The Flower Kisser花花世界裡的小可愛——蜂鳥

This petite bird is actually pretty powerful.
這種嬌小可愛的鳥類其實相當有力。

  Hummingbirds are the smallest birds on Earth, and they are also the most fascinating. Hummingbirds live in the Americas, with a _(1)_ in Central and South America. The life of an active little hummingbird revolves around getting food. On a regular day, one hummingbird will visit _(2)_ 1,000 flowers to find nectar. To ensure that they get enough protein in their diet, they also prey on spiders in their webs and small insects.  
  _(3)_, a human's heart beats 72 times per minute. While doing something strenuous, that number can double. Hummingbirds' heartbeats, however, can get all the way _(4)_ 1,260 beats per minute. This is because they flap their wings incredibly fast when they fly, never stopping. Hummingbirds are the only birds _(5)_ wings can move in a complete circle. This _(6)_ them to fly forwards, backwards, sideways, and even upside down. They can also move their wings in a figure eight shape so they can hover in the air like a helicopter.
  Like most birds, hummingbirds dislike cold weather and _(7)_ south for the winter. This is most impressive for birds from North America, which travel all the way to Central America. Canadian hummingbirds travel the farthest, flying 4,000 kilometers to reach a warmer environment. On one leg of the journey, the hummingbirds fly over 1,000 kilometers without stopping at all. Don't underestimate the diminutive hummingbird: it's more powerful than it looks!

1. (A) plenty   (B) capacity   (C) majority  (D) popularity
2. (A) barely   (B) roughly    (C) practically (D) relatively
3. (A) On average (B) On the spot (C) Above all  (D) At one time
4. (A) as much as (B) such as    (C) to and fro (D) up to
5. (A) what    (B) which     (C) whose    (D) their
6. (A) forces   (B) enables    (C) makes    (D) lets
7. (A) migrate   (B) immigrate   (C) explode   (D) expand

1. Hummingbirds live in the Americas, with a majority in Central and Southern America.
理由:
a. (A) plenty n. 大量,眾多
plenty of...  許多的……
例: There is plenty of room here to install a chandelier.
(這兒有充分的空間可以裝個吊燈。)
(B) capacity n. 容量
have a capacity of + 數字  有……的容量,可容納……
例: The auditorium has a seating capacity of 3,000.
(這座大禮堂可以容納 3 千人。)
(C) majority n. 大多數
a majority of...  大多數……
例: A majority of the students will come for the concert.
(大多數的學生都會來聽音樂會。)
(D) popularity n. 流行;普及
b. (A) plenty 前不可有不定冠詞,而 (D) popularity 為不可數名詞,故均不可選;(B) capacity 置入後不合語意,故亦不可選。
c. 根據上述,可知 (C) 應為正選,表蜂鳥『大多』分佈於中南美洲。

2. On a regular day, one hummingbird will visit roughly 1,000 flowers to find nectar.
理由:
a. (A) barely adv. 幾乎沒有;勉強地
= hardly
= almost not
例: Please turn up the radio. I can barely hear the music.
(請把收音機開大聲。我幾乎聽不見音樂。)
(B) roughly adv. 大致上,大約
例: It has been roughly one month since I last saw him.
(自從我上次見到他以來,大約已過了一個月。)
(C) practically adv. 幾乎
注意:
practically 通常用來修飾涵蓋性完全的詞類,共計有 4 個:every、no、all、any。
例: Practically all my friends enjoy singing.
(我所有朋友幾乎每個都喜歡唱歌。)
(D) relatively adv. 相對地
例: Because of my tight schedule, I'm going to stay here for a relatively short time.
(由於我的行程很緊湊,我準備停留在這裡的時間相當短暫。)
b. 根據語意及用法,可知應選 (B),置入後,表一隻蜂鳥一天可以造訪『大約』一千朵花以尋找花蜜。

3. On average, a human's heart beats 72 times per minute.
理由:
a. (A) on average  平均而言
例: On average, Brazil receives 450 centimeters of rainfall per year.
(巴西一年的平均降雨量為 4 千 5 百公釐。)
(B) on the spot  當場
例: The boy was caught stealing a toy on the spot.
(這男孩當場被逮到在偷玩具。)
(C) above all  尤其是,最重要的是
例: The doctor told my dad that he should go on a diet, and above all, he should stop smoking.
(醫生叫我父親節食,最重要的是,他應該要戒菸。)
(D) at one time  一度,曾經
例: At one time, there were millions of dinosaurs on Earth.
(以前地球上曾經有好幾百萬隻恐龍。)
b. 根據語意,可知 (A) 為正選,置入後,表『平均來說』,人類的心跳每分鐘可達 72 下。

4. Hummingbirds' heartbeats, however, can get all the way up to 1,260 beats per minute.
理由:
a. (A) as much as...  多達……
(B) such as...  像是……
(C) to and fro  來回地
例: John kept walking to and fro as if something was bothering him.
(約翰來回走個不停,彷彿有心事。)
(D) up to + 數字  多達……
例: Up to eight thousand people can attend the free concert.
(多達 8 千名觀眾可以免費參加這場演唱會。)
b. (A) as much as 用於表不可數名詞的涵義中,而(B) such as 前面通常有複數名詞,故均不可選。
c. 根據上述及語意,可知 (D) 應為正選,置入後,表蜂鳥的心跳則可一路飆『達』每分鐘 1,260 下。

