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Nature’s Architects 大自然的建筑师：河狸

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On nature programs, we often learn about fascinating animals with incredible intellects. Dolphins are celebrated for their complex communication system and expanded capacity for emotion, and elephants are praised for their infallible memories. However, only one creature is a natural-born architect – it’s the fuzzy and adorable rodent, the buck-toothed beaver.

从自然节目中，我们得知迷人的动物拥有不可置信的聪慧：海豚以牠们复杂的沟通系统和充沛的情感表达能力闻名；大象则因为绝对正确的记忆而广受好评。然而，只有一种动物是天生的建筑家，牠们就是毛绒绒又有着可爱的啮齿动物──河狸。

Whenever a family of beavers settles down somewhere, they build a dam. Like night construction crews, beavers work nocturnally. Beavers use their razor-sharp teeth to gnaw through sticks and logs to create the perfect-sized lumber they need. With their paws, they also gather some mud and stones and transport them to the construction site. For a team of expert beaver builders, it only takes a few short days to construct a small dam. However, larger projects, which can measure 10 feet high and wide, may take a bit longer. Once a dam is completed, beavers begin to design their own tiny apartments, called lodges, using branches and mud. Every autumn, beavers make sure they cover the lodges with a fresh coat of mud. When the cold sets in, the mud freezes and becomes as hard as cement, making it impossible for predators to penetrate. It’s undoubtedly the best home security system available to creatures of the forest.

不管河狸全家定居何处，牠们都会建造水坝。河狸如晚班的建筑人员，于夜间工作。河狸会用利齿啃咬木头，以雕出牠们所需的完美尺寸木头。牠们也用爪子聚集泥巴、石头，并将之运送至工地。对专业的河狸建筑团队而言，只需短短几天就可建造一座小水坝。但若是较浩大的工程，例如十呎宽高的水坝，则需要较长时间。一旦水坝建造完成，河狸就会开始用树枝和泥巴设计属于牠们的小房子，名为「小窝」。每逢秋天，河狸会确保他们的窝覆盖上新鲜泥巴。当寒冬来袭，泥巴就会结冰，变成像水泥一样硬，以防猎物袭击入侵。无疑地，对于森林动物而言，这是最佳的住所保全系统。

In addition to protecting their makers, beaver-built dams provide a sustainable habitat for frogs, ducks, and fish. And these dams filter out toxins and sediment from streams. Although they might not know it, by building dams, beavers are helping the circle of life to continue.

河狸除了保护自己搭建的窝，其建造的水坝也为青蛙、鸭子和鱼类提供一处永久栖息地。这些水坝会过滤河流带来的毒素和沉积物。虽然河狸或许不自知，但藉由建造水坝，牠们使生命得以循环不息。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音

intellect [ˋɪnt!͵ɛkt] n. 才智非凡的人，才华出众的人

celebrated [ˋsɛlə͵bretɪd] adj. 著名的，驰名的

infallible [ɪnˋfæləb!] adj. 绝对正确的；永无过失的

fuzzy [ˋfʌzɪ] adj. 有绒毛的

adorable [əˋdorəb!] adj. 可爱的

rodent [ˋrodnt] n. 啮齿目动物

buck-toothed [ˋbʌktuθt] adj. 龅牙的

settle down 定居, 成家过安定的生活 to settle into a stable way of life; to get married and settle into a stable way of life

nocturnally [nɑkˋtɝn!ɪ] adv. 在夜间

razor [ˋrezɚ]  n. 剃刀

gnaw [nɔ] v. 咬，啃，啮

lumber [ˋlʌmbɚ] n. 木材，木料

paw [pɔ] n. 脚爪；爪子

lodge [lɑdʒ] n.（海狸等的）巢穴

set in 开始 to begin

penetrate [ˋpɛnə͵tret] v. 进入; 渗入

sediment [ˋsɛdəmənt] n. 沉积物

Reading Questions

1.    According to the article, what separates the beaver from its animal kingdom counterparts?

(A)  Beaver can build relatively complex structures.

(B)  Beavers have a highly evolved communication system.

(C)  Beavers prefer to live alone rather than in groups.

(D)  Beavers spend their entire lives on land.

2.    Which of the following statements about beavers is NOT true?

(A)  They can build their homes in just a few days.

(B)  They indirectly provide a suitable home for other animals.

(C)  They use their teeth to create the lumber they need for their homes.

(D)  They work mostly during the daylight hours.

3.    Why do beavers coat their homes in mud before winter sets in?

(A)  It makes the dam wider and less likely to topple.

(B)  It makes the dam larger and moreintimidating to predators.

(C)  It keeps dangerous animals out when it freezes.

(D)  It keeps the beavers warm inside the dam.

BBC Wildlife Beavers the Master Builders 

Answer