【美文賞析】

Global Warming and the Polar Bear
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A Polar bears prefer to live in extremely cold artic climates. They live only in the Northern Hemisphere, on the arctic ice cap, and they spend most of their time on coastal areas. Polar bears are widely spread in Canada, extending from the northern arctic islands south to the Hudson Bay area. They are also found in Greenland, on islands off the shore of Norway, on the northern coast of the former Soviet Union, and on the northern and northwestern coasts of Alaska in the United States.

B The polar bear is the largest members of the bear family. Males Polar Bears stand from eight to 11 feet tall and generally weigh from 500 to 1,000 pounds, but can weigh as much as 1,400 pounds. Female bears generally stand eight feet tall and weigh 400 to 600 pounds, except some, which can reach 700 pounds. The reason the polar bear weighs so much is that it stores about a four-inch layer of fat to keep it warm. The polar bear has a long, narrower head and nose, and small ears. It has coat that appears white but, each individual hair is actually clear and hollow. This helps the polar bear keep warm. The polar bear's coat helps it blend in with its snowy surroundings, this adaptation helps the Polar Bear hide while hunting. The polar bear's front legs are slightly pigeon-toed, and fur covers the bottoms of its paws. These adaptations help polar bears keep themselves from slipping on ice.

C They mainly live on the meat but rarely eat plants. That is why it is considered to be a carnivore, or meat-eater. The ringed seal is the polar bear's primary prey. A polar bear hunts a seal by waiting quietly for it to emerge from an opening a seal makes in the ice, allowing them to breathe or climb out of the water to rest. Polar bears eat only the seal's skin and blubber of the seal. The remaining meat provides a food source for other animals in the Arctic. Polar bears also prey on young walrus’s. The remains of whale, seal, and walrus are also important sources of food for polar bears. In fact, because of their acute sense of smell, polar bears can sense animal remains from far away.

E Some people at first suppose that polar bears are social animals. However, they are, actually, solitary animals. There are two exceptions to this: when a mother polar bear has cubs and during mating season. Polar bears are in active most of their life. They spend their time either sleeping or lying around. The rest of the time is spent traveling, hunting, or eating. After eating, a bear will clean itself by rinsing and licking their fur. It is estimated that there are about 28,000 polar bears worldwide. Most of the population is located in Canada and the Soviet Union. The rest of it is in Greenland and Norway.

F However, climate warming is already significantly impacting wildlife around the globe. If global warming is continuing on this path, the melting of artic ice caps will cause a big problem for the polar bears and their cubs. It will eventually drive the polar bears to go on land and compete with the brown bears. When worst comes to worst the polar bears will be forced to swim larger bodies of water to obtain their food. This will then affect their sex drive and their ability to reproduce.

看了這篇文章之后，對(duì)于動(dòng)物的介紹是不是稍稍有了些頭緒呢？接下來(lái)專(zhuān)家就來(lái)總結(jié)一下考試Cue Card的回答結(jié)構(gòu)和常用句型。當(dāng)然這些句型也可以套用來(lái)回答其他與動(dòng)物相關(guān)的part 1以及part 2的問(wèn)題。

【內(nèi)容模板】

1、引入：

1) I have a real sweetheart whose name is ______________

2) My particular interest is _______.（Cambridge 6 Test 4 Section 4）

3) ____________is the most peaceful and docile(溫順的) pet I’ve ever had.

填入某種動(dòng)物的名稱(chēng)，如：panda, mandarin duck (鴛鴦), parrot等。

4) You know, … are regarded as the symbol of…

5) … has the reputation of________ （Cambridge 4 Test 4 Section 4）

填入表示性格或者是特色的名詞，如：鴿子dove is the symbol of peace; 獅子則對(duì)應(yīng)independence（獨(dú)立） and dignity（高貴）；狗毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)是loyalty和companionship的標(biāo)志。

2、動(dòng)物生理特征

1) It is _________________________.

空格中可以填入表示大小的形容詞，如：small/ medium-sized/ huge/ extremely large/giant / gigantic

也可以填入表示特性的形容詞，如smart, intelligent, adorable, dangerous, fierce, affectionate, cuddly

2) Common characteristics of it include a large/ small body with_____________

3) It is stunning with ___________________

填入身上的部位，如鴛鴦mandarin duck的鳥(niǎo)喙red bill，略帶紅色reddish face;熊的短小的腿stocky legs, 長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的大鼻子long snout, 蓬松的毛shaggy hair, 短小的尾巴a short tail; parrot的絢爛的羽毛gorgeous feathers 和 a big colorful tail；老虎黑黃相間的條紋orange and black stripes，白色的腹部white underside，強(qiáng)有力的爪子和牙齒powerful claws and teeth; 大象有長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的象鼻來(lái)抓取食物a long trunk to “grab” food 和巨大的牙來(lái)找水 huge tusks to dig for water.

4) It can stand up to _______________ meters. （r.f. reading material）

5) It can weigh up to _______________kilograms. （Cambridge 4 Test 4 Section 4）

填入重量，如老虎體重大約150—370 kg ，棕熊體重可達(dá)800kg，獅子體重可達(dá)140—260kg左右。

3、動(dòng)物生活習(xí)性

1) It feeds almost entirely on ___________ / It adopts a diet of __________/
2) A significant proportion of the its diet is made up of ________________.

（Cambridge 6 Test 4 Section 4）