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The Real-Life SpongeBob & Patrick Star 海绵宝宝与派大星实境秀

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

They are the latest superstars of kids’ TV: the grinning, wisecracking SpongeBob and his dopey friend Patrick Star. But while these lovable cartoon characters are appearing on T-shirts and backpacks everywhere, the animals on which they are based, the sponge and starfish, remain somewhat of an unknown quantity to most.

他们是儿童电视节目最新的超级巨星：笑口常开、逗趣俏皮的海绵宝宝和他反应慢半拍的好朋友派大星。虽然这些讨人喜欢的卡通人物在T恤及背包上到处都看得到，他们的本尊──海绵与海星──对大部分人来说都还有些陌生。

 

You could be forgiven for not realizing that a sponge is actually an animal at all, rather than just something that you use to clean dishes. In fact, sponges are one of the most primitive kinds of organisms on Earth, having existed in our oceans in some form or other for around 600 million years. They are found at every depth, from the shoreline right down to the deepest ocean trenches. There are roughly 2,500 different species of sponge, many of which are shaped like tubes or pots. It must be said that SpongeBob’s square shape bears little resemblance to most animal sponges!

如果你根本不知道海绵是动物，而不只是用来清洗餐具的东西，那是可以被原谅的。其实海绵是地球上最原始的生物之一，以某种形状在海洋中生活了约六亿年。各个深度都能发现牠们的踪迹，从海岸线下探到最深的海沟都有。海绵大约有2,500个不同的物种，大多是管状或壸状。海绵宝宝方正的形状可说是和大部分的动物海绵一点都不像。

 

Although they are classed as animals, sponges don’t possess any organs or even tissues as such. With no recognizable digestive system, they “feed” by means of pores in their outer walls. Through these pores, they pump water in and out of their bodies, filtering nutrition and removing waste.

虽然海绵被归类为动物，但牠们没有任何器官甚至是组织这类的东西。牠们没有可以看得出来的消化系统，而是藉由外壁上的孔来「进食」。透过这些孔，牠们将水从身体打进、打出，过滤养分也除去废物。

 

The majority of sponge species are fairly rough to the touch, but a few have soft skeletons, making them of practical use. The early Europeans used these kinds of sponges for cleaning in much of the same way that we use synthetic sponges. Indeed, natural sponges still “live” beside plenty of household kitchen sinks today.

大多数的海绵物种摸起来都相当粗糙，但少数有柔软的骨骸可拿来实用。早期欧洲人用这种海绵来清洁，就像我们使用人造海绵的方式一样。实际上，天然海绵现今仍和很多家用水槽「比邻而居」。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

real-life  真实的；现实的

primitive [ˋprɪmətɪv] adj. 原始的

organism [ˋɔrgən͵ɪzəm] n. 生物，有机体

roughly [ˋrʌflɪ] adv. 粗略地；大约

species [ˋspiʃiz] n.【生】种

class [klæs] v. 把……分类

possess [pəˋzɛs] v. 拥有，持有

as such: ....  这类的东西; 就本身而论; 同样地  with respect to its inherent nature

digestive [dəˋdʒɛstɪv] adj. 消化的；助消化的

by means of: 借着...方法(或手段) with the use of

filter [ˋfɪltɚ] v. 过滤

waste [west] n. 废（弃）物

majority [məˋdʒɔrətɪ] n. 多数，大多数

skeleton [ˋskɛlətn] n. 骨骼；骸骨

synthetic [sɪnˋθɛtɪk] adj. 合成的，人造的

 

More Information

单词发音

 

grin [grɪn] v. 露齿而笑

wisecracking [ˋwaɪzkrækɪŋ] adj. 说俏皮话的，爱说俏皮话的

dopey [ˋdopɪ] adj. 迟钝的；愚蠢的

lovable [ˋlʌvəb!] adj. 可爱的，讨人喜欢的

an unknown quantity 不了解的人或事物(因而无法估量其特点、重要性等) if someone or something is an unknown quantity, you do not know much about them or what effect they will have in the future

rather than 而不是... and not

shoreline [ˋʃorlaɪn] n. 海岸线；岸线地带

trench [trɛntʃ] n. 海沟；地沟

resemblance [rɪˋzɛmbləns] n. 相似；相貌相似

tissue [ˋtɪʃʊ] n.（动植物的）组织

pore [por] n. 毛孔；气孔；细孔

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Patrick Star’s alter ego, the starfish, generally enjoys greater public affection than the simple sponge. However, these creatures are not quite as cute as they may appear. To dispel one common misconception, starfish are not actually fish at all, but aquatic animals. Their main habitats are shallow waters and coral reefs.

