Strange Plants

Strange Plants. Written by Kira Fried. Focus question. What makes some plants strange?

《奇异的植物》 作者：基拉·弗里德 核心问题 是什么让有些植物显得很奇异呢？

When we think about plants, we often think of trees, flowers, bushes, and grass. Like most plants, these plants have green leaves and sometimes flowers. They also have roots growing into the ground.

一提到植物，我们通常会想到树、花、灌木还有草。 和大多数植物一样，这些植物长着绿叶，有时候还会开花。 它们的根也都扎在地下。

Some plants are different from most other plants. This book explores what makes some of these strange plants special.

有些植物和其他大多数植物都不一样。 这本书就来探究一下，这些奇异植物的特别之处到底是什么。

Plants, called air plants, live in trees high above the ground in North and South America. Their roots are not buried in dirt. Instead, the plants grow on tree branches. They take moisture from the air through their leaves. They do not live in soil as most plants do.

有一种叫空气凤梨的植物， 生长在南北美洲离地很高的树上。 它们的根不会埋在泥土里， 而是长在树枝上。 它们靠叶子从空气中吸收水分， 不像大多数植物那样长在土壤里。

Can you imagine plants that eat meat? Well, there are such plants. They eat insects, spiders, and even some other small animals. Like all plants, they use sunlight and water to make their own food. The animals they eat on the side help them grow better, though.

你能想象有植物会吃肉吗？ 世界上还真有这样的植物哦。 它们会吃昆虫、蜘蛛，甚至还有一些别的小动物。 和所有植物一样，它们也靠阳光和水给自己制造养分。 不过它们额外吃掉的这些小动物能帮它们长得更好。

One well -known meat -eating plant is the Venus flytrap. This plant lives in moist environments. Its leaves look like traps. They have small spikes along the edges. When a critter walks inside a leaf, the leaf snaps shut. The critter is trapped by the spikes.

捕蝇草是一种大家很熟悉的食肉植物， 它生长在潮湿的环境里。 它的叶子长得像陷阱， 边缘长着小小的尖刺。 要是有小虫子爬到叶子里面， 叶子就会猛地合上，小虫子就被尖刺困住啦。