Wonders of Nature

Wonders of Nature, written by Cheryl Ryan.

《大自然的奇迹》，谢丽尔·瑞安 著

Introduction. The world is full of strange and interesting animals. Some animals look unusual or have special abilities. Let's look at some of these strange animals and learn what makes them wonders of nature. Archer fish. An archer fish squirts drops of water at an insect or spider to knock it off a leaf that hangs over the water. The archerfish forms a tube with its tongue and the roof of its mouth and then shoots drops of water through the tube. When a bug falls into the water, the archerfish eats it. Because the archerfish has a flat body, it can swim right under its prey and get into position without being noticed. Sometimes an archerfish leaps out of the water to catch a bug instead of squirting water at it.

引言 我们的世界到处都是奇特又有趣的动物 有些动物模样特别，还拥有特殊本领 接下来就让我们认识这些奇特动物，看看它们为什么能成为大自然的奇迹吧 射水鱼 射水鱼会向停在水面悬垂树叶上的昆虫或蜘蛛喷水，把猎物打落下来 射水鱼把舌头和口腔顶部挤成管状，再把水柱从这个管子里射出去 当小虫子掉进水里，射水鱼就会把它吃掉 因为射水鱼身体扁平，所以它可以悄悄游到猎物正下方摆好姿势，不被发现 有时候射水鱼不喷水，而是直接跳出水面捕捉小虫子

Trapdoor Spider A trapdoor spider lives in a sticky underground tunnel with a hidden door. The spider's body produces silk, which it mixes with dirt to make the door. The silk in the door helps keep water out of the spider's tunnel when it rains. When an insect passes close to the door, the trapdoor spider senses its movements and jumps out to grab it. Female trapdoor spiders stay near their tunnels for their entire lives. Their offspring leave to build their own tunnels nearby.

活板门蛛 活板门蛛住在带有隐蔽活门的地下黏性隧道里 蜘蛛的身体会分泌丝，它会把丝和泥土混合在一起做成活门 活门里的丝可以在下雨时阻止雨水渗进隧道里 当昆虫靠近活门时，活板门蛛能感知到动静，然后跳出来抓住猎物 雌性活板门蛛一生都待在自己隧道的附近 它们的后代会离开，在附近建造属于自己的隧道

Beaver. Beavers chew through tree trunks with their sharp teeth. Beavers use tree trunks, branches, mud, clay, and stones to build dams in rivers and streams. The dams create ponds where beavers build their homes, which are called lodges. By building dams, beavers create wetlands which are habitats for other mammals as well as for birds, fish, turtles, and frogs. Wetlands protect the environment by preventing erosion, soaking up flood water, and acting as filters to clean water.

河狸 河狸能用锋利的牙齿啃断树干 河狸用树干、树枝、泥土、黏土和石块，在河流和小溪里筑坝 水坝围出了池塘，河狸就在这里建造叫做小屋的家 河狸筑坝造出了湿地，这里成了其他哺乳动物，还有鸟类、鱼类、乌龟、青蛙的栖息地 湿地可以防止水土流失、储存洪水，还能像过滤器一样净化水源，保护生态环境

Three -waddled bellbird. The three -waddled bellbird lives in Central America. Its call sounds like a large, heavy bell ringing. Female three -waddled bellbirds are green, and males are brown with white heads. Three long pointed flaps of skin, called waddles, grow from the male's beak. The bellbird scares away enemies with its loud call, and by shaking its waddles. The bellbird's favorite food is the wild avocado. Bellbirds migrate to different elevations because avocados ripen at different times of year at different heights in the mountains.

三肉垂钟雀 三肉垂钟雀生活在中美洲 它的叫声听起来就像又大又沉的铃铛在摇晃作响 雌性三肉垂钟雀是绿色的，雄性是棕色，长着白色的脑袋 雄性的鸟喙上长着三片尖尖的长皮，叫做肉垂 钟雀会用响亮的叫声和晃动肉垂的方式吓退敌人 钟雀最喜欢的食物是野生牛油果 不同海拔的山上牛油果成熟时间不同，所以钟雀会迁徙到不同海拔的区域活动

Bower bird. Bower birds live in Australia and New Guinea. To attract female birds, male bower birds spend up to 10 months building tall piles of twigs and branches around the bases of trees. They decorate these piles, called bowers, with shells, feathers, flowers, and fruit. Sometimes they even paint the walls with plant juice. Bowerbirds have also been known to use film cases, toothbrushes, and other objects made by people as part of their decorations. When the male birds finish decorating, the female birds choose the bowers they like best.

园丁鸟 园丁鸟生活在澳大利亚和新几内亚 为了吸引雌鸟，雄园丁鸟最多会花十个月，在树基周围堆出高高的树枝堆 它们会用贝壳、羽毛、花朵和果子装饰这些叫做凉亭的树枝堆 有时候它们还会用植物汁液给凉亭的墙面上色 人们还发现园丁鸟会把胶卷盒、牙刷这类人造物品拿来做装饰品 雄鸟装饰好凉亭后，雌鸟就会选出自己最喜欢的那一个