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The Sloth: Lazy King of the Jungle 懒王之王：树獭

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If there were a competition for the world’s laziest animal, then the sloth would likely walk away with the title. Even its ___1___ means “laziness,” as in one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Found in the rain forests of Central and South America, sloths spend the majority of their lives hanging upside down, and live at a ___2___ pace that few other animals can match.

.如果有动物世界的懒王大赛，那么树獭很有可能拔得头筹，就连牠们的名字都意味着七罪宗之一的「懒惰」。树獭栖息于中南美洲的雨林，大半辈子的时间都倒吊在树上，很少有动物比得上牠们缓慢的生活步调。

With their flat faces, big eyes, and an expression that seems ___3___ in a permanent smile, sloths are certainly curious-looking creatures. Their long limbs and curved claws come in handy for hanging, while their upside-down lifestyle has caused their fur to grow in the opposite direction to other mammals. In the wild, sloths’ fur often appears green, ___4___ a kind of algae that grows there. Attracted by the algae, various beetles and moths also ___5___ residence on the sloth. This may seem a bit gross, but it’s actually a mutually beneficial relationship: while the sloth offers shelter for the algae and insects, the algae’s green hue provides the sloth with a useful camouflage and the insects ___6___ parasites by eating them.

树獭有着扁平的脸和大大的眼睛，还有似乎永远带着微笑的表情，无疑是长相奇特的生物。牠们纤长的肢臂及弯曲的爪子在吊着时可以派上用场，而牠们倒吊的生活方式使毛发朝相反的方向生长，有别于其他哺乳类动物。在野外时，树獭的毛常呈现绿色，原因是牠们身上长了某种藻类，而各种甲虫及蛾类受到藻类吸引也寄居在树獭身上。这看起来乎有点恶心，但牠们之间其实是互利的关系：树獭提供藻类及昆虫庇护所，而绿色的藻类可为树獭形成受用的保护色，至于昆虫则替树獭吃掉身上的寄生虫。

Not surprisingly, this sluggish animal’s favorite pastime is sleeping, ___7___ which it spends 15 to 20 hours per day. Their diet of mostly leaves and buds does not provide much energy, which is one reason why they’re so lazy. Mating and even giving ___8___ upside down, sloths normally only descend to the ground to “go to the toilet,” a behavior they ___9___ to around once a week. Their slowness and awkwardness on the ground makes them very vulnerable to predators, although they are surprisingly capable swimmers. Finally, it’s worth ___10__ that arguably the most famous sloth in the world, Sid from the “Ice Age” animated movies, is also by far the fastest!

可想而知，这种懒洋洋的动物最爱的消遣就是睡觉了，牠们每天得要睡上15至20小时。树獭以树叶和花苞为主食，但食物提供的热量并不多，所以牠们才如此懒散。树獭倒吊着交配，甚至连生宝宝都是如此，「上厕所」则能免则免，通常大约一周只会到地面「上」一次。牠们在地面上缓慢而笨拙的姿态很容易成为掠食者攻击的目标，不过牠们可是出人意料的游泳高手。最后值得一提的是，世界上最有名的树獭──动画电影《冰原历险记》中的喜德──显然是动作最快的！

−by David Vickers

Vocabulary

单词发音

competition [͵kɑmpəˋtɪʃən] n. 比赛，竞赛

upside down 颠倒

pace [pes] n. 步调；速度

permanent [ˋpɝmənənt] adj. 永久的

come in handy 有用; 用得着; 派得上用场 to be useful

opposite [ˋɑpəzɪt] adj. 相反的

mammal [ˋmæm!] n. 哺乳动物

residence [ˋrɛzədəns] n. 住宅﹐住所

mutually [ˋmjutʃʊəlɪ] adj. 互相，彼此

beneficial [͵bɛnəˋfɪʃəl] adj. 有益的；有利的

shelter [ˋʃɛltɚ] n. 躲避处；避难所

parasite [ˋpærə͵saɪt] n. 寄生生物; 寄生虫

pastime [ˋpæs͵taɪm] n. 消遣；娱乐

vulnerable [ˋvʌlnərəb!] adj. 易受伤的; 易受攻击的

predator [ˋprɛdətɚ] n. 食肉动物；掠夺者

More Information

单词发音

sloth [sloθ] n. 树懒

walk away with 轻易赢得(奖品) to achieve or win easily

Seven Deadly Sins 受上帝惩罚的七大重罪

claw [klɔ] n.（动物的）爪

algae [`ældʒi] n. 藻类（植物）

moth [mɔθ] n. 蛾

gross [gros] adj.【俚】令人恶心的；令人讨厌的

hue [hju] n. 颜色，色彩

camouflage [ˋkæmə͵flɑʒ] n. 保护色; 伪装

sluggish [ˋslʌgɪʃ] adj. 缓慢的，迟钝的

descend [dɪˋsɛnd] v. 下来，下降

awkwardness [ˋɔkwɚdnɪs] n. 笨拙；粗劣

capable [ˋkepəb!] adj. 有技能的; 有能力（做某事）

arguably [ˋɑrgjʊəblɪ] adv. 可以说是; 可以认为

take up 占(地方) occupy

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Answer