Underneath the body there are five pairs of limbs—one pair joined to each ring of the body—and these areits legs or walking limbs.
虾的身体下面还有5对足, 每个体节上长着一对；这些足就相当于虾的“腿”, 也叫“步足”。
It is very hard to catch a shrimp with the hand. If you look at its tail, you will see that it is shaped like a fan. The shrimp can bend its tail forward below its body very quickly. This makes it shoot backwardsso quickly that we can scarcely see it as it moves.
想用手抓到虾是很困难的。看看虾的尾巴, 能看见它的形状像一把扇子。虾可以飞快地将尾巴往前弯, 弯到身子底下, 这样就能让它猛地向后冲去, 动作太快, 我们都看不清它是怎么移动的！
Shrimps are caught in nets fastened to long wooden handles. Men walk along the sand in the shallow water, and push these nets in front of them. Then many shrimps jump into the nets, and are caught.
人们捕虾, 用的是渔网。渔网固定在长长的木柄上。人们沿着浅水的沙子一直走, 把渔网放在前面, 就有很多虾跳进渔网, 被逮住了。
The mother shrimp lays many eggs at a time. They float in the sea, and change into little shrimps. As the little shrimp grows, its hard skin becomes too small for it. Then it throws off its old skin, and a new and larger one grows.
母虾一次产卵能产很多。虾卵浮在海水中, 孵出小虾。小虾长大了, 甲壳盛不下身体了, 就会扔掉旧的甲壳, 长出新的、更大的甲壳。
Next time you go to the sea-side, try to catch some shrimps with a little net, and have them boiled for your tea.
下次你去海边的时候, 也试着用小渔网抓点儿虾, 在下午茶的时候煮着吃吧！