Reading 4146
Lone Star Camels
Have you ever heard of the U.S. Camel Corps? Keep reading to learn more about it!
l When you think of camels, where do you imagine they live? You probably picture them in the deserts of the Middle East, in countries like Egypt or Saudi Arabia. But those are not the only places camels have ever lived. In the second half of the 1800s, a group of camels lived in Texas!
2 How did camels end up so far from their homeland in the Middle East? In 1852, Jefferson Davis, U.S. Secretary of War, recommended that the army try using camels for carrying military provisions in the American Southwest. In 1855, Congress approved the use of $30,000 dollars for the first and only U.S. Camel Corps.
3 Later that year, several U.S. military personnel set sail for North Africa. They had a hard time finding available camels there, so they tried again in Malta, Greece, and Turkey. Finally, after learning much about camels, they landed in Egypt. When their ship sailed for home, it had a number of new passengers, 33 camels and 5 people to care for the animals and show American soldiers how to work with them.
4 The camels were taken to Camp Verde, near San Antonio, Texas. A year later, 41 more camels arrived. Although there were now more than 70 camels in the United States, they were not used often until the Camel Corps was assigned to explore some unfamiliar territory between El Paso and the Colorado River.
5 The camels proved themselves on this trip. They were tougher than the horses and the mules. When the expedition became lost, the soldiers’ camels led the people to water. The soldiers were overjoyed. The camels, however, could have continued on for several more days without any water.
6 Even though the camels had proved that they were useful to the military, there were still several problems. Some soldiers did not like the camels at all. They thought the animals were bad tempered. When the camels were irritated or annoyed by something, they reacted by kicking or spitting. They also had a very strong odor that the soldiers did not like. The odor caused other animals that were not used to being around camels to become skittish and upset.
7 Another problem was that the Camel Corps still was not used very often. It was seen as an unnecessary expense for the military. When the Civil War began, the camels were mostly forgotten. Some were sold to places like zoos or circuses. Others were eventually released into the desert.
8 By the mid-1860s, the U.S. Camel Corps no longer existed. Even so, camels still roamed through areas of Nevada, Idaho, Texas, California, and Arizona. The last confirmed sightings were during the early 1900s. Some people claim that camels still live in remote areas of the Southwest desert today, but no one has been able to prove it.
駱駝不止居住在沙漠或中東地區
在1852年，Jefferson Davis提出可將駱駝用在搬運軍隊物資上
因此歷經轉折
駱駝從沙漠被運到美國
當時的士兵因為駱駝能帶領他們找到水源而喜歡他們
但也存在著許多的問題
譬如當駱駝生氣或煩躁時會以踢人之類的舉動表達他們的不滿
而且駱駝身上有很重的怪味惹得一些士兵很不喜歡它們
另一個問題是軍隊並不經常性地使用駱駝
使得他們之後被漸漸遺忘
有的被賣到動物園或馬戲團
有的則是直接被送回沙漠
直到今天仍然有人認為世上還有駱駝是生活在非沙漠地區
卻沒有人能夠證明
2014年1月26日 星期日
閱讀筆記 Science 3018 Treetop Homes
Science 3018
Treetop Homes
What can the materials in a bird’s nest tell you about the creatures that live there?
Have you ever come across an old, empty bird’s nest? You might find one on the ground at the park or in the branches of a tree in your yard. If you think that all birds’ nests are the same, try taking a closer look. You can learn a lot about the bird that made the nest from the materials it used.
lf you find a nest, make sure it is no longer being used before you take it. Birds carry germs, so don’t touch your face until you’ve washed your hands. Tweezers are a helpful tool for taking a nest apart. As you pull out different materials, try to identify them. You’ll probably find some leaves and feathers. You might even recognize the leaves of a nearby tree. Eggshells, moss, grass, cobwebs, and twigs are also popular building supplies.
Birds tend to use materials from their environment. For example, the black tern builds its nest in the water, so the nest is made of broken reeds. Birds that live near cities sometimes use string, wire, bits of newspaper, or pieces of packaging. If you find a hanging woven nest, it probably belongs to a weaver finch. These talented birds weave their nests by pushing the grass through the nest and pulling it out the other side.
The male bowerbird builds a very odd nest. Its purpose is to attract females, so the nest is meant to draw attention. Some items you might find in a bowerbird’s nest are feathers, bones, shells, berries, flowers, buttons, keys, and glass. You’re probably thinking that this doesn’t sound like a cozy place to raise baby birds. The female builds her own nest before she lays her eggs.
Whether the nest is simple or complicated, birds tell the careful observer something about themselves by the construction of their nests.
並不是每個鳥巢都長得一樣
如果你仔細去觀察
鳥巢可能在任何地方
記住那是有細菌的
所以當你碰觸過後記得先洗手再摸自己的臉
這時鉗子就是個好工具
當你觀察不同鳥巢的構造
便會發現鳥類通常會使用住處周遭環境容易取得的物品當作材料
譬如住水邊的可能用蘆葦
住城市的可能用報紙碎片、金屬絲線或包裝紙
也有些製作鳥巢所使用的東西十分奇特
譬如骨頭、鑰匙等聽起來不太舒適的材料製作它們的鳥巢
Treetop Homes
What can the materials in a bird’s nest tell you about the creatures that live there?
Have you ever come across an old, empty bird’s nest? You might find one on the ground at the park or in the branches of a tree in your yard. If you think that all birds’ nests are the same, try taking a closer look. You can learn a lot about the bird that made the nest from the materials it used.
lf you find a nest, make sure it is no longer being used before you take it. Birds carry germs, so don’t touch your face until you’ve washed your hands. Tweezers are a helpful tool for taking a nest apart. As you pull out different materials, try to identify them. You’ll probably find some leaves and feathers. You might even recognize the leaves of a nearby tree. Eggshells, moss, grass, cobwