写作素材---大千世界相似的动物

与蜜雪英语课程相关的知识拓展：

UNLOCK 3 和GW中多次学到写对比---表示对比的句型，短语和连接词。

总结起来有以下词汇：

A and B differ in 

A differs from B

on the other hand 

to the contrary

in contrast( to) 

however 

while 

whereas 

Compared with 

A...., on the other hand,/ in contrast, /while/ whereas B...

举例：

鲸鲨吃小动物，如浮游生物或磷虾。相比之下，虎鲨吃更大的动物，如海龟或海豚。

The whale shark eats small animals like plankton or krill. The tiger shark, in contrast, eats much bigger animals like turtles or dolphins. 

自2009年以来，已知有119起虎鲨袭击人类的事件，而没有记录到鲸鲨袭击人类的事件。

There have been 119 known attacks on people by tiger sharks since 2009,whereas no attacks have been recorded for whale sharks.

写对比是一个很有意思的练习过程，同时也需要我们有大量的知识储备，于是今天来收集一下可以写对比的素材--- 动物。

It's a big world out there, and with such an abundance of life, it's no surprise that things can get perplexing, especially when it comes to animals. Sometimes similar creatures from the same order get categorized differently because of habitat or behavior. Other times animals from completely different species evolve in similar ways. Whatever the reasons, at times it's hard to know the difference between them. Here are our favorite pairs of confusing creatures and how to tell the difference.

Porpoises (left) and dolphins (and whales) are all mammals that belong to the order Cetacea. The difference boils down to their faces, fins and bodies. Dolphins generally have prominent, long "beaks" and cone-shaped teeth. Porpoises have smaller mouths and spade-shaped teeth. Dolphins are generally leaner than porpoises, and have a curved dorsal fin, while porpoises are more robust and have a triangular dorsal fin.

鼠海豚(左)和海豚(以及鲸鱼)都是属于鲸目的哺乳动物。它们的不同可以归结为它们的脸、鳍和身体。海豚通常有突出的长“喙”和锥形牙齿。海豚的嘴较小，牙齿呈铲子状。海豚通常比鼠海豚更瘦，有一个弯曲的背鳍，而鼠海豚更健壮，有一个三角形的背鳍。

Cetacea  /'setəsiə/ 鲸类

boil down to  归结为

prominent adj. 重要的，著名的；显眼的

beak 鸟嘴，喙

spade-shaped 锥形

lean  adj. 瘦且健康的

dorsal  adj. （鱼或动物）背部的

dorsal fin  [鱼] 背鳍

robust  adj. 强壮的，强健的

Even though rabbits (left) and hares (right) both belong to the Lagomorpha order of mammals, they have their differences. Hares are generally larger and faster than rabbits, and have longer ears. Hares have longer, stronger hind legs and bigger feet than rabbits. They tend to try and outrun predators, while rabbits escape to their warrens when threatened. Hares also have black markings on their fur.

虽然兔子(左)和野兔(右)都属于兔形目，但它们也有不同之处。野兔通常比兔子更大更快，耳朵也更长。兔子的后腿比兔子长，强壮，脚也更大。它们往往会试图逃脱捕食者，而兔子在受到威胁时则会逃到窝里。野兔的皮毛上也有黑色的斑纹。

outrun  vt. 超过；跑得比…快

warren n. 养兔场

Moths (left) and butterflies (right) belong to the order Lepidoptera, and while you might easily tell the difference between a small, brown moth and a large brightly colored butterfly as shown here, there are other examples that look far more alike. You can generally tell by the antennae. A butterfly's antennae are club-shaped with a long shaft tipped by a bulb while a moth's are feathery or serrated. You can also look at the wings. Butterfly wings fold up vertically over their backs, while moth wings are more tent-like and over their abdomen.

飞蛾(左)和蝴蝶(右)属于鳞翅目，虽然你可能很容易分辨出小的棕色飞蛾和大的色彩鲜艳的蝴蝶之间的区别，这里有其他的例子看起来更像。你可以通过天线来判断。蝴蝶的触角是棍棒状的，有一根长杆，顶端有一个灯泡，而蛾子的触角是羽毛状或锯齿状的。你也可以看看翅膀。蝴蝶的翅膀在背部垂直折叠，而蛾子的翅膀更像帐篷，在腹部上方。

Moth n. 蛾

antennae  /ænˈteniː/ 天线，触须

club-shaped adj. 棒状的

shaft  杆，柄，竖井

feathery adj. 生有羽毛的

serrated  /səˈreɪtɪd/  adj. [生物] 锯齿状的，有锯齿的

abdomen  /ˈæbdəmən/ n. 腹部

Llamas (left) and alpacas (right) are even-toed ungulates that belong to the family Camelidae. The most obvious difference may be their size. Most adult alpacas weigh between 100 and 175 pounds while adult llamas are much larger and can reach up to 400 pounds. Other differences can be seen in the ears. Llamas have long curved ears while alpacas have short spear-shaped ears. Likewise, llamas have longer faces while alpacas have more of a smushed face. And while this isn't always the case, llamas generally have little hair on their face and head, while alpacas can have a wonderful abundance of fluff.

驼羊(左)和羊驼(右)是偶蹄动物，属于骆驼科。最明显的区别可能是它们的大小。大多数成年羊驼的体重在100到175磅之间，而成年驼马要大得多，可以达到400磅。其他的区别还可以从耳朵上看出来。驼羊的耳朵长而弯，而羊驼的耳朵短而矛形。同样的，驼羊的脸更长，而羊驼的脸更扁，虽然情况并非总是如此。驼羊的脸上和头上的毛通常很少，而羊驼的绒毛非常多。

Llamas  美洲驼，驼羊 

alpaca  /ælˈpækə/  n. 羊驼

smushed 挤压的

fluff n. 绒毛

Seals (left) and sea lions (right) are both pinnipeds, meaning they are fin-footed marine animals, but here's how they differ: Seals generally have stubby, thinly webbed flippers for their front feet, with a claw on each small toe, compared to the larger, skin-covered flippers of sea lions. Seals are generally smaller and better adapted to the water than land (and as a result, they will often belly crawl) while sea lions can "walk." Seals lack external ears, while sea lions have small flaps. If you see a group of pinnipeds hanging together and being raucous, they are sea lions. Seals are loners and quiet, while sea lions are social and noisy.

海豹(左)和海狮(右)都是鳍足类，这意味着它们是鳍足海洋动物，但它们的不同之处在于:海豹的前脚通常有粗短而薄的蹼鳍，每个小脚趾上都有一个爪子，而海狮的鳍则更大，有皮肤覆盖。海豹一般体型较小，对水的适应能力比陆地强(因此，它们通常会匍匐前进)，而海狮可以“行走”。海豹没有外耳，而海狮有小的襟翼。如果你看到一群鳍足类动物聚在一起发出声音，那就是海狮。海豹是孤独而安静的，而海狮是群居而吵闹的。

stubby   adj. 短而粗硬的；又短又秃的

webbed  adj. 有蹼的

pinnipeds  n. 鳍脚亚目动物

raucous  adj.  喧闹的, 刺耳的

loner n. 孤独的人；不合群的动物

In North America we have opossums (left), but they are often mistaken called possums. True possums (right) reside in Australia, making them both geographically distinct from each other. Why the confusion? Captain James Cook's botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, named possums (Phalangeridae) after opossums (Didelphimorphia) after because the critters looked like its American relative. How to tell the difference, other than location? Possums generally have bigger ears and eyes. Opossums have bald tails while possums have furry ones.

在北美有负鼠(左图)，但它们经常被错误地称为袋貂（澳洲的华人广泛将“袋貂”称呼为“负鼠”） 。真正的袋貂(右)居住在澳大利亚，这使得它们在地理上彼此不同。为什么困惑? 詹姆斯·库克船长的植物学家约瑟夫·班克斯爵士用负鼠(Didelphimorphia)的名字给袋貂(Phalangeridae)命名，因为这种动物看起来像它的美国亲戚。除了地理位置，怎么区分呢?袋貂通常有更大的耳朵和眼睛。负鼠的尾巴是光秃秃的，而袋貂的尾巴是毛茸茸的。

Crocodiles (left) and alligators (right) are both reptiles from the order Crocodylia. You can tell the difference by looking at their heads. Crocodiles have a longer head shaped like a "V." Alligator heads are shorter and shaped like a "U." Also, when an alligator closes its mouth, most of its teeth are hidden. When a crocodile closes its mouth, many of the teeth protrude outside along the jawline. Crocodiles are generally lighter in color and are more aggressive than alligators.