5. Hummingbirds are the only birds whose wings can move in a complete circle.
理由:
a. what 為複合關係代名詞,即等於 the thing(s) which,使用時其前不可再有先行詞,而此處空格前有 birds(鳥類),用法不合,故 (A) 不可選。
b. 關係代名詞 which 雖然可修飾空格前的 birds(鳥類),但由於 which 為主格或受格,因此無法用來修飾空格後的名詞 wings(翅膀),故 (B) 不可選。
c. whose 為關係代名詞所有格,其後必須有名詞,方能用以代替人或物引導形容詞子句,修飾其前的名詞。本空格後有名詞 wings(翅膀),whose 置入後符合用法,故選 (C)。
d. their 為代名詞所有格,置於此處不合用法,會造成兩句在一起無連接詞相連,故 (D) 不可選。
6. This enables them to fly forwards, backwards, sideways, and even upside down.
理由:
a. (A) force sb to V  迫使∕強迫某人(做)……
例: Don't force me to do anything I don't want to do.
(不要強迫我做任何我不想做的事。)
(B) enable sb to V  使某人能夠……
例: This ramp enables people in wheelchairs to enter the store.
(這個斜坡讓坐輪椅的人得以進入商店。)
b. (C) makes 和 (D) lets 均為使役動詞,加受詞後,其後須接原形動詞作受詞補語,而不可接不定詞。
c. 根據上述用法及語意,可知應選 (B)。

7. Like most birds, hummingbirds dislike cold weather and migrate south for the winter.
理由:
a. (A) migrate vi.(鳥類)遷徙
例: Geese migrate from north to south as the weather cools.
(天氣變冷時,雁鴨從北方往南方遷徙。)
(B) immigrate vi.(從外)移入
例: Thousands of people immigrate to Australia each year.
(每年有數千人移民到澳洲來。)
(C) explode vi. 爆炸,爆發
(D) expand vi. 擴展,擴張
b. 根據語意,可知應選 (A),置入後,表蜂鳥討厭寒冷的天氣,而在冬天往南『遷徙』。


精解字詞片語
1. revolve vi. 旋轉
revolve around...  以……為重心;環繞著……
例: Nina's life revolves around chatting on the Internet.
(妮娜生活的重心就是上網聊天。)

2. ensure vt. 確保,保證
ensure + that 子句  確保∕保證……
例: Please ensure that you don't forget to pay me back.
(請保證你不會忘記還我錢。)

3. prey on...  獵食……
例: Bats prey on insects.
(蝙蝠以昆蟲為食。)

4. strenuous a. 費力的;艱苦的
例: That was strenuous work. I need some water.
(那真是件費力的工作。我需要喝點水。)

5. upside down  上下顛倒地
inside out  裡外相反地
例: When cats fall, they never land upside down.
(貓摔下來的時候永遠不會跌得四腳朝天。)
例: Al was unaware that he was wearing his sweater inside out.
(艾爾不知道自己把毛衣穿反了。)

6. hover vi. 盤旋;徘迴
例: The helicopter is hovering above the village.
(那架直昇機在村落上頭盤旋。)

7. impressive a. 令人印象深刻的
例: Her proficiency in foreign languages is quite impressive.
(她的外語造詣令人印象深刻。)

8. underestimate vt. 低估
overestimate vt. 高估
例: Don't underestimate Tina. She's stronger than she looks.
(別小看蒂娜。她可是比外表看起來強壯多了。)
例: I overestimated how many people would come to the play.
(我高估來看戲的人數了。)


單字小舖

1. hummingbird n. 蜂鳥
2. fascinating a. 迷人的
3. active a. 愛活動的;活躍的
4. regular a. 固定的,定期的
5. nectar n. 花蜜
6. protein n. 蛋白質
7. double vi. 加倍
8. flap vt. 拍動(翅膀)
9. incredibly adv. 非常地;令人難以置信地
10. circle n. 圓形
11. forwards adv. 向前地
12. backwards adv. 向後地,倒退地
13. sideways adv. 橫向地
14. figure n. 數字
15. helicopter n. 直升機
16. leg n.(旅程、賽程等)一段
17. diminutive a. 極小的

  蜂鳥是地球上最小、也最迷人的鳥類。蜂鳥居住在美洲,而大多分佈於中南美。這活動力十足的小蜂鳥一生都為尋找食物而打轉。在平常的日子,一隻蜂鳥一天可以造訪大約一千朵花以尋找花蜜。為了確保飲食中有足夠的蛋白質,蜂鳥也會捕食網上的蜘蛛和小型昆蟲。
  平均來說,人類的心跳每分鐘可達 72 下,但在進行費力的活動時,心跳的次數則可多達兩倍。然而,蜂鳥的心跳則可一路飆到每分鐘 1,260 下。這是因為牠們飛行時以驚人的速度揮動翅膀,毫不間斷。蜂鳥是唯一能 360 度轉動翅膀的鳥類,這使牠們能前後左右,甚至上下顛倒地飛行。蜂鳥也能用翅膀揮舞出數字 8 的形狀,讓自己像直升機一樣盤旋在空中。
  如同大多數鳥類,蜂鳥討厭寒冷的天氣,而在冬天往南遷徙。這對生活在北美洲的鳥類來說更是了不起,因為牠們得千里迢迢飛到中美洲。而加拿大蜂鳥遷徙路途最為遙遠,飛行 4 千公里才能到達溫暖的環境。遷徙過程中,蜂鳥可以飛行一千多公里而不需中途休息。別低估了體型嬌小的蜂鳥,牠們可是比外表看起來厲害許多!

標準答案: 1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (A) 4. (D) 5. (C) 6. (B) 7. (A)



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