Jellyfish are badly named. They are neither a fish nor made of jelly. Instead, their bodies are made up of 95% water and 5% solid matter. They have been in existence for at least half a billion years. Hence, they are older than dinosaurs. Surprisingly, they don’t have a brain, a heart, or lungs. You may wonder how they can possibly survive without these vital organs, but everything is for the best. They don’t have lungs because their skin is so thin that they can absorb oxygen through it. They don’t need a heart to pump blood because they don’t have any. And they have a nerve net—which is sensitive to touch—below their outer skin. They respond to the changes in their environment using signals from the nerve net, so they don’t need a brain to process complex thoughts.
Theirvariety is nearly endless. Most of them are umbrella-shaped and have tentacles. Some jellyfish have very long tentacles. However, they never get tangled up or sting themselves. That’s because the tentacles are very slippery and will only sting other animals. Most jellyfish have little or no vision, but they can detect light and ocean currents, which helps them to navigate and move. A few species can also recognize color and have a 360-degree view of their environment.
Jellyfish come in all sizes, from 0.5 millimeters to the giant Nomura’s jellyfish, which can measure up to two meters in diameter and weigh over 200 kilograms. While jellyfish are beautiful, they can also be dangerous. Some jellyfish toxins can be deadly to humans, such as those from the box jellyfish and the Australian Irukandji, but deaths are relatively rare given the number of jellyfish-stingvictims every year. In any case, it’s better to stay out of the way of any jellyfish you may see! You can go swimming with dolphins, but you definitely want to think twice before swimming with jellyfish.
1. What does the author mean by “everything is for the best” in the first paragraph?
(A) Ocean creatures without vital organs don’t live long.
(B) Jellyfish live just fine with what they naturally have.
(C) The numerous ocean species make life pretty easy for jellyfish.
(D) It’s best for jellyfish to live in the ocean because everything is suitable for them.
2. How long have jellyfish lived on our planet?
(A) At least 5,000,000,000 years.
(B) More than 500,000,000 years.
(C) Roughly 50,000,000 years.
(D) Less than 5,000,000 years.
3. Which of the following statements about jellyfish stings is true?
(A) They are not painful to humans.
(B) Only Nomura’s jellyfish stings are deadly.
(C) Thousands of people die from them every year.
(D) They are rarely fatal, but people should watch out for them.
4. Which of the following topics about jellyfish is NOT mentioned in the reading?
(A) Their size.
(B) Their toxicity.
(C) Their diets.
(D) Their appearance.
答案： 1. B 2. B 3. D 4. C
Words for Reference
◆ jelly [ˋdʒɛlɪ ] n. 果凍 ◆ dinosaur [ˋdaɪnə͵sɔr ] n. 恐龍\ ◆ endless [ˋɛndlɪs ] a. 無窮盡的，不斷的 ◆ vision [ˋvɪʒən] ] n. 視力 ◆ current [ˋkɝənt ] n. 水流 ◆ navigate [ˋnævə͵get ] vi. 確定方向；航行 ◆ millimeter [ˋmɪlɪ͵mitɚ ] n. 毫米 ◆ diameter [ daɪˋæmətɚ ] n. 直徑 ◆ definitely [ˋdɛfənɪtlɪ ] adv. 肯定地，必然 ◆ toxicity [ tɑkˋsɪsətɪ ] n. 毒性 ◆ appearance [ əˋpɪrəns ] n. 外表，樣子
Practical Phrases
1. be made up of... 由……組成 • The poor child’s lunch was merely made up of a bowl of rice and an egg. 那可憐孩子的午餐僅有一碗白飯和一顆蛋。
2. in existence 存在
existence [ ɪgˋzɪstəns ] n. 存在
• That custom has been in existence for about 500 years. 那個風俗已存在約五百年了。
3. be sensitive to sth 對某物敏感
sensitive [ ˋsɛnsətɪv ] a. 敏感的
• Christine is sensitive to changes in temperature. 克莉絲汀對溫度的變化很敏感。