鳄鱼(左)和短吻鳄(右)都是鳄鱼目的爬行动物。你可以从他们的头部看出区别。鳄鱼的头较长，呈“v”形。鳄鱼头较短，呈“u”形。而且，当短吻鳄闭上嘴时，它的大部分牙齿都被隐藏起来了。当鳄鱼闭上嘴时，许多牙齿沿着下颚向外突出。鳄鱼通常颜色较浅，比短吻鳄更具攻击性。

They both start with an "a," have long snouts and rely on a diet of ants, but the similarities between aardvarks (left) and anteaters (right) end there. They are altogether different species. Anteaters belong to the suborder Vermilingua and aardvarks are the only living species of the order Tubulidentata. Aardvarks are found in Africa; anteaters in Central and South America. Aardvarks have claws for digging, but anteaters have paws with such dramatically long claws that they must ball up their paws for an awkward, knuckle-walking gate. Anteaters have more fur and small ears. Aardvarks have light, coarse hair and large ears.

它们都以“a”开头，长着长长的鼻子，以蚂蚁为食，但食蚁兽(左)和食蚁兽(右)之间的相似之处也仅此而已。他们是完全不同的物种。食蚁兽属于蠕舌亚目，食蚁兽是管齿目中唯一现存的物种。食蚁兽产于非洲;中美洲和南美洲的食蚁兽。食蚁兽有用于挖掘的爪子，但食蚁兽的爪子非常长，它们必须把爪子蜷成一团，才能用关节行走。食蚁兽有更多的皮毛和小耳朵。食蚁兽的毛又轻又粗，耳朵大。

anteaters  /ˈæntiːtə(r)/ n. 食蚁兽

suborder 亚目

knuckle n. 关节

coarse   /kɔːs/  adj. 粗糙的

Lizards (left) and salamanders (right) seem similar, but lizards are reptiles while salamanders are amphibians. As amphibians, salamanders are found close to water, while lizards can be found in a number of climates, including those that are hot and dry. Lizards have scaly bodies and long toes while salamanders have smooth bodies and stumpy toes. Lizards can also grow much longer than salamanders.

蜥蜴(左)和蝾螈(右)看起来很相似，但蜥蜴是爬行动物，而蝾螈是两栖动物。作为两栖动物，蝾螈在靠近水的地方被发现，而蜥蜴可以在许多气候条件下被发现，包括那些炎热和干燥的气候。蜥蜴有有鳞的身体和长脚趾，而蝾螈有光滑的身体和粗短的脚趾。蜥蜴也能比蝾螈长得更长。

scaly  adj. 有鳞的

stumpy  /ˈstʌmpi/  粗短的

Although puffins (left) and penguins (right) share similar coloring and diet, penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae, while puffins belong to the family Alcidae. The most obvious difference is that penguins don't fly. They have solid bones, which makes them better swimmers. Puffins, like most birds, have hollow bones so that they aren't weighed down in flight. Puffins are generally smaller, ranging in size from 10 to 15 inches, while penguins can be as tall as 4 feet. Location makes a difference, too. All four species of puffins live in the Northern Hemisphere. The 18 species of penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.

虽然海雀(左)和企鹅(右)的颜色和饮食相似，但企鹅属于企鹅科，而海雀属于海雀科。最明显的区别是企鹅不会飞。它们有坚硬的骨骼，这使它们更擅长游泳。像大多数鸟类一样，海雀的骨头是中空的，这样它们在飞行时就不会被压重。海雀一般较小，大小在10到15英寸之间，而企鹅可高达4英尺。地理位置也有影响。四种海雀都生活在北半球，18种企鹅生活在南半球。

Mules (left) and donkeys (right) are commonly confused because mules are part donkey. A mule is the love child of a female horse and a male donkey, and while mules generally can't mate, there have been several cases that prove fertility is possible. Because mules are only part donkey, they have larger ears, which they get from their moms. They also have taller, larger bodies, like a horse. Their teeth, tails and coats are also more equine than a donkey's.

骡子(左)和驴(右)经常被混淆，因为骡子可以说部分是驴。骡子是母马和公驴的杂交，虽然骡子通常不能交配，但也有几个例子证明它们是可以生育的。因为骡子是半驴的，它们有更大的耳朵，这是从它们的妈妈那里遗传来的。他们也有更高更大的身体，像马一样。它们的牙齿、尾巴和皮毛也比驴更像马。

equine   /ˈekwaɪn/  adj. 马的；象马的

课程一览

蜜雪老师