MEISH GOLDISH

MEISH GOLDISH的《生活社区》

Chapter 1 What Is an Ecosystem? An ecosystem is a community of living things. Earth has many different ecosystems. Each has its own kind of land, weather, plants, and animals. Plants and animals in an ecosystem need one another to live. Plants get energy from the Sun. They use this energy to make food. A small animal might eat some of the plants. A bigger animal might eat the small animal. This makes a food chain.

第一章什么是生态系统? 生态系统是生物的群落。 地球上有许多不同的生态系统。 每个地方都有自己的土地、天气、植物和动物。 生态系统中的植物和动物需要彼此生存。 植物从太阳获得能量。 它们利用这些能量制造食物。 一种小动物可能会吃掉一些植物。 更大的动物可能会吃掉小动物。 这就形成了一条食物链。

Chapter 2 Hot Desert Ecosystem A hot desert is one kind of ecosystem. A desert is very dry land. Many deserts are hot during the day. But they can get cold at night. Deserts can also be windy! A desert gets very little rain. Desert plants and animals need to save water. Camels store water in their bodies. A cactus has a thick, waxy skin to keep water inside. Its spines give off very little water.

第二章热沙漠生态系统热沙漠是一种生态系统。 沙漠是非常干燥的土地。 许多沙漠白天很热。 但是晚上会很冷。 沙漠也可能有风!沙漠很少下雨。 沙漠植物和动物需要节约用水。 骆驼把水储存在身体里。 仙人掌有一层厚厚的蜡质表皮，可以把水分藏在里面。 它的刺放出的水很少。

Chapter 3 Cold Desert Ecosystem Did you know that Antarctica is a large desert? It is a cold ecosystem. It gets very little rain. Most of Antarctica is covered in ice. It is also windy and dry. The temperature can go below -70° Celsius (-94° Fahrenheit)! Few things can live in Antarctica. Moss is one of those things. Penguins and some seals live in Antarctica, too. They eat krill and fish to survive the very cold weather. Krill is an animal like shrimp.

你知道南极洲是一片大沙漠吗? 这是一个寒冷的生态系统。雨水很少。 南极洲的大部分地区都被冰覆盖。 它也多风和干燥。气温可以低于-70摄氏度(-94华氏度)!很少有生物能在南极洲生存。 苔藓就是其中之一。 企鹅和一些海豹也生活在南极洲。 他们吃磷虾和鱼来度过寒冷的天气。 磷虾是一种像虾一样的动物。

Chapter 4 Grassland Ecosystem Grasslands are dry land. Yet they are not as dry as deserts. Can you guess what grasslands are filled with? That's right. Grass! Trees and bushes grow there, too. Zebras, giraffes, and elephants live in Africa's grassland ecosystem. These animals eat grassland plants. Elephants eat strong grass. Giraffes eat the leaves of tall trees. Lions, cheetahs, and leopards live in grasslands, too. They are meat-eaters. They eat other animals.

第四章草原生态系统草原是旱地。 然而，它们不像沙漠那样干燥。 你能猜出草原上到处都是什么吗? 这是正确的。草!树木和灌木也在那里生长。 斑马、长颈鹿和大象生活在非洲的草原生态系统中。 这些动物以草原植物为食。 大象吃粗壮的草。 长颈鹿吃高大树木的叶子。 狮子、猎豹和豹子也生活在草原上。 它们是食肉动物。它们吃其他动物。