Unit 04 :
Insects
昆蟲
Vocabulary
Let’s learn about different kinds of insects!
Part 1
1. ant /ænt/
(n.)螞蟻
a very small insect that lives under the ground in large and well-organized social groups
2. butterfly /ˈbʌt̬.ɚ.flaɪ/
(n.)蝴蝶
a type of insect with large, often brightly colored wings
3. bee /biː/
(n.)蜜蜂
a yellow and black flying insect that makes honey and can sting you
My arm swelled up where I was stung by a bee.
我手臂上被蜜蜂螫的地方腫了起來。
4. caterpillar /ˈkæt̬.ɚ.pɪl.ɚ/
(n.)毛蟲，蠋（蝴蝶或飛蛾的幼蟲）
a small, long animal with many legs that feeds on the leaves of plants, and develops into a butterfly or moth
5. cockroach /ˈkɑːk.roʊtʃ/
(n.)蟑螂
a flat, brown or black insect sometimes found in the home
6. cicada /sɪˈkɑː.də/
(n.)蟬，知了
a large insect found in warm countries that produces a high continuous sound
7. centipede /ˈsen.t̬ə.piːd/
(n.)蜈蚣，百足蟲
a small, long, thin animal with many legs
8. dragonfly /ˈdræɡ.ən.flaɪ/
(n.)蜻蜓
a large insect with a long, thin, brightly colored body and two pairs of transparent wings
9. fly /flaɪ/
(n.)蠅；蒼蠅
a small insect with two wings
10. firefly /ˈfaɪr.flaɪ/
(n.) 螢火蟲
an insect that is active during the night and whose tail produces light
Exercise 1
Match the correct meaning to each vocabulary.
1. bee___ 2. cicada___ 3. caterpillar___ 4. fly___ 5. cockroach___
a) a flat, brown or black insect sometimes found in the home
b) a small, long animal with many legs that feed on the leaves of plants, and develops into a butterfly or moth
c) a small insect with two wings
d) a large insect found in warm countries that produces a high continuous sound
e) a yellow and black flying insect that makes honey and can sting you
Part 2
11. flea /fliː/
(n.)蚤，跳蚤
a very small jumping insect that feeds on the blood of animals and humans
12. grasshopper /ˈɡræsˌhɑː.pɚ/
(n.)蚱蜢，蝗蟲
a large insect with long back legs that can jump very high and makes a sharp, high noise using its back legs or wings
13. ladybug /ˈleɪ.di.bʌɡ/
(n.)瓢蟲
a small, red beetle that is round and has black spots
14. moth /mɑːθ/
(n.)蛾，飛蛾
an insect with wings that is similar to a butterfly, usually flies at night, and is attracted to light
Some types of moth eat holes in clothes.
某些種類的飛蛾會蛀蝕衣物。
15. praying mantis /ˌpreɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæn.t̬ɪs/
(n.)螳螂
a large, green insect that holds its front legs in a way that makes it look as if it is praying when it is waiting to catch another insect
16. scorpion /ˈskɔːr.pi.ən/
(n.)蠍
a small creature similar to an insect that lives in hot, dry areas of the world and has a long body and a curved tail with a poisonous sting
17. scarab /ˈsker.əb/
(n.)金龜子
a type of large beetle
18. silkworm /ˈsɪlk.wɝːm/
(n.)蠶
a type of caterpillar (= a form of a young insect that is small, long, and has many legs) that produces threads of silk from which it makes a cocoon (= a covering for its body)
19. spider /ˈspaɪ.dɚ/
(n.)蜘蛛
a small creature with eight thin legs that catch insects in a web (= a net made from sticky threads)
We watched the spider spin its web.
我們看著蜘蛛織網。
20. termite /ˈtɝː.maɪt/
(n.)白蟻
a small, white tropical insect that eats wood
The male mallard has a green head and a reddish-brown chest.
雄性綠頭鴨的頭部呈綠色，胸部呈紅棕色。
Exercise 2
Describe to your tutor what you see in this picture.
Part 3
21. hornet /ˈhɔːr.nət/
(n.)大黃蜂
a large wasp (= type of flying insect) that can give you a bad sting
22. locust /ˈloʊ.kəst/
(n.)蝗蟲
a large insect found in hot areas that flies in large groups and destroys plants and crops
a swarm of locusts
一大群蝗蟲
23. beetle /ˈbiː.t̬əl/
(n.)甲蟲
an insect with a hard shell-like back
24. stick insect /ˈstɪk ˌɪn.sekt/
(n.)竹節蟲
a large insect with a long, thin body and legs
She’s as thin as a stick insect.
她瘦得像竹節蟲似的。
25. bedbug /ˈbed.bʌɡ/
(n.)臭蟲，床虱
a very small insect that lives mainly in beds and feeds by sucking people’s blood
26. woodworm /ˈwʊd.wɝːm/
(n.)木蛀蟲，木蠹
the young form of particular types of beetle that make small holes in wood as they feed on it
(n.)木蛀蟲害，木蠹蟲害
the damage done to wooden objects when woodworm feed on them
The roof beams were riddled with woodworm.
屋頂上的木材被蛀蟲咬得滿是窟窿。
27. gnat /næt/
(n.)叮人的小蟲；蚋；蠓
a very small flying insect that bites animals and people
28. earwig /ˈɪr.wɪɡ/
(n.)蠼螋，地蜈蚣
a small insect with two pincers (= curved pointed parts) at the back end of its body
29. silverfish /ˈsɪl.vɚ.fɪʃ/
(n.)蠹魚，西洋衣魚
a silver-white insect without wings that lives inside buildings
30. larva /ˈlɑːr.və/
(n.)幼體，幼蟲
a form of an insect or an animal such as a frog that has left its egg but is not yet completely developed
Exercise 3
Common Expressions and Phrases about Insects.
- have butterflies in one’s stomach.
- like a moth to a flame
- as busy as a bee
- as merry as a cricket
- as snug as a bug in a rug
