Animal Camouflage

陳傳光

語篇導語

偽裝是指動物將自身融入周圍的環境避免被其他生物發現。偽裝是一種古老的藝術，地球上的生物每天都依靠它生存，有的為了躲避天敵，有的為了捕捉獵物。動物們有很多偽裝自己的方式。讓我們一起走進下文，看看動物們都是如何偽裝自己的吧！

Concealing Coloration

Imagine that you are walking through a snowy field. All of sudden， out of the corner of your eye， you see a white thing run past you. It is a snow shoe hare， and you didnt see it until it started moving. The snow shoe hare is one of many animals that use a form of camouflage called concealing coloration. Concealing coloration happens when an animal is colored so that it blends in with its background. In this case， the snow shoe hare is white to blend in with the snow on the ground.

By disappearing into their surroundings， animals are able to avoid attacks by predators if they remain still or move slowly. In the rainforest， tree frogs are dark green to match the leaves around them.

Disruptive Coloration

Did you know that zebras can outsmart lions？ When a herd of zebras realizes that a lion is about to attack， they all run together. To the lion， the zebra herd appears as one big black and white mass due to their stripes. The lion cant find a zebra easily.

Disguise

Disguise is when animals blend in with their surroundings by looking like another object. An insect that looks like a branch or leaf is using a costume to hide from predators.

Mimicry

Mimicry is when animals or insects look like other dangerous or poisonous animals or insects. They pretend to be what they are not. The elephant hawk caterpillar raises its head and moves from side to side like snake.

詞語沉淀

camouflage /?k?m?flɑ??/ n. 偽裝;隱蔽; hare /he?（r）/ n. 野兔;outsmart /a?t?smɑ?t/ v. 比……精明;智勝; herd /h??d/ n. 獸群;牧群;surrounding /s??ra?ndI/ n. 周圍的人或物; mass /m?s/ n. 一群;一堆;predator /pred?t?（r）/ n. 剝削者;掠奪者;poisonous /?p?Iz?n?s/ adj. 有毒的

典句賞析

1. Concealing coloration happens when an animal is colored so that it blends in with its background. 這種形式的偽裝只有在動物自身顏色與周圍環境相近時才會出現。

so that意為“以便”，引導目的狀語從句;blend in with... 意為“與……協調”。

【即時嘗試】 這件外套和她的膚色很協調。

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2. By disappearing into their surroundings， animals are able to avoid attacks by predators if they remain still or move slowly. 通過將自身顏色融入周圍環境，動物們只要保持靜止或者緩慢移動就可以避免很多捕食者的攻擊。

by doing sth. 意為“通過做某事”;be able to意為“能”，可用于各種時態，can也意為“能”，但只用于一般現在時和一般過去時;avoid （doing） sth. 意為“避免（做）某事”。

【即時嘗試】 李雷將能通過這次英語考試。

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3. To the lion， the zebra herd appears as one big black and white mass due to their stripes. 在獅子看來，斑馬群就像一個巨大的黑白相間的怪物。

to sb. 意為“對于某人來說”;appear as... 意為“以……出現”;due to意為“由于”。

【即時嘗試】 由于暴風雨，他來晚了。

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4. An insect that looks like a branch or leaf is using a costume to hide from predators. 昆蟲會變得很像一根樹枝或者一片樹葉來躲避捕食者。

that looks like a branch or leaf是定語從句，用于修飾先行詞insect;use sth. to do sth. 意為“使用某物做某事”;hide from意為“躲著某人”。

【即時嘗試】 他經常躲著他的老朋友。

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譯文助讀

體色隱藏

想象你正走在一片雪地上。突然間，眼角一瞄，看到一個白色東西跑過去。其實那是一只雪鞋兔，它不移動的時候你根本看不到它。雪鞋兔就是一種用體色隱藏來偽裝自己的動物。這種形式的偽裝只有在動物自身顏色與周圍環境相近時才會出現。在上述情況下，白色的雪鞋兔完美融入白色的雪地。

通過將自身顏色融入周圍環境，動物們只要保持靜止或者緩慢移動就可以避免很多捕食者的攻擊。在熱帶雨林中，深綠色的樹蛙將自己隱藏在樹葉中。

顏色干擾

你知道斑馬要比獅子聰明得多嗎？當斑馬群意識到一頭獅子將它們作為捕食目標的時候，它們會聚在一起狂奔。對獅子來說，斑馬群由于身上有斑紋，看起來像一個巨大的黑白相間的群體。獅子不能輕易地找到一只斑馬。

掩飾

動物們經常會使自身變得很像周圍環境中的一樣東西來隱藏自己。昆蟲會變得很像一根樹枝或者一片樹葉來躲避捕食者。

模擬

模擬是指動物和昆蟲將自身假裝成其他具有危險性或者有毒的動物和昆蟲的樣子。它們掩飾原來的身份。象鷹毛蟲抬起頭，就像蛇一樣左右移動。