HIPPOS CAN’T SWIM?

河马不会游泳？

本篇适合：阅读、挑战

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河马不会游泳？相信很多同学对此会感到很惊讶吧？我们平时在动物园里看到的河马不都待在水里的吗？

另外，河马的样子看起来呆萌呆萌的，似乎不会伤人。事实果真如此吗？来，读读下面这篇文章，让我们重新认识一下河马吧。

by 璇玑

The hippo is also called the “river horse”. It is the third largestmammalonland(after the whiterhinosand the elephant).

Hipposspenda lot of their time in the water, like rivers and lakes. Sometimes they walk a long way to find water.In facthippos walk in the water. They can’t swim.They can stay in the water for a very long time with their eyes and earsabovetolook out for enemies.

Word Power

hippo ['hɪpəʊ] n. 河马（复数：hippos）

mammal['mæməl] n. 哺乳动物

land[lænd] n. 陆地

rhino['raɪnəʊ] n. 犀牛（复数：rhinos）

spend[spend] v. 花（时间）

in fact[ɪn fækt] 事实上

above[ə'bʌv] adv. 在上面

look out for[lʊk aʊt fɔː] 留神提防

enemy['enəmɪ] n. 敌人（复数：enemies）

Fun Nature奇趣大自然

Hippos do not have anysweat glands.That’s why they spend most of their time under water.

You canprobably hold your breathfor only a few seconds,but hippos can stay underwater forup to30 minutes.

Hippos can run very fast, but they cannot run a long way.

Hippos don’t eat meat. They often eat grass.

A hippo can live up to 50 years.

Word Power

sweat [swet] n. 汗

gland[glænd] n. 腺（复数：glands）

probably['prɒbəb(ə)lɪ] adv. 可能

hold one’s breath屏住气

up to[ʌp tə] 直到······

natural enemy['nætʃərəl 'enɪmɪ] 天敌（复数：natural enemies）

crocodile['krɒkədaɪl] n. 鳄鱼（复数：crocodiles）

among[ə'mʌŋ] prep. ······之一

神灯小精灵来回答大家几个问题：

Q: Why can’t hippos swim?

A: Because they are too heavy. Only a young hippo can swim under water.

Q: What are thenatural enemiesof hippos?

A: Lions,crocodiles.

Q: Are hippos dangerous?

A: Yes. Hippos areamongthe most dangerous animals in the world.

Let's Try

判断对错。正确的填T，错误的填F。

( ) The hippo is the third largest animal in the world.

( ) Hippos eat fi sh.

( ) Hippos run slowly.

( ) Hippos spend a lot of their time in the water.

中文大意及答案请见第47页。