来源：《用美国小孩的方法学英语最有效》

　　自然部分

神奇的皮肤

　　Our Amazing Skin

　　Our skin is like ( ) that we live in. Inside the bag our bodies are mostly ( ) . Our water is like the water in the sea. It is very ( ). Also, like the ocean, we can lose our ( ). The wind and the sun could take it away. Our bag of skin keeps our body's ocean from drying up。

　　Our skin keeps out ( ). Too much sun can hurt us. Skin also keeps out ( ). That's important because some kinds of dirt can make us ( ). Our skin ( ) things. It feels warm things, cold things, things it touches, and things that ( ) it. A campfire feels ( ). A snowball thrown in our face feels ( ) and hurts. A hug is the touch of another person's skin on our own。

　　Our hair is a special kind of ( ). It helps keep things out of our eyes, ears, and nose. Hair is also good for keeping us ( ). When we get goose bumps, our body hairs stand up. Then the hairs hold air close to our skin like a thick blanket. Hair keeps animals ( )， too. Some animals have more hair than others, so they have a better blanket for ( ) weather。

　　Our nails are another special ( )， which are like very ( ) skin. They help keep our fingers and toes from getting ( ). Our nails aren't as strong or sharp as the nails that animals have. But they are good for scratching backs and picking up coins。

　　正 文

　　Our skin is like a bag that we live in. Inside the bag our bodies are mostly water. Our water is like the water in the sea. It is very salty. Also, like the ocean, we can lose our water. The wind and the sun could take it away. Our bag of skin keeps our body's ocean from drying up。

　　Our skin keeps out sunshine. Too much sun can hurt us. Skin also keeps out dirt. That's important because some kinds of dirt can make us sick. Our skin feels things. It feels warm things, cold things, things it touches, and things that hurt it. A campfire feels warm. A snowball thrown in our face feels cold and hurts. A hug is the touch of another person's skin on our own。

　　Our hair is a special kind of covering. It helps keep things out of our eyes, ears, and nose. Hair is also good for keeping us warm. When we get goose bumps, our body hairs stand up. Then the hairs hold air close to our skin like a thick blanket. Hair keeps animals warm, too. Some animals have more hair than others, so they have a better blanket for cold weather。

　　Our nails are another special skin, which are like very hard skin. They help keep our fingers and toes from getting hurt. Our nails aren't as strong or sharp as the nails that animals have. But they are good for scratching backs and picking up coins。

　　Words and Phrases 单词和短语

　　campfire ['kæmpˌfaiə] n. 营火，篝火

　　snowball ['snəubɔ:l] n. 雪球

　　dry up 使……干涸

　　keep out 挡在外面，不许进入

　　sunshine ['sʌnʃain] n. 阳光，日光

　　campfire ['kæmpˌfaiə] n. 营火，篝火

　　goose [gu:s] n. 鹅

　　bump [bʌmp] n. 肿块；隆起物

　　get goose bumps 起鸡皮疙瘩

　　scratch [skrætʃ] v. 抓，搔

　　pick up 拾起，捡起

　　译 文

　　神奇的皮肤

　　我们的皮肤就像一个袋子把我们包裹在里面。我们的身体里大部分都是水分，同海水一样，我们身体里的水也是咸的，也会蒸发。风和阳光都会带走体内的水分。而皮肤能阻止身体里的水分挥发。

　　太强的阳光会伤害我们，皮肤则可以保护我们免受日晒。同样，皮肤也可以让我们远离污垢，这是非常重要的，因为有些污垢会让我们生病。皮肤也可以感受外界事物，它能感知冷暖，以及与之接触的一切东西，亦能感受到疼痛。篝火让我们觉得温暖，而砸在脸上的雪球则会让我们觉得冰冷和疼痛。拥抱则使我们的肌肤与他人的肌肤相接触。

　　我们的毛发是一种身体的特殊覆盖物，它们能够防止东西飞入眼睛、耳朵和鼻子。毛发也有保暖的功效。当我们起鸡皮疙瘩时，毛发会竖起，这样体毛之间的空气空就如同厚厚的毛毯般紧贴在我们的肌肤上形成一种保护层。对动物来说，毛发同样具有保暖的功效。有些动物的毛发比较浓密，这些浓密的毛发就如同厚厚的毛毯，帮助它们抵御寒冷。

　　我们的指甲像是一种坚硬的皮肤，它能保护我们的手指和脚趾免受伤害。虽然人类的指甲没有动物的指甲强大、锋利，但是它们能帮助我们搔背，还有助于我们捡起硬币。