【美文赏析】

Global Warming and the Polar Bear

A Polar bears prefer to live in extremely cold artic climates. They live only in the Northern Hemisphere, on the arctic ice cap, and they spend most of their time on coastal areas. Polar bears are widely

spread in Canada, extending from the northern arctic islands south to the Hudson Bay area. They are also found in Greenland, on islands off the shore of Norway, on the northern coast of the former Soviet Union, and on the northern and northwestern coasts of Alaska in the United States.

B The polar bear is the largest members of the bear family. Males Polar Bears stand from eight to 11 feet tall and generally weigh from 500 to 1,000 pounds, but can weigh as much as 1,400 pounds.

Female bears generally stand eight feet tall and weigh 400 to 600 pounds, except some, which can reach 700 pounds. The reason the polar bear weighs so much is that it stores about a four-inch layer of fat to keep it warm. The polar bear has a long, narrower head and nose, and small ears. It has coat that appears white but, each individual hair is actually clear and hollow. This helps the

polar bear keep warm. The polar bear's coat helps it blend in with its snowy surroundings, this adaptation helps the Polar Bear hide while hunting. The polar bear's front legs are slightly pigeon-toed, and fur covers the bottoms of its paws. These adaptations help polar bears keep themselves from slipping on ice.

C They mainly live on the meat but rarely eat plants. That is why it is considered to be a carnivore, or meat-eater. The ringed seal is the polar bear's primary prey. A polar bear hunts a seal by waiting quietly for it to emerge from an opening a seal makes in the ice, allowing them to breathe or climb out of the water to rest. Polar bears eat only the seal's skin and blubber of the seal. The remaining meat provides a food source for other animals in the Arctic. Polar bears also prey on young walrus’s. The remains of whale, seal, and walrus are also important sources of food for polar bears. In fact, because of their acute sense of smell, polar bears can sense animal remains from far away.

E Some people at first suppose that polar bears are social animals. However, they are, actually, solitary animals. There are two exceptions to this: when a mother polar bear has cubs and during mating season. Polar bears are in active most of their life. They spend their time either sleeping or lying around. The rest of the time is spent traveling, hunting, or eating. After eating, a bear will clean itself by rinsing and licking their fur. It is estimated that there are about 28,000 polar bears worldwide. Most of the population is located in Canada and the Soviet Union. The rest of it is in Greenland and Norway.

F However, climate warming is already significantly impacting wildlife around the globe. If global warming is continuing on this path, the melting of artic ice caps will cause a big problem for the polar bears and their cubs. It will eventually drive the polar bears to go on land and compete with the brown bears. When worst comes to worst the polar bears will be forced to swim larger bodies of water to obtain their food. This will then affect their sex drive and their ability to reproduce.

看了这篇文章之后，对于动物的介绍是不是稍稍有了些头绪呢？接下来专家就来总结一下考试Cue Card的回答结构和常用句型。当然这些句型也可以套用来回答其他与动物相关的part 1以及part 2的问题。

【内容模板】

1、引入：

1) I have a real sweetheart whose name is ______________

2) My particular interest is _______.（Cambridge 6 Test 4 Section 4）

3) ____________is the most peaceful and docile(温顺的) pet I’ve ever had.

填入某种动物的名称，如：panda, mandarin duck (鸳鸯), parrot等。

4) You know, … are regarded as the symbol of…

5) … has the reputation of________ （Cambridge 4 Test 4 Section 4）

填入表示性格或者是特色的名词，如：鸽子dove is the symbol of peace; 狮子则对应independence（独立） and dignity（高贵）；狗毫无疑问是loyalty和companionship的标志。

2、动物生理特征

1) It is _________________________.

空格中可以填入表示大小的形容词，如：small/ medium-sized/ huge/ extremely large/giant / gigantic

也可以填入表示特性的形容词，如smart, intelligent, adorable, dangerous, fierce, affectionate, cuddly

2) Common characteristics of it include a large/ small body with_____________

3) It is stunning with ___________________

填入身上的部位，如鸳鸯mandarin duck的鸟喙red bill，略带红色reddish face;熊的短小的腿stocky legs, 长长的大鼻子long snout, 蓬松的毛shaggy hair, 短小的尾巴a short tail; parrot的绚烂的羽毛

gorgeous feathers 和 a big colorful tail；老虎黑黄相间的条纹orange and black stripes，白色的腹部white underside，强有力的爪子和牙齿powerful claws and teeth; 大象有长长的象鼻来抓取食物a

long trunk to “grab” food 和巨大的牙来找水 huge tusks to dig for water.

4) It can stand up to _______________ meters. （r.f. reading material）

5) It can weigh up to _______________kilograms. （Cambridge 4 Test 4 Section 4）

填入重量，如老虎体重大约150—370 kg ，棕熊体重可达800kg，狮子体重可达140—260kg左右。

3、动物生活习性

1) It feeds almost entirely on ___________ / It adopts a diet of __________/
2) A significant proportion of the its diet is made up of ________________.

（Cambridge 6 Test 4 Section 4）