英國學(xué)生科學(xué)讀本 Lesson 93 蝌蚪與青蛙(1)
第93課 蝌蚪與青蛙
Children who are fond of country walks, and who use their eyes well,
喜歡在鄉(xiāng)村漫步并且善于觀察的孩子們
will be sure to notice in early spring little lumps of jelly floating on some pond by the roadside.
一定在早春時(shí)分看到過這樣的場(chǎng)景：路邊的池塘中經(jīng)常會(huì)漂浮著一小塊一小塊的膠狀物體。
This jelly-like stuff consists of a number of frogs' eggs or "spawn. "
這些膠狀物質(zhì)由大量的青蛙卵, 叫做“卵塊”組成。
If we look at the spawn very closely, we shall see a great many black specks.
仔細(xì)觀察, 就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這中間有很多黑色斑點(diǎn),
Each of these specks is the centre of an egg.
每一個(gè)斑點(diǎn)就是青蛙卵的核心部分。
Let us return to the pond a month later.
一個(gè)月之后再回到池塘,
The spawn has gone, for all the eggs have burst open, and out of each one has come a little animal called a tadpole.
這些卵已經(jīng)不見了, 因?yàn)樗鼈內(nèi)科屏验_來, 從中鉆出了一種名叫蝌蚪的小動(dòng)物。
Tadpoles are very funny-looking little things about an inch in length, each with a large round black head and a flat tail.
蝌蚪的樣子非常有趣：體長(zhǎng)一英寸左右, 腦袋又大又圓, 尾巴卻是側(cè)偏的。
They swim about in the water by the help of their tail, and they are very much like little fishes in many other ways.
它們通過擺動(dòng)尾巴在水中游走, 除此之外, 它們和魚還有很多類似之處。
They have little pink gills, which stick out on each side of their head.
蝌蚪腦袋的兩側(cè)分別長(zhǎng)有一個(gè)粉紅色的小鰓。
By its gills the tadpole can breathe the air which is dissolved in the water, just as a fish does.
通過這個(gè)器官, 蝌蚪便能夠像魚那樣呼吸溶于水中的空氣。
The little creature soon dies if it is taken out of the water, for it cannot breathe the air as we do.
它們離開了水, 很快就會(huì)死去, 因?yàn)樗鼈儫o法和人類一樣呼吸空氣。
Each tadpole has a mouth with tiny teeth to gnaw the plants on which it feeds.
每只蝌蚪的嘴巴里都長(zhǎng)有細(xì)小的牙齒, 用來刮食植物。
It is very curious to watch the changes that take place in the tadpole during the three months or so that it lives in the water.
蝌蚪在水中生活三個(gè)月的時(shí)間, 這期間, 它們的身體能夠發(fā)生很多有趣的變化。
The gills become covered over, and lungs grow inside the body to do their work.
鰓逐漸被覆蓋起來, 身體內(nèi)部長(zhǎng)出了肺, 用于進(jìn)行呼吸。
The tail becomes shorter, and near it two legs break through the skin.
蝌蚪的尾巴變得更短, 而旁邊則長(zhǎng)出兩條小腿。
Then other two legs come out nearer to the head.
很快, 頭部附近也會(huì)出現(xiàn)這樣的兩條腿。
英語美文
