Study finds how koalas drink研究發(fā)現(xiàn)樹袋熊是如何喝水的

甘肅定西市隴西縣第一中學 郭 偉

樹袋熊是世界上最具魅力的動物之一，但我們還不是很了解樹袋熊。 科學家們一直想知道樹袋熊是如何喝水的，近日，悉尼大學的研究人員給出了答案。

題材動物體裁說明文文章詞數(shù) 難度 建議用時319 ★★★ 6 分鐘

難詞探意

1. moisture /?m??st∫?(r)/ n. 潮氣; 水汽; 水分

2. nocturnal /n?k?tз?nl/ adj. 夜間活動的

3. eucalyptus /?ju?k??l?pt?s/ n. 桉樹

4. ethology /??θ?l?d??/ n. 動物行為學

Scientists have long wondered how Australia's koalas get enough water to live. A new study provides an answer.

In the wild, koalas get water from the plant leaves they eat. But they also get it from water running down the side of tree trunks during rainfall.

The lead author of the new report on koalas is Valentina Mella of the University of Sydney.It was earlier thought, she explains, that the animals got most of their water from moisture in the leaves they ate. Mella and other researchers based their findings on 46 observations of koalas in the wild from 2006 to 2019.

Mella notes that koalas are largely nocturnal animals. This means they are active at night.

They live in trees and rely on them for food, shelter and, as the researchers just discovered, also for drinking.

Koalas spend most of their lives high up in eucalyptus trees. They eat a large amount of eucalyptus leaves. An adult koala normally eats 500 to 800 grams of leaves a day.

Because of their diet, koalas sleep a lot—about 20 hours a day. Their diet of tree leaves requires much energy to digest.

Mella notes that koalas actually spend 98%of their lives in trees. She adds that the only time they come down to the ground is to find another tree with better food supplies or a mate.

In fact, the word “koala” is said to have come from an Aboriginal word meaning “no drinking”. Koalas did not go down onto the ground very often. So, it was thought that they had no need to drink water.

The researchers published their findings in the journal Ethology. They said the study may be useful in efforts to protect koalas for future generations.

Mella says that the observations in the wild are very important. She adds that they can help to establish what is normal and what is not.

Reading Check

1.According to earlier idea, where did koalas get water?

A. From the plant branches.

B. From the small rivers.

C. From roots of eucalyptus trees.

D. From moisture in the leaves.

2. How much time do koalas spend their lives off the trees every day?

A. About 23 hours.

B. About 12 hours.

C. About 3 hours.

D. Less than one hour.

3.What do the researchers think of their findings?

A. Limited.

B. Shocked.

C. Beneficial.

D. Unexpected.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

She adds that the only time they come down to the ground is to find another tree with better food supplies or a mate.

【翻譯】______________________________

【點石成金】本句為一個主從復合句，that引導賓語從句，to find another tree...a mate為不定式短語作表語。