美国学生世界地理教材 第156期:沙漠之舟(1)

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They have to be carried across the Bosporus from Asia, for a camel is said to be the only animal that cannot swim and cannot learn to swim. 骆驼只能通过博斯普鲁斯海峡从亚洲用船运来。据说骆驼是唯一不会游泳也学不会游泳的动物。

Most animals, like dogs, swim naturally; they don't have to learn. 大多数动物，比如狗，天生就会游泳，它们不需要学。

The camel may not be able to swim, but he can cross deserts, which no other animal can do as well. 骆驼虽不会游泳，但它能穿过沙漠，这是其他任何动物都做不到的。

The camel is an animal of the desert, and when we see camels we know there must be deserts somewhere near. 骆驼是沙漠里的一种动物。如果看见骆驼，我们就知道附近某个地方一定有沙漠。

The camel loves heat and dryness, the sun and sand. 骆驼喜欢高温和干燥，阳光和沙子。

Men and most animals, when it is hot, like the cool shade¹ when they rest, but a camel when he rests lies down in the hot sun. 天气炎热时，人类和大多数动物喜欢在荫凉处休息，但是，骆驼却躺在炎热的阳光下休息。

He is often called "the ship of the desert," for he is the only "boat" that can carry passengers across the sea of sands. 骆驼常被称作“沙漠之舟”，因为它是唯一能载着乘客穿越“沙海”的“船”。

His feet are made like cushions² so that they do not sink³ into the sand. 骆驼的脚长得像垫子一样，所以不会陷进沙里。

A camel has several pouches⁴ inside of his body in which to store up water, as in tanks⁵, 骆驼的体内长有几只可以储水的袋囊，就像水箱一样，

for in crossing desert lands he may have to go days at a time without a drink, so he fills up these tanks inside of him. 因为穿越沙漠时骆驼也许会一连几天都没有水喝，所以它就得将体内的水箱充满。

The camel in Asia has one hump and is called a Dromedary. There are other camels that have two humps. 亚洲骆驼有一个驼峰，叫做“单峰骆驼”，也有长着两个驼峰的骆驼。

The hump is not a broken⁶ back, as it looks—it is made of fat, and when the camel can get no outside food, 驼峰看起来像是断了的脊背，其实不然，驼峰里全是脂肪。当骆驼找不到食物吃的时候，

the fat in his hump helps to feed him as the food in his stomach feeds him. 驼峰里的脂肪就可以向身体输送营养，就像胃里的食物向身体输送营养一样。

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