魔法馴鹿

張明波

Surprising facts about reindeer

難詞探意

1. tundra /tndr/ n. 苔原

2. antler /ntl（r）/ n. 鹿角

3. ultraviolet /ltrvalt/ adj. 紫外線的

4. calf /kɑf/ n. 幼獸

Reindeer are known around the world as the fictional assistants of Santa Claus， but in polar and mountainous regions， they are very much real and sometimes abundant. This species of deer can be found in the Arctic tundra as well as the forests of northern Europe， Canada， and Alaska.

Characterized by their long legs， antlers， and crescent？shaped hooves（新月形蹄）， they exist in two varieties： tundra reindeer， which migrate thousands of miles seasonally in groups of up to half a million， and forest reindeer， which remain in the woodlands all the time.

Outside of folk tales and holiday movies， not much is commonly known about the species. While they may not be able to fly in real life， they can， indeed， swim and see ultraviolet light， among other talents. Let？s discover what makes these majestic creatures so interesting.

Unique among the more than 45 species of deer， both females and males grow antlers. The males use theirs primarily to battle for females whereas the females use theirs primarily to defend food. Males？?get up to about 50 inches long while females？?can reach up to 20 inches. Males drop theirs in late fall or early winter， but because females are often pregnant during winter and need to defend their food during pregnancy， they retain theirs until spring.

The denser the better when it comes to fur coats in the Arctic， one would think. However， while reindeer do have thick， wooly undercoats， their top layer consists of longer， tubular（管狀的）hairs， which can keep the animals warm in frigid environments. The hollowness （中空） of their coats is also what gives them their white color.

They can often be found crossing the vast Yukon River—the third longest in North America， a half mile wide in parts—mid？migration. They swim strongly across these rough and wide rivers and can swim three times faster than the average human at up to 6 mph—which happens to be Michael Phelps？s top speed， too. Calves just a couple months old have been documented swimming between islands that are a mile and a half apart.

1. What can be inferred about reindeer？

A. They exist in two types.

B. They can be found in Africa.

C. They migrate in terms of seasons.

D. They are characterized by their wool.

2. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about？

A. Habitats of reindeer. B. Antlers of reindeer.

C. Heights of reindeer. D. Running speed of reindeer.

3. What does the underlined word “retain” in paragraph 4 mean？

A. Throw. B. Grow.

C. Keep. D. Clean.

4. Why is Michael Phelps mentioned in the last paragraph？

A. To show his popularity.

B. To describe his hobbies.

C. To compare his swimming speed with reindeer？s.

D. To express the fast swimming speed of reindeer.

Sentence for writing

The denser the better when it comes to fur coats in the Arctic， one would think. 當(dāng)談及北極動(dòng)物的毛皮大衣時(shí)，人們認(rèn)為毛越密越好。

【信息提取】when it comes to...意為“當(dāng)談及/涉及……時(shí)”。

【句式仿寫】當(dāng)談到自然科學(xué)時(shí)，我很茫然。

“馴鹿是大自然的珍寶，也是牧人生命中不可或缺的一部分?！睂τ谧孀孑呡厪氖埋Z鹿養(yǎng)殖的牧人來說，這是深入骨子里的觀念。