4. respond to sth 對某事做出反應；回應某事 • Jenny didn’t respond to my question, which made me mad. 珍妮沒有回答我的問題，讓我很生氣。
5. get / be tangled up 纏結在一起
tangle [ ˋtæŋg! ] vt. 使纏結，使糾纏
• The wires on the ground are all tangled up. 地上的電線都纏在一起了。
6. 某物 + come in + 顏色∕尺寸等某物有……的顏色∕尺寸 • The shirt comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. 這款襯衫有三種尺寸：小、中和大。
7. think twice 再三考慮，三思 • Given that the economy is still weak, we should think twice about making an investment. 有鑑於經濟仍然疲弱不振，我們做投資應三思。
8. watch out for... 注意∕防備…… • Lily told her son to watch out for snakes in the woods. 莉莉告誡她的兒子要小心森林裡出沒的蛇。
Words in Use
1. vital [ˋvaɪt! ] a. 極重要的 • Technology plays a vital part in our modern life. 科技在我們的現代生活中扮演了極為重要的角色。
2. pump [ pʌmp ] vt. 抽送（氣體或液體） • Dad pumped air into the tire of my bike. 爸爸替我的腳踏車輪胎打氣。
3. signal [ˋsɪgn! ] n. 信號 • A red flag is often used as a signal for danger. 紅色的旗子常用作危險的信號。
4. process [ˋprɑsɛs ] vt. 處理（資料、數據等） • The machine processed the information and gave me an answer in minutes. 這臺機器處理了訊息並在幾分鐘內就給我答案。
5. variety [ vəˋraɪətɪ ] n. 種類 • The food of this restaurant is very tasty and the variety is endless. 這家餐廳的食物非常好吃，種類多到數不清。
6. sting [ stɪŋ ] vt. 刺，叮 & n.（昆蟲等的）叮咬 三態為：sting, stung [ stʌŋ ], stung。 • After I was stung by a bee, my arm swelled up like a balloon. 被蜜蜂叮到後，我的手臂腫得像氣球似的。 • Bill is allergic to bees and one sting could kill him. 比爾對蜜蜂過敏，被叮一下就可能致命。
7. slippery [ˋslɪpərɪ ] a. 滑的，滑溜的 • Brake gently if the road is slippery. 路面溼滑的話要輕踩煞車。
8. detect [ dɪˋtɛkt ] vt. 察覺，發現 • Some cancers can be cured if detected early. 有些癌症如果早點發現可望治癒。
9. relatively [ˋrɛlətɪvlɪ ] adv. 相對地，蠻 • It was quite cold yesterday, but it is relatively hot today. 昨天很冷，不過今天相對較熱。
10. given [ˋgɪvən ] prep. 有鑑於∕考慮到⋯⋯ • Given his young age, the little boy did quite well. 考慮到他年紀還小，這個小男孩的表現算是相當不錯的了。
11. victim [ˋvɪktɪm ] n. 受害者 • The government compensated the victims of the earthquake for their property losses. 政府補償地震受災戶的財產損失。
More to Learn
survive [ sɚˋvaɪv ] vi. 生存，存活 • To survive in a highly competitive society, people must often take on a heavy workload. 在競爭高度激烈的社會中生存，大家必須經常承受沉重的工作量。
a. 表「倖存、生還」，可作不及物動詞或及物動詞。 • Thanks to the rain, the crops will survive. 多虧了這場雨，農作物將得以存活。 • Only a baby survived the plane crash. 那場空難中只有一名嬰兒倖免於難。
b. 作不及物動詞，表「留存、保存下來」。 • All of the writer’s novels survive in their original manuscript form. 這位作家的所有小說都以其原始手稿的形式保存下來。
c. 作及物動詞，表「熬過」。 • To become a part of this team, candidates have to survive a tough, 10-week training course. 想成為該團隊的其中一員，候選人必須熬過十週的艱苦訓練課程。
d. 作及物動詞，表「比……活得久」。 • The woman survived her husband by 10 years. 那名女子比她丈夫多活了十年。
Grammar Tips
They respond to the changes in their environment using signals from the nerve net, so they don’t need a brain to process complex thoughts.
介紹分詞句構的動詞變化 ※ 一句中有兩個動詞同時存在時，彼此之間一定要有連接詞相連。 • Sarah usually reads novels or listens to music before bedtime. 莎拉睡前通常會看小說或聽音樂。 • Please fill out the forms and wait here. 請填寫表格後在這裡等。
※ 若兩個動詞之間無連接詞相連時，就要注意下列的變化原則： a. 若兩個動詞所代表的動作同時發生時，第二個動詞要變成現在分詞（如本文用法），若該動詞是 be 動詞時，變成現在分詞 being 之後要省略。 • Brian sat in the corner read / was reading the newspaper. (X) → Brian sat in the corner reading the newspaper. (O) 布萊恩坐在角落看報紙。
b. 若兩個動詞所代表的動作並非同時發生，而是有先後次序時，第二個動詞就要變成不定詞片語（to + 原形動詞），以表示「目的」。 • The young couple asked the bank for a loan bought a house. (X) → The young couple asked the bank for a loan to buy a house. (O) 那對年輕夫婦向銀行貸款買房子。
※ 若兩個動詞有逗點相隔而無連接時，則不必考慮動詞所代表的動作先後發生的次序，第二個動詞一律變成現在分詞，此時第二個動詞多是表「附帶∕後續動作」或「後果」。 • Sandy ran out of the room, looking as if she were late for school. 珊蒂衝出房間，看起來像是上學要遲到了。 • I set out early, knowing that Ken was waiting for me. 我提早出發，因為我知道阿肯在等我。
