Disaster
“Come on,Jack!”Annie called.She was almost to the river.
"Just a minute!"he shouted.He wanted to study the giraffes and zebras.
He pulled out the Africa book and found a picture of giraffes.He read:
The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.Its legs alone can be six feettall,and its hooves can be as big as dinner plates.The giraffe has a very powerful kick,which makes it dangerous to attack.For this reason,lion stend to avoid giraffes.
1. giraffes：长颈鹿（giraffe的复数形式 ）。例句：There are many giraffes in the zoo.（动物园里有很多长颈鹿。）
2. zebras：斑马（zebra的复数形式）。例句：We saw a herd of zebras running on the grassland.（我们看到一群斑马在草原上奔跑。 ）
3. feet：脚（foot的复数形式）；英尺。例句：My feet are tired after walking for a long time.（走了很长时间后我的脚很累。）The table is three feet high.（这张桌子三英尺高。 ）
4. hooves：蹄（hoof的复数形式）。例句：The horse's hooves made a loud noise on the stone - paved road.（马蹄在石板路上发出很大的声响。 ）
5. plates：盘子；板块。例句：She washed the dirty plates after dinner.（晚饭后她洗了脏盘子。）Tectonic plates are constantly moving.（地壳板块在不断运动。 ）
6. kick：踢；踢腿。例句：He gave the ball a hard kick.（他用力踢了一脚球。）
7. attack：攻击；袭击。例句：The enemy launched an attack on the city at night.（敌人在夜间对这座城市发动了攻击。 ）
8. avoid：避开；避免。例句：You should avoid making the same mistake again.（你应该避免再犯同样的错误。 ）
Jack pulled out his notebook and wrote:
lion avoid giraffes
He turned the page and read more:
Zebras live in family groups.As no two zebras have exactly the same pattern of stripes,every baby zebra must learn its own mother's pattern.
Jack studied the zebras,trying to see their different patterns.But in the hazy afternoon light,all the stripes made him dizzy.
He blinked to clear his head,then read more:
Zebras are the first to cross the river because they eat the coarsest grass.After they've thinned down the top layer,the wildebees ts arrive and eat the next layer.They prepare the grass for the gazelles,who come last.
Wow,thought Jack.Each animal depends on the one that goes before.
- pattern：图案；模式。例句：The wallpaper has a beautiful floral pattern.（这壁纸有美丽的花卉图案。）
- stripes：条纹。例句：The tiger has black stripes on its orange fur.（老虎橙黄色的皮毛上有黑色条纹。）
- hazy：朦胧的；模糊的。例句：The mountain was hidden in the hazy mist.（山峦隐没在朦胧的雾气中。 ）
- dizzy：头晕目眩的。例句：I feel dizzy after spinning around so many times.（转了这么多圈后我感到头晕目眩。）
- blinked：眨眼睛（blink的过去式和过去分词 ）。例句：She blinked in the bright sunlight.（她在明亮的阳光下眨着眼睛。）
- coarsest：最粗糙的（coarse的最高级 ）。例句：This is the coarsest fabric among these samples.（这是这些样品中最粗糙的织物。）
- grass：草；草地。例句：The sheep are eating grass in the field.（羊在田野里吃草。）
- thinned：（使）变薄；（使）变稀疏（thin的过去式和过去分词 ）。例句：He thinned the paint with some water.（他用水把油漆调稀了。）
- layer：层。例句：There are several layers of paper in the book.（这本书里有好几层纸。 ）
- wildebeests：角马（wildebeest的复数形式 ）。例句：A herd of wildebeests migrated across the plain.（一群角马迁徙穿过平原。 ）
He wrote:
animals all connected
Jack heard Annie shouting from the riverbank."Jump,beasts!Jump!You can do it!Don't be afraid!Come on!"
He looked up.Annie herself was jumping as she called to the wildebeests.
Jack sighed.I'd better stop her before there's trouble,he thought.
He put away the Africa book and his notebook.Then he jogged toward the river.His pack was heavy and lumpy,bumping against his back.He'd forgotten to take out the jar of peanut butter and the loaf of bread.
- connected：有联系的；连接的。例句：All these events are closely connected.（所有这些事件都紧密相关。）
- riverbank：河岸。例句：They sat on the riverbank and enjoyed the view.（他们坐在河岸上欣赏风景。）
- beasts：野兽（beast 的复数形式）。例句：There are many wild beasts in the forest.（森林里有许多野兽。）
- wildebeests：角马（wildebeest 的复数形式）。例句：Wildebeests are known for their great migrations.（角马以大规模迁徙而闻名。）
- jogged：慢跑；轻推（jog 的过去式和过去分词）。例句：He jogged along the path every morning.（他每天早上沿着小路慢跑。）
- lumpy：多块状物的；高低不平的。例句：The old mattress was lumpy and uncomfortable.（这张旧床垫高低不平，很不舒服。）
- bumping：碰撞；颠簸行进（bump 的现在分词）。例句：The car went bumping along the rough road.（汽车在崎岖的道路上颠簸行驶。）
- jar：罐子；坛子。例句：She filled the jar with cookies.（她把罐子装满了饼干。）
- peanut：花生。例句：He likes to eat peanut butter.（他喜欢吃花生酱。）
- loaf：（一条）面包。例句：She bought a loaf of bread at the bakery.（她在面包店买了一条面包。 ）
- bread：面包。例句：Bread is a staple food in many countries.（面包是许多国家的主食。）
Jack decided to leave them at the tree house.He turned to go back.
But just then,Annie's shouting stopped.
Jack looked at the river
She had vanished."Annie?"he called.No answer.Where was she?
"Annie!"Jack shouted.
She had completely disappeared.
"Oh,man,"said Jack
Their trip had barely begun,and already disaster had struck!
He forgot about the stuff in his pack.He just ran as fast as he could.
He wove his way between the grazing zebras and giraffes as he raced to the river.
"Help!"called Annie.
- vanished：消失（vanish的过去式和过去分词 ）。例句：The magician made the rabbit vanish.（魔术师让兔子消失了。）
- barely：仅仅；几乎不。例句：He barely had enough money to buy food.（他几乎没有足够的钱买食物。）
- begun：开始（begin的过去分词 ）。例句：The concert had already begun when we arrived.（我们到达时音乐会已经开始了。）
- disaster：灾难；灾祸。例句：The earthquake was a terrible disaster.（那次地震是一场可怕的灾难。）
- struck：表示“已经袭击；已经发生” （strike的过去完成时 ）。例句：A hurricane had struck the coastal city last week.（上周一场飓风袭击了这座沿海城市。）
- wove：（小心地）穿行；编织（weave的过去式 ）。例句：She wove her way through the crowded street.（她在拥挤的街道中穿行。）
- grazing：放牧；吃草（graze的现在分词 ）。例句：The cows were grazing in the field.（奶牛在田野里吃草。）
- raced：快速移动；赛跑（race的过去式和过去分词 ）。例句：He raced to the finish line.（他快速冲向终点线。）