派大星的分身海星和简单的海绵比起来，通常较受大众喜爱。不过这种生物可不如牠们看起来那么可爱。打破一个普遍的错误观念，海星（英文名称为starfish）根本不是鱼类，而是水生动物。牠们主要的栖息地为浅水域及珊瑚礁。

 

While most starfish have five “arms,” making up a perfect symmetrical star shape, there are variations, with some species sporting up to ten. Each of these arms contains its own set of internal organs as well as an eye, which is limited to distinguishing light from dark. Underneath each arm, there are two rows of tiny tube-like feet, which enable the starfish to move along the sea floor. If you felt like picking up a starfish, you’d need to be careful, as their skin can be quite spiky.

大部分的海星有五只「腕足」，形成完美的对称星形，不过不同品种还是有些差异，某些品种的腕足多达十只。每只腕足都有自己的一套内部器官，还有一个仅限于分辨光暗的眼睛（眼点）。在每只腕足下方有两排像管子的脚（管足），让牠们能沿着海床移动。如果想把海星拿起来，你得小心点，因为牠们的皮肤相当尖刺。

 

Unlike sponges, starfish are carnivores, with their favorite prey being shelled animals like oysters and clams. They have even been known to gulp down small fish on occasion! Their mouths are located beneath the center of the star, and they also possess a second stomach that can be extended outwards to enable them to swallow and digest larger animals. Another intriguing feature of the starfish is its ability to regrow lost limbs, although we would certainly not recommend cutting up starfish to test out this theory!

和海绵不同的是，海星是肉食性动物，最喜欢的猎物是像牡蛎和蛤蜊等有壳动物，有时甚至能将小鱼生吞下肚！牠们的嘴巴位于身体底部中间，而且有可向外伸出的第二个胃，让牠们能够吞噬与消化较大的动物。海星另一个有趣的特色是，牠们有断肢再生的能力，不过我们当然不建议你把海星切开来测试这项理论！

 

So, the next time you catch SpongeBob or Patrick Star on TV, just remember that the real-life versions have their own story to tell, too!

所以下次在电视上看到海绵宝宝和派大星时，记得真实版的生物也有属于牠们的有趣故事！

 

−by David Vickers

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

affection [əˋfɛkʃən] n. 钟爱

dispel [dɪˋspɛl] v. 消除（烦恼等）; 驱散（云等）

habitat [ˋhæbə͵tæt] n.（动物的）栖息地

shallow [ˋʃælo] adj. 浅的

symmetrical [sɪˋmɛtrɪk!] adj. 对称的

variation [͵vɛrɪˋeʃən] n. 变形（物）；变种; 变化

internal [ɪnˋtɝn!] adj. 内的，内部的

limit [ˋlɪmɪt] v. 局限..; 限定...

distinguish [dɪˋstɪŋgwɪʃ] v. 区别；识别

underneath [͵ʌndɚˋniθ] prep. 在……下面，在……底下

prey [pre] n. 被捕食的动物

gulp [gʌlp] down  一口吞下, 狼吞虎咽地吃

extend [ɪkˋstɛnd] v. 延长，延伸

recommend [͵rɛkəˋmɛnd] n. 建议; 推荐

 

More Information

单词发音

 

alter ego 化身; 分身

misconception [͵mɪskənˋsɛpʃən] n. 误解

aquatic [əˋkwætɪk] adj. 水生的

water [ˋwɔtɚ] n. 海域

sport [sport] v. 引人注目地穿戴; 炫耀

spiky [ˋspaɪkɪ] adj. 钉一般的；尖的

carnivore [ˋkɑrnə͵vɔr] n. 食肉动物

shelled [ʃɛld] adj. 带壳的

clam [klæm] n. 蛤，蛤蜊

on occasion 不时; 偶尔  once in a while

intriguing [ɪn`trigɪŋ] adj. 〔由于奇特﹑神秘或出人意料而〕引起好奇心的; 令人感兴趣的

limb [lɪm] n. 肢；臂；脚

 

 

Reading Questions

 

1. Which is NOT true about sponges?

A. They are synthetic organisms.

B. They have no digestive system as such.

C. Some species are useful to people.

D. They have been around for about 600 million years.

 

2. Which is a feature of the starfish?

A. They have an even number of arms.

B. They eat plants like sponges.

C. They are too slow to catch fish.

D. They move by way of tube-like feet.

 

3. Which of the following is NOT a correct description for starfish?

A. Their favorite prey includes clams and oysters.

B. They are able to extend a second stomach.

C. They have eyes that function like human eyes.

D. Their shape is a symmetrical star.

 

4. What would be another suitable title for this article?

A. Funny Cartoon Characters Based On Animals

B. Sponges or Starfish: Which Are Cuter?

C. Man’s Use of Marine Life in the Kitchen

D. Sponges and Starfish: The Fascinating Facts

 

Spongebob Squarepants: 100 Episodes, 100 Moments

 

Sponge Feeding.mov

 

Sea Star Anatomy Part 1

 

Sea Star Anatomy Part 2

 

 

Answer

1. ( A)

2. ( D)

3. ( C)

4. ( D)