作者：小雅和英美友人
◆ 都是“洞”，cave和den有什么区别？
◆ 冷血动物说ectotherm太难，简单说法是？
◆ 一动不动、稍微动一动，英文怎么说？
Hibernation 冬眠
I. Turtles 乌龟
Child: Oh no!
宝宝：哎呀！
Look at my turtles, Mommy!
看我的小乌龟呀，妈妈！
Turtle是(sea) turtle-海龟、tortoise-陆龟、terrapin-淡水龟等的泛指。
I think they are dead.
它们好像死了。
They're not moving and not eating anything!
它们不动了，什么也不吃！
Mom: It's okay, I promise.
妈妈：没事的，我保证。
They are just hibernating.
它们只是在冬眠呢。
Child: Hibernating?
宝宝：冬眠？
What's that?
那是什么呀？
Mom: That is when animals sleep through the winter,
妈妈：就是动物们要睡过整个冬天，
so that they conserve energy
这样它们才能保存能量，
until spring comes again.
直到春天再次到来。
They may stir a little to stretch,
它们可能会稍微动一动、伸展一下，
but they mostly stay very still for months
但是几个月里它们基本上一动不动，
in a deep sleep.
处于深度睡眠中。
Child: How can they possibly stay alive like that?
宝宝：它们这样怎么能活下去呢？
Mom: Because their metabolism slows down a lot.
妈妈：因为它们的新陈代谢慢下来很多。
Metabolism读作 [məˈtæbəlizəm]。
Their heart rate even goes from 40 bpm to about 1 beat per 10 minutes.
它们的心率甚至会从每分钟40下变为大约10分钟一下。
Child: Why are they hiding at the bottom of the tank?
宝宝：它们为什么藏在水缸最底下啊？
Mom: Turtles often "burrow" to the lowest level of water they can,
妈妈：乌龟通常会尽量“钻”到水位最低的地方，
Burrow指通过挖掘钻到低处，这里是一种比喻。
so they don't get too cold,
这样它们才不会太冷，
or freeze if they are in the wild.
或者在野外冻僵。
Child: Does every turtle hibernate?
宝宝：所有的乌龟都冬眠吗？
Mom: It varies among species
妈妈：各种类情况不同，
but obviously our pet turtles do.
不过很显然咱们的宠物龟会的。
（图片来源：azeah.com）
II. Bears 熊
Child: What other animals hibernate?
宝宝：还有什么动物冬眠啊？
Mom: Bears, frogs, snakes, squirrels, groundhogs, and many other animals hibernate.
妈妈：熊、青蛙、蛇、松鼠、土拨鼠，还有很多动物都会冬眠。
Bears eat a lot of food right before hibernation.
熊会在冬眠之前吃很多东西。
It's like they are storing up for the winter.
就好像它们在为冬天做储备。
They can gain up to 30 pounds in a week,
它们一星期可以长多达30磅，
and they use all that extra fat to survive the winter.
用这些多出来的脂肪在熬过冬天。
Bears like to burrow in dens that they dig out.
熊们喜欢钻到自己挖的洞里。
都是“洞”，cave是一种地形概念，den强调是动物的家。
They move around a little more than turtles.
它们动得比乌龟多。
They might stretch or take a quick walk around their den.
它们会伸个懒腰或者在洞里很快走一圈。
Also, baby bears are born during the hibernation months
另外，熊宝宝会在冬眠的几个月里出生，
and often don't come out until spring.
通常直到春天才会出来。
Child: Wow, I don't think I could stay inside that long!
宝宝：哇，我可在屋里呆不了这么长时间！
III. Frogs 青蛙
Child: How about frogs?
宝宝：那青蛙呢？
Mom: Both turtles and frogs are cold-blooded.
妈妈：乌龟和青蛙都是冷血的。
Cold-blooded animal是ectotherm的通俗说法。
They can't control their body temperatures.
它们无法控制自己的体温。
Like turtles, frogs hibernate at the bottom of bodies of water,
和乌龟一样，青蛙会在水体的底部冬眠，
and when the temperatures go below freezing,
当气温降到冰点以下，
their body temperatures also go below freezing.
它们的体温也会降到冰点以下。
The glucose in their bodies keeps them from actually freezing.
体内的葡萄糖会防止它们真的冻僵。
Glucose读作 [ˈɡlu:kəuz]。
They also don't breathe during the months they spend in hibernation!
它们在冬眠的几个月里也不呼吸！
青蛙冬眠时通过皮肤呼吸，不是一般意义上的呼吸。
Child: Wow, I definitely couldn't hold my breath for that long!
宝宝：哇，我肯定憋不了这么长时间的气！
Well, turtles, bears and frogs, 好了，乌龟、熊熊、青蛙，
have a nice sleep!
睡个好觉吧！
更多动物相关英文，请查看：
带宝宝去动物园全程英文，只需掌握三类词，附北京动物园地图改错
,
