1、The sloth pays such little attention to its personal hygiene（衛生） that green algae grow on its coarse（粗糙的） hair and communities of a parasitic（寄生的） moth live in the depths of its coat producing caterpillars which graze on its mouldy hair. Its muscles are such that it is quite incapable of moving at a speed of over a kilometer an hour even over the shortest distances and the swiftest movement it can make is a sweep of its hooked arm.
[參考譯文]樹獺極不講究衛生，以至於它粗糙的毛髮上生出綠苔，成群的寄生蛾生長在它的皮毛深處，變成毛毛蟲，並以它的髒毛為食。她的肌肉不能讓他哪怕在很短的距離以內以每小時一公里的速度移動。它能做的最敏捷的動作就是揮一揮它彎曲的胳膊。
2、Artificial flowers are used for scientific as well as for decorative（裝飾的） purposes. They are made from a variety of materials, such as wax and glass, so skillfully that they can scarcely be distinguished from natural flowers.
[參考譯文]人造花卉即可用於科學目的，也可用於裝飾目的，它們可以用各種各樣的材料製成，例如蠟和玻璃；其製作如此精巧，幾乎可以以假亂真。
3、The practice of making excellent films based on rather obscure（難解的；變模糊） novels has been going on so long in the United States it has become a tradition.
[參考譯文]根據默默無聞的小說製作優秀影片在美國由來已久，已經成為傳統。
4、Poodles were once used as retrievers（復得者） in duck hunting, but the American Kennel Club does not consider them sporting dogs because they are now primarily kept as pets.
[參考譯文]長卷毛狗曾被用作獵鴨時叼回獵物的獵犬，但是美國Kennel Club卻不承認它們為獵犬，因為它們現在大多數作為寵物飼養。
5、When Henry Ford first sought financial（金融的） backing for making cars, the very notion（想法） of farmers and clerks owning automobiles was considered ridiculous.
[參考譯文]當亨利.福特最初製造汽車為尋求資金支持時，農民和一般職員也能擁有汽車的想法被認為是可笑的。
6、Starting around 7000 B.C., and for the next four thousand years, much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced temperatures warmer than at present.
[參考譯文]大約從公元前七千年開始，在四千年當中，北半球的溫度比現在高。
7、Goldenrods —— often a very annoying（惱人的） weed —— crowd out less hardy plants and act as hosts to many insect pests.
[參考譯文]黃菊花通常令人生厭，它擠走不那麼頑強的植物，並找來很多害蟲。
8、The beaver chews（咀嚼） down trees for food and material with which to build its home.
[參考譯文]水獺啃倒樹木，以便取食物並獲得造窩的材料。
9、Though once quite large, the population of bald eagles across North America has drastically（大幅度地） declined in the past forty years.
[參考譯文]北美禿頭鷹的數量一度很多，但在近四十年中全北美的禿頭鷹數量急劇下降。
10、People in prehistoric times created paints by grinding materials such as plants and clay into powder and then adding water.
[參考譯文]史前的人們製造顏料是將植物和泥土等原料磨成粉末，然後加水。
11、Even though the precise（準確的） qualities of a hero in literary（文學的） works may vary over time, the basic exemplary（可效仿的） function of the hero seems to remain constant.
[參考譯文]當代文學作品中的英雄本色雖各有千秋，但其昭世功力卻是恆古不變的。
12、Snow aids farmers by keeping heat in the lower ground levels, thereby（因此） saving the seeds from freezing.
[參考譯文]雪對農民是一種幫助，因為它保持地層土壤的溫度，使種子不致凍死。
13、The science of horticulture（園藝學）, in which the primary concerns are maximum yield and superior quality, utilizes information derived from other sciences.
[參考譯文]主要目的在於產量最大化和優良品質的園藝學利用了其他科學信息。
14、Scientists do not know why dinosaurs became extinct, but some theories postulate（要求，假定） that changes in geography, climate, and sea levels were responsible.
[參考譯文]科學家不知道恐龍為何絕種了，但是一些理論推斷是地理，氣候和海平面的變化造成的。
15、Not only can walking fish live out of water, but they can also travel short distances over land.
[參考譯文]鯰魚不僅可以離開水存活，還可以在岸上短距離移動。
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