Unit 01 :
Animals 動物

Vocabulary

Let’s learn about different animals!

Part 1

1. alligator /ˈæl.ə.ɡeɪ.t̬ɚ/
(n.)短吻鱷
a large reptile with a hard skin that lives in and near rivers and lakes in the hot, wet parts of America and China. It has a long nose that is slightly wider and shorter than that of a crocodile.

2. alpaca /ælˈpæk.ə/
(n.)（南美的）羊駝
a South American animal with a long neck and long hair that looks like a llama

3. ape /eɪp/
(n.)猿；無尾猿；類人猿
an animal like a large monkey with no tail, that uses its arms to move through trees

Chimpanzees and gorillas are both apes.
黑猩猩和大猩猩都是類人猿。

4. buffalo /ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ/
(n.)水牛；野牛
a large animal of the cattle family, with long, curved horns

5. camel /ˈkæm.əl/
(n.)駱駝
a large animal with a long neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps (= large raised areas of flesh) on its back

6. crow /kroʊ/
(n.)烏鴉
a large, black bird with a loud, unpleasant cry

7. dolphin /ˈdɑːl.fɪn/
(n.)海豚
a sea mammal that is large, smooth, and grey, with a long, pointed mouth

8. eagle /ˈiː.ɡəl/
(n.)鷹
a large, strong bird with a curved beak that eats meat and can see very well

9. ferret  /ˈfer.ɪt/
(n.)雪貂（馴養用以捕兔等小動物）
a small, yellowish-white animal with a long body, bred for hunting rabbits and other small animals

10. flamingo /fləˈmɪŋ.ɡoʊ/
(n.)紅鸛，火烈鳥
a large bird with pink feathers, long, thin legs, a long neck, and a beak that curves down

Exercise 1

Common Expressions and Phrases about Animals.

  1. The early bird catches the worm.

  2. You can’t sell the cow and drink the milk

  3. Love me, love my dog.

  4. Curiosity killed the cat.

  5. A leopard can’t change his spots.

Part 2

11. moose /muːs/
(n.)麋，駝鹿
a type of large deer with large, flat horns and a long nose that lives in the forests of North America, northern Europe, and Asia

12. gorilla /ɡəˈrɪl.ə/
(n.)（西非）大猩猩
a large ape that comes from western Africa

13. gull /ɡʌl/
(n.)海鷗
a bird that lives near the coast with black and white or grey and white feathers

14. hamster /ˈhæm.stɚ/
(n.)倉鼠（常作寵物）
a small animal covered in fur with a short tail and large spaces in each side of its mouth for storing food. Hamsters are often kept as pets.

15. kangaroo /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈruː/
(n.)袋鼠
a large Australian mammal with a long stiff tail, short front legs and long powerful back legs on which it moves by jumping

16. leopard /ˈlep.ɚd/
(n.)豹
a large wild cat that has yellow fur with black spots on it and lives in Africa and southern Asia

17. magpie /ˈmæɡ.paɪ/
(n.)鵲，喜鵲
a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail

Magpies are attracted to small, shiny objects, which they carry away to their nests.
喜鵲喜歡將亮閃閃的小東西帶回巢去。

18. meerkat /ˈmɪr.kæt/
(n.)（南非）狐獴
a small, grey Southern African animal that sometimes sits up on its back legs

19. ostrich /ˈɑː.strɪtʃ/
(n.)鴕鳥
a very large bird from Africa that cannot fly

The ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.
鴕鳥是跑得最快的兩足動物。

20. otter /ˈɑː.t̬ɚ/
(n.)水獺
a mammal with four legs and short brown fur that swims well and eats fish

Exercise 2

There are some slangs to describe people.
How many slangs do you know?

  1. underdog                     輸家，弱者

     

  2. social butterfly             善於交際的人

     

  3. night owl                      夜貓子

     

  4. copycat                        盲目的模仿者

     

  5. black sheep                 害群之馬

Part 3

21. ox /ɑːks/
(n.)公牛，閹牛；（泛指）牛
a bull (= male cow) that has had its reproductive organs removed, used in the past for pulling heavy things on farms, or, more generally, any adult of the cattle family

22. platypus /ˈplæt̬.ɪ.pəs/
(n.)鴨嘴獸
an Australian river mammal with a wide beak whose young are born from eggs

23. raccoon /rækˈuːn/
(n.)浣熊（産於北美洲）
a small North American animal with black marks on its face and a long tail with black rings on it

24. raven /ˈreɪ.vən/
(n.)渡鴉
the largest bird in the crow family, with shiny black feathers

25. reindeer /ˈreɪn.dɪr/
(n.)馴鹿
a type of deer with large horns that lives in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

Santa Claus travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
聖誕老人乘坐馴鹿拉的雪橇出行。

26. rhinoceros  /raɪˈnɑː.sɚ.əs/
(n.)犀牛
a very large, thick-skinned animal from Africa or Asia that has one or two horns on its nose

27. seal /siːl/
(n.)海豹
a large mammal that eats fish and lives partly in the sea and partly on land or ice

28. skunk /skʌŋk/
(n.)北美臭鼬
a small, black and white North American animal that makes a strong, unpleasant smell as a defense when it is attacked

29. swallow /ˈswɑː.loʊ/
(n.)燕子
a small bird with pointed wings and a tail with two points that flies quickly and catches insects to eat as it flies

30. swan /swɑːn/
(n.)天鵝
a large, usually white bird with a long neck that lives on rivers and lakes

We watched the swans glide by.
我們看到天鵝輕快地飛過。

Exercise 3

Discuss these phrases with your tutor!

  1. as blind as a bat

  2. as proud as a peacock

  3. as free as a bird

  4. as stubborn as a mule

  5. as sly as a fox