趣味少儿双语故事：斑马

　　趣味少儿英语[微博]故事：斑马 zebra

　　The stripes are what set the zebra apart from the rest of the horse family. They look cool and also let the zebra blend in with its surroundings for protection from some enemies. There once were a lot of zebras in many parts of Africa, but they have become endangered in some areas because of hunting。

　　· I live on the continent of Africa。

　　· I usually live on flat, open plains. But I also can live up in the mountains of South Africa。

　　· I don't build a house but rest on the ground or stay standing when I'm tired。

　　· I look a lot like a horse but I'm a little bit smaller. I have big ears and a short bunch of hair on my head called a mane. There also are hooves on the bottoms of my feet。

　　· My body is silver-white or yellowish-white with black stripes. My head also is white but with brown markings, and my face is a light brown or tan color。

　　· I'm smaller than most horses but still am pretty big. I can get to be about 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) tall if you measure from my hooves to my shoulders。

　　· I can weigh all different amounts, but I'm usually between 400 and 1,000 pounds (about 200 to 500 kilograms)。

　　· You probably would call me a vegetarian. But scientists call me a herbivore because I only eat leaves, grass and other plants。

　　· I actually have trouble protecting myself, especially from larger animals like lions and from humans who hunt me. But when I do get into trouble, I often can outrun those chasing me。

　　· I travel with friends in groups called herds. And at one time in the past, I almost became extinct。

　　译文

　　斑马——地图上涂红色的地方是我的家

　　有趣的常识：条纹是区别于斑马和马家族中的其它马的标志。这些条纹看起来很漂亮，也使得斑马和它周围的环境相融合，以保护自己免受敌人的攻击。在非洲的许多地区都曾经有大量的斑马，但是由于猎捕，一些地区的斑马已濒临灭绝。

　　·我住在非洲大陆。

　　·我通常住在平坦、空旷的草原上，但我也能住在南非的山上。

　　·我不盖房子，而当我累的时候，我就在地上休息或保持站立。

　　·我看上去很象一匹马，但我比它们要小一点儿。我有一双大耳朵，头上有一束称为鬃毛的短发，在我的脚底也有蹄子。

　　·我的身体是银白色或黄白色与黑色条纹相间。我的头也是白色的，但有棕色的斑纹。还有，我的脸是浅棕色或棕褐色。

　　·和大多数的马相比，我要小一些，但还是相当大的。如果你从我的蹄量到肩，我大约能有5英尺(约1.5米)高。

　　·我的体重可能不尽相同，但一般都在400至1000磅之间(约200至500千克)。

　　·可能你会说我是素食者，但科学家称我为草食动物，因为我只吃叶子、草和其它植物。

　　· 实际上，我并不善于自我保护，特别是当狮子那样的大型动物和人类猎捕我的时候。但是当我遇到麻烦时，我总能逃脱他们的追捕。

　　·我和朋友成群出行，称为“牧群”。曾经在过去一个时期，我几乎濒临灭绝。