Anyone who has seen Disney’s The Lion King will agree that one of the movie’s most popular characters is Timon. Timon, along with his best friend Pumbaa, provides Simba, the movie’s protagonist, with what he needs the most when they first encounter him—kindness and loyalty.
While millions of young children have viewed this classic movie, many of them might not be aware thatTimon is actually
a real-life meerkat, a small mammalnative tothe desert lands of southern Africa. Meerkats have a unique and adorableappearance primarily characterized by an uprightstandingpostureand dark patches around their eyes. Particularly, it is their standing pose that sets them apart from other mammals, most of which feel more comfortable on four legs.
Despite their cute appearance, meerkats must adopt clever strategies to survive in the harsh desert environment.They are highly cooperative and social animals living in family groups known as “mobs.” Each mob has a dominant femalein charge, and the other members of the mob have definedroles to ensure that no task is left undone. Some serve aswatchers who look out fordangerous predators in the sky like eaglesand hawks, while others hunt for food, including fruits, insects, small birds, rodents, and lizards. Meerkat mobs live in homes called burrows, which are essentially underground tunnel systems that enable groups to keep cool in the scorchingAfrican sun.
Intelligent and loyal, meerkats aretruly not toofar removed fromthe one depicted in the Disney classic. These fascinating creatures are much more than just cute animals and can surely teach us a thing or twoabout “standing” up for one another.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
(A) To outline the personalities of meerkats.
(B) To introduce a Disney classic to the readers.
(C) To set the stage for the discussion of meerkats.
(D) To specify what role Timon plays in Simba’s life.
2. Which of the following aspects of meerkats are mentioned in the passage?
a. mating behavior
b. physical features
c. living habitats
d. natural enemies
e. stress response
f. dietary habits
(A) a, b, c, f
(B) b, c, d, f
(C) a, d, e, f
(D) b, d, e, f
3. According to the passage, which of the following is a meerkat LEAST likely to eat?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
4. What can be inferred about meerkats from the passage?
(A) A male meerkat rules over the whole family.
(B) The division of labor in their mobs is quite clear.
(C) They only switch to standing positions when facing threats.
(D) Timon’s image in the Disney classic is totally different from that in real life.
答案: 1.C 2.B 3.D 4.B
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
aware
[əˋwɛr]
a. 知道的；察覺的（與介詞 of 並用）
=
conscious
You should always be aware of your surroundings.
你隨時要了解周遭的環境。
Mary was aware of Tom’s bad intentions, so she refused to go out with him.
瑪莉察覺出湯姆不懷好意，所以拒絕和他約會。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 3
●
native
[ˋnetɪv]
n. 本地人；土著
a. 祖國的；本地的，土生的
=
domestic
Chinese is Ken’s native language, but he is more fluent in Spanish.
中文是肯的母語，但是他的西班牙文比較流利。
Kiwi birds are native to New Zealand.
鷸鴕是紐西蘭的原產。
The natives were required to relocate to a safer area. 當地的人被要求遷居到一處更安全的地區。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
encounter
[ɪnˋkaʊntɚ]
.vt. 遭遇
n. 與……不期而遇（名詞時常與介詞 with 並用）
We encountered a small problem during the
trial period.
我們在測試階段時遭遇到一個小問題。
I first encountered my wife in Tokyo.
我和我太太第一次邂逅在東京。
Arthur’s first encounter with Alice was when
he was in Taipei.
亞瑟和愛莉絲的第一次相會是他在臺北的時候。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
loyalty
[ˋlɔɪəltɪ]
n. 忠誠，忠實
=
devotion
=
faithfulness
The boss thanked the retiring employee for his hard work and loyalty.
老闆感謝這位即將退休的員工過去的努力和忠誠。
高中 Level 4
●
mammal
[ˋmæm!]
n. 哺乳動物
The largest mammal is the blue whale.
最大的哺乳類動物是藍鯨。
高中 Level 5
●
adorable
[əˋdorəb!]
adj. 可愛的，討人喜歡的
=
cute
Sadie keeps an adorable little puppy as a pet.
莎蒂養了一隻可愛的小狗當寵物。
高中 Level 5
●
characterize
[ˋkærəktə͵raɪz]
vt. 描繪……的特性；具有……的特色（常用被動語態）
Scenes of rural life characterized the painter’s early works.
該畫家早期畫作的特徵是農村生活景象。
The author characterizedhis protagonist as confident and ambitious.
作者把他的主角描繪成一位有自信且野心勃勃的人。
This dictionary is characterized as being reader-friendly and comprehensive.
這本字典的特色是易讀與內容豐富。
高中 Level 5
●
patch
[pætʃ]
n. 一小塊（土地、汙漬等）；補釘
vt. 修補
There is only one small patch of grass in his front yard.
他的前院裡只有一小塊草皮。
The jacket Tom was wearing had two patches at the elbows.
湯姆穿的這件外套在手肘處有兩處補釘。
The man patched his jacket because he didn’t want to buy a new one.
這名男子修補他的夾克，因為他不想買新的。
I had a fight with my brother yesterday, but I patched things up with him this morning.
我昨天和弟弟吵架，但我今早和他合好了。
高中 Level 5
●
particularly
[pɚˋtɪkjəlɚlɪ]
adv. 特別地；尤其
The basketball game was exciting, particularly during the fourth quarter.
