5. Rats老鼠

New words新单词

mother (n.)

读音：[ˈmʌðə(r)]

释义：母亲，妈妈（名词）

father (n.)

读音：[ˈfɑ:ðə(r)]

释义：父亲，爸爸（名词）

keep (v.)

读音：[ki:p]

释义：保持，保留；饲养（动词）

female(adj)

读音：[ˈfi:meɪl]

释义：女性的，雌性的（形容词）

male(adj)

读音：[meɪl]

释义：男性的，雄性的（形容词）

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People usually think of rats as dirty, dangerous animals. Mothers and fathers teach their children to stay away from them, and nobody keeps them as pets. Many people keep cats so the cats can chase away or hunt and kill the rats that come near the house.

人们往往认为老鼠是又脏又危险的动物。父母教育孩子们要远离它们并且没有人饲养老鼠当宠物。许多人养猫，猫能赶走或者捕杀靠近房子的老鼠。

There are many different kinds of rats, and most of them are not dangerous to people. This is because most rats live in places where there are no people.

老鼠种类繁多，它们大多数对人没有危险。这是因为大多数老鼠生活在无人区。

Rats live in many parts of the world, but most of them live in Asia. The kinds of rats which are dangerous are called ‘black rats’ and ‘brown rats’.

老鼠生活在世界上的许多地方，不过它们大多数生活在亚洲。危险的老鼠种群被称为“黑鼠”或者“棕鼠”。

Black rats like to live near people. They are dangerous because they can get into our kitchens and bathrooms at night. They can walk over or eat our food. This makes the food dirty and can make us sick. This is why mothers and fathers tell us to keep our bathrooms and kitchens clean.

黑鼠喜欢生活在人类附近。它们很危险，因为它们能在夜里进入我们的厨房和浴室。它们能四处走动或吃我们的食物。这就会弄脏食物并且让我们生病。这就是为什么父母告诉我们要保持浴室和厨房干净。

The ‘black rat’ is not always black. It can be other colors, too. At first, black rats lived only in Asia, but these days they live in nearly all parts of the world. Female black rats are the most dangerous. They are more dangerous than the males.

“黑鼠”并不总是黑色的，它也可以是其他颜色。起初，黑鼠只生活在亚洲，但现在它们几乎生活在世界各地。雌性黑鼠最危险，它们比雄性黑鼠更危险。

What about brown rats? At first, brown rats also lived only in Asia. Now, like the black rat, they live in nearly all parts of the world. Brown rats look a lot like black rats, but they are different in size. Brown rats are bigger than black rats.

那么棕鼠呢？起初，棕鼠也只生活在亚洲。现在，正如黑鼠，它们几乎生活在世界各地。棕鼠看上去很像黑鼠，但是它们大小不同。棕鼠比黑鼠更大。

Brown rats are different in other ways, too. The black rat does not like to go in water, but the brown rat does. It likes to hunt and kill fish. Female brown rats can have more young than female black rats. They can have two to twenty-two young, and they can do this twelve times a year!

棕鼠在其他方面也有所不同。黑鼠不喜欢下水，但是棕鼠喜欢。棕鼠喜欢捕杀鱼。雌性棕鼠比雌性黑鼠繁衍的幼鼠更多。它们一次可以产下二十二只幼鼠，它们一年可以生十二次！

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Pat and her father are talkingabout rats.

佩特和她爸爸正在谈论老鼠。

Pat

Daddy, should I call you “Daddy” or “Father”?

Father

Well, you can call me “Father” or “Daddy” or “Dad”.

Pat

I think I like “Dad” best.

。

Father

All right. Older children usually say “Dad”, and you’re older now, aren’t you?

Pat

Yes, and when do we say “Father”?

Father

We usually say “Father” when we speak to other people. We say things like, “My father says we should be kind to animals.”

Pat

What about Mommy? What should I call her?

Father

You can call her “Mommy”, “Mom” or “Mother”. Older children usually use “Mom”.

Pat

All right, I’ll call her “Mom” from now on. Dad, yesterday we learned that we should protect wild animals, but what about rats? Should we protect rats, too?

Father

M..mm.m, that’s a difficult question. People are not really interested in protecting rats.

Pat

That’s because they’re dirty and dangerous.

Father

The ones that live near people are. Rats in the wild are not dangerous, but farmers don’t like them because they eat the food the farmers grow.

Pat

Dad – I know someone who likes rats.

Father

Really? Who’s that?

Pat

Lee. Lee said he would like to have a rat as a pet.

Father

Oh, yes. Lee always likes things that other people don’t like.

佩特

爸爸，我该喊你“爸爸”还是“父亲”？

父亲

呃，你可以喊我“父亲”、“爸爸”或者“爸”。

佩特

我想我最喜欢“爸”。

父亲

行。大孩子通常喜欢喊“爸”，你现在长大一些了，是吧？

佩特

是的，我们什么时候喊“父亲”？

父亲

我们通常在与别人聊天的时候说“父亲”。我们这样说，“父亲说我们应该善待动物。”

佩特

那妈妈呢？我应该喊她什么？

父亲

你可以喊她“妈妈”、“妈”或者“母亲”。大孩子通常喜欢喊“妈”。

佩特

行，我从现在起会喊她“妈”。爸，昨天我们学习了我们应该保护野生动物，但是老鼠呢？我们也应该保护老鼠吗？

父亲

呃……那是一个难题。人们对保护老鼠不是很感兴趣。

佩特

那是因为它们又脏又危险。

父亲

生活在人类附近的老鼠是这样的。野外的老鼠不危险，但是农民不喜欢它们，因为它们会吃农民种植的粮食。

佩特

爸，我认识一个喜欢老鼠的人。

父亲

真的吗？是谁啊？

佩特

李。李说他想养一只老鼠当宠物。

父亲

噢，对。李总是喜欢别人不喜欢的东西。

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Questions

1. Are most rats dangerous?

2. Where do rats live?

3. How can rats make us sick?

3. Which kind of black rat is the most dangerous?

4. How many young can female brown rats have?

5. What did Pat learn yesterday?

6. Why don’t farmers like rats?

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