时间:2018-12-27 作者:英语课 分类:英语时差8,16


英语课

 Last time we were thinking about why some birds hop 1 and other birds walk. We decided 2 that you can't make any blanket statements about this, because there will always be exceptions. But in general it's true that larger birds are more likely to walk and smaller birds to hop, just because of the amount of energy it takes. But there's more to it than that. Ornithologists are actually very interested in bird legs and feet. The differences between different kind of legs are used in bird classification. For example, what we commonly call "songbirds"--cardinals, wrens 3, mockingbirds, warblers--are also called "perching birds." They have specialized 5 structures in their feet that include three toes pointing forward and one more called the "hallux" that points back. That three-and-one design is excellent for holding on to branches, which is an important skill to possess if you are a bird. Okay, so far so good. But now, what does that kind of foot make more difficult? You got it--a foot with a conspicuous 6 hallux toe won't be very good at walking. Some birds manage it, and there are different kinds of hallux toes that make it easier or harder. But to move around with feet like that, sometimes you just might be better off hopping 7. So, evolution has to make a choice. Is it better to perch 4 safely on branches or walk comfortably on the ground? Do I catch food with my feet or my beak 8? And so on. The end result can be birds with different kinds of feet, and different kinds of walks.



1 hop
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
2 decided
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 wrens
n.鹪鹩( wren的名词复数 )
  • Other songbirds, such as wrens, have hundreds of songs. 有的鸣鸟,例如鹪鹩,会唱几百只歌。 来自辞典例句
4 perch
n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于
  • The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
  • Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。
5 specialized
adj.专门的,专业化的
  • There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
  • These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。
6 conspicuous
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的
  • It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显,抽烟对健康有害。
  • Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。
7 hopping
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻
  • The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
  • This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
学英语单词
-ptosis
administrative transaction
airtime
artificial population
asymptotic set
atn
axlon
belted ammunitions
Bierbaum microcharacter
Bol'shoye Nagatkino
bonus issue
buoy watching
Caltanissetta, Prov.di
carbon-free alloy steel
cationoid reaction
charm campaign
chaulmoogras
checkrows
compose verse
comprehensive characteristics
compression molding material
conical rotor motor
cumulativenesses
DC circuit
Depew
diet preparation room
discobolu
discrimination-based
dispossessedness
dry-type water-meter
dual elevator
eastwells
ECL
Elland
external hazard
feel no anxiety about
field conditions
frequency analyzer
fusion of packing materials
gametocytaemia
gelands
genus Erica
gripper loom
Haavelmo's proposition
Hamilton equation
hemangioma of gastrointestinal tract
heterodyning
hydrological year book
hypericum gentianoidess
idlehed
immunofluorescence techniques
import quotas
inseer
irrigated acreage
itinerary map
job bidding
Justicia gendarussa
Krispy-Kreme Doughnuts
lay one's hopes on
Leipoa ocellata
lloc
mentors
near money
Neuve-Chapelle
origins.com
orogeneses
ovarian hilus cell
over-esteem
Pascal compiler
patent statutes
Plains of Abraham
prehard
pulsus plenus
rake someone over the coals
re-profiling of rail
reciprocal backcross
Redunca fulvorufula
refined molybdenum trioxide
reposance
reversionary interest
rheumatic arteritis
ring-fence
rofleponide
Rubus cardotii
sinaechinocyamus mai
solitary kidney
special reports
speleologists
spell sth out
spherical pressure vessel
squatting pan
stream orchids
test regulation
tigersharks
toll enrichment service of uranium
tou
tracking section
two-way telephone circuit
underdome bell
useful water
user state table
Washburn L.