那場籃球賽令人非常興奮，尤其是第四節時。
英檢中級
高中 Level 2
●
harsh
[hɑrʃ]
a. 嚴厲的
=
severe
The punishment for such a young student was too harsh.
這懲罰對這麼年輕的學生來說太嚴苛了些。
Don’t you think you’re a little too harsh on your children?
你難道不覺得你對孩子太過嚴厲了嗎？
Terry was confronted with the harsh realities of job hunting after he graduated from college.
泰瑞大學畢業後便面臨找工作的殘酷現實。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
cooperative
[koˋɑpə͵retɪv]
a. 合作的
n. 合作企業
Though Sandra didn’t like the activity, she did her best to be cooperative.
雖然珊卓不喜歡這項活動，但她還是盡力去配合。
The new national bank will be run as a cooperative.
這間新的國家銀行將由一間合作企業經營。
高中 Level 4
●
dominant
[ˋdɑmənənt]
a. 支配的；重要的（職位）
=
bossy
=
domineering
I don’t like Vic because of his dominant personality.
維克老愛支使別人的這種性格讓我很不喜歡他。
John holds a dominant position in our company.
約翰在我們公司的職位很高。
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
●
depict
[dɪˋpɪkt]
vt. 描述，描繪
This novel depicts the extravagant life of the upper class.
這本小說描繪了上流社會奢侈浪費的生活。
Some Hollywood movies depict dark-skinned people as dangerous and violent, but this is not the case at all.
一些好萊塢電影把深色皮膚的人描繪成危險暴力分子，不過 實際上根本就不是這麼一回事。
高中 Level 5
●
protagonist
[proˋtægənɪst]
n. 主角
多益金色
●
upright
[ˋʌp͵raɪt]
adv. 垂直地，直立地
a. . 垂直的，直立的；正直的
n. 立柱；直立式鋼琴（= upright piano）
The plane is landing. Please return your seats to an upright position.
飛機要降落了，請將您的座椅調正。
We like Walter because he is upright and dependable.
我們喜歡華特，因為他正直又可靠。
Louise sat upright as soon as she heard a scream
coming from the kitchen.
一聽到廚房傳來尖叫聲，露易絲就馬上坐直了起來。
Judy wanted to buy the nice bed, but she thought
the uprights were a bit too large.
茱蒂想買那張好床，但她認為這張床的床柱有點太大了。
Because upright pianos take up less space than
grand pianos, they are good for homes and schools.
因為直立式鋼琴會比平臺鋼琴用到較少的空間，所以適合住
家和學校。
多益藍色
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
posture
[ˋpɑstʃɚ]
n. . 姿勢；立場，態度
vi. 裝模作樣
=
stance
Cindy’s poor posture led to her recurring back
problems.
辛蒂姿勢不良造成她的背部毛病經常發作。
The governor has adopted a neutral posture toward
gay marriage.
該州長對同性婚姻採取中立的態度。
Most people thought the politician was not being
sincere; they believed he was posturing to get votes.
大多數人認為這政治人物不真誠；他們認為他是為了爭取選
票而在裝模作樣。
高中 Level 6
●
defined
[dɪˋfaɪnd]
a. 清楚的，清晰的
英檢中級
●
scorching
[ˋskɔrtʃɪŋ]
a. 酷熱的
●
habitat
[ˋhæbə͵tæt]
n. (動物) 棲息地
Wildlife in Taiwan has lost large areas of natural habitat because of urban sprawl.
由於城區肆意擴展，臺灣的野生動物失去了大片的自然棲息地。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
Practical Phrases
●
compare with / to...
比較……
Compared with my plain boxed meal, Becky’s seemed like a great delicacy. 和我很普通的便當相比，貝琪的便當看起來是山珍海味。
●
be aware + that 子句
知道／注意到⋯⋯
You must be aware that a blood donation can save someone else's life.
你一定知道捐血可以救人一命。
●
be native to + 地方
是某地所獨有的
This kind of bird is native to that island.
這種鳥是該島所獨有的。
●
in charge
掌管；負責
●
look out for
注意／留心⋯⋯
You really need to look out for cars when you cross the street.
過馬路時務必要注意來車。
●
be far removed from
與⋯⋯相去甚遠
The luxury of my brother's mansion is far removed from my old small apartment.
我哥哥豪宅的奢華與我又舊又小的公寓相去甚遠。
●
serve as...
作為⋯⋯之用 / 擔任⋯⋯
This book can serve as a guide to help you learn to cook.
這本書可作為幫助你學習烹調的指南。
Sharon's excellent speaking skills allow her to serve as the host of the event.
雪倫傑出的演講技巧使她得以擔任這場活動的主持人。
Particularly, it is their standing pose that sets them apart from most other mammals, most of which feel more comfortable on four legs.
介紹關係代名詞與數量詞之間的關係
※ 本句使用「主要子句 + 逗點 + 數量詞 + of + 關係代名 詞(whom / which)引導的形容詞子句」的句構。在 寫作時，學生往往會誤用受格 them 而造成兩句沒有 連接詞連接的錯誤句構。
• Joseph has three sons, one of them is a doctor. (X)
→ Joseph has three sons, one of whom is a doctor. (O)
約瑟夫有三個兒子，其中一位是醫生。
• Jessica has a large collection of books, most of them are romance novels. (X)
→ Jessica has a large collection of books, most of which are romance novels. (O)
