With their cone-shaped faces, porcupine-like spines, and a unique ability to curl into a tiny ball when they are threatened, hedgehogs are among the world’s most fascinatingmammals. Looking like a pincushionfull of needles, an adult hedgehog’s body rangesin length from 14 to 30 centimeters. They typically weigh 150 to 1,500 grams and can fit inside a small teacup.
Hedgehogs were given their name based on the way they search forfood—sneakingthrough hedges and undergrowth while grunting like a pig. Since hedgehogs have poor eyesight, they mostly rely ontheir keen senses of smell and hearing to search for food at night. With a diverse diet that includes fruit, mushrooms, insects, snails, and even snakes, hedgehogs are not picky eaters. Believe it or not, they are capable ofeating an amount equal toone-third of their body weight in a single night.
Hedgehogs build their homes, usually in the form ofnests, out of leaves, grass, branches, and similar plant materials. They are heavy sleepers and can rest up to 18 hours a day. While sleeping, they curl into a tight ball, which helps to regulate their body temperature and to protect them from predators. In addition tohibernating during winter, they use sleep as a way to survive through periods of extreme heat or drought, a process known as aestivation.
Sleeping soundly isn’t the only reason hedgehogs may need to curl into a ball. They also do so when in danger—exposing their sharp spines to would-beattackers. Hedgehogs also have another interesting trait—they chew on things and then spit on themselves to cover uptheir smell. What’s more, hedgehogs are immuneto most poisons, and some species even coattheir spines in poisonous material for extra protection.
1. Where would this passage most likely appear?
(A) In a farming manual.
(B) In a magazine about nature.
(C) In a physics textbook.
(D) In a column about pigs.
2. What does the word “keen” in the second paragraph mean?
(A) Awfully long.
(B) Terribly violent.
(C) Extremely good.
(D) Particularly tough.
3. Which of the following is NOT a reason hedgehogs curl into a ball?
(A) To sleep well.
(B) To keep their bodies warm.
(C) To roll fast when predators get close.
(D) To protect themselves when facing enemies.
4. In what order are aspects of hedgehogs discussed in the passage?
(A) Size → Diet → Sleeping Habits → Defensive Behavior
(B) Diet → Size → Defensive Behavior → Sleeping Habits
(C) Sleeping Habits → Defensive Behavior → Size → Diet
(D) Defensive Behavior → Size → Diet → Sleeping Habits
答案：1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A
Words for Reference
◆ fascinating [ˋfæsn͵etɪŋ] a. 迷人的
◆ pincushion [ˋpɪn͵kʊʃən] n. 針插，針墊
◆ eyesight [ˋaɪ͵saɪt] n. 視力
◆ drought [draʊt] n. 乾旱
◆ would-be [ˋwʊd͵bi] a. 即將成為……的；想要成為……的
◆ trait [tret] n. 特質
◆ immune [ɪˋmjun] a. 免疫的
◆ manual [ˋmænjʊəl] n. 手冊；說明書
Phrases for Reference
◆ Believe it or not, ... 信不信由你，……
◆ in addition to N/V-ing 除⋯⋯之外
Practical Phrases
1. range from... to... （範圍）從……到……
• Most products here are on sale, ranging from televisions to kitchenware.
大部分的產品都在特賣，從電視到廚具不一而足。
2. search for... 尋找……
• The police helped search for the missing girl.
警方協助尋找那位失蹤女孩。
3. rely on / upon... 依賴⋯⋯；信賴⋯⋯
• I trust Dave very much. I know he is a man I can always rely on.
我很信任戴夫。我知道他是一個我一直可以信賴的人。
4. be capable of V-ing 有能力（做）……
• Don’t worry. Nick’s capable of looking after himself.
不用擔心。尼克能夠照顧自己。
5. be equal to... 等於……；能勝任……
• A kilocalorie is equal to 1,000 calories.
一大卡等於一千卡路里的熱量。
6. in the form of... 以……的形式
• Ben sent a message in the form of an audio recording.
小班以錄音的形式發送了一則訊息。
7. cover up... 遮掩……
• Honesty is the best policy. Don’t try to cover up a lie with more lies.
One colleague of mine has nice, long curls.
我的一位同事有一頭漂亮的長捲髮。
The hairdresser curled Kathy’s hair and styled it for the wedding.
髮型師為凱西的婚禮將她的頭髮弄捲並做造型。
高中 Level 4
●
threaten
[ˋθrɛtn]
vt. 威脅……；有……的前兆
Todd threatened his wife with divorce.
陶德以離婚威脅他老婆。
These clouds threaten rain.
這些雲是下雨的前兆。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
sneak
[snik]
vi. 偷偷地走
n. 偷偷摸摸的人
vt. 偷拿
三態
sneak / sneaked, snuck [snʌk] / snuck [snʌk]
Tom sneaked into the classroom in the middle of a lecture without being noticed.
湯姆在課上到一半時偷偷溜進教室沒被發現。
Customers are not allowed to sneak outside food into the movie theater.
電影院不准許顧客把外食偷偷帶進去。
高中 Level 5
●
keen
[kin]
a. 激烈的；敏銳的；渴望的
Though the competition was keen, we kept going and finally succeeded.
雖然這場比賽競爭很激烈，但是我們不斷努力終於獲得成功。
Marcie has a keen eye for beauty.
瑪西很有審美觀念。
Sandy is keen on studying abroad someday.
珊蒂巴不得有一天能出國深造。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
diverse
[daɪˋvɝs]
a. 多樣的
=
various
New York is well-known for its diverse cultures.
紐約因其多元文化著稱。
多益藍色
英檢中高
高中 Level 4
●
picky
[ˋpɪkɪ]
adj. 挑剔的
David is picky about what he eats.
大衛對吃的很挑剔。
●
regulate
[ˋrɛgjə͵let]
.vt. 規範；調節，調整
=
control
=
adjust
With the number of cars increasing on a constant basis, the police are having a hard time regulating traffic in the city.
由於車輛數目不斷在增加，警方在管理市區交通上遇到很大的麻煩。
Your health will be ruined if you do not regulate your life.
你生活再不規律點，健康都要給毀了。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
predator
[ˋprɛdətɚ]
n. 捕食者，掠食者
With teeth that are razor-sharp, the shark is a dangerous predator of many marine animals.
鯊魚有著尖銳的牙齒，是掠食許多海洋動物的危險生物。
高中 Level 5
●
survive
[sɚˋvaɪv]
vt. & vi. 倖存，留存；比（某人）活得久
Only a few people survived the flood.
這次洪水只有一些人生還。
After the war, only a few historical buildings survived.
戰後，只有少數歷史建築倖存下來。
Charlie’s wife survived him by ten years.
查理的老婆比他多活 10 年。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
soundly
[ˋsaʊndlɪ]
adv. （睡覺）沉沉地，酣暢地
Terry sleeps soundly every night.
泰瑞每晚都睡得很香甜。
英檢中級
●
expose
[ɪkˋspoz]
vt. 暴露
The politician’s corruption was exposed by the press.
該政客的貪汙被新聞界披露了。
The film was ruined by beingexposed to light.
這捲底片因曝光而毀了。
To learn English well, you should expose yourself more tothis language.
要把英文學好，你就該多接觸這個語言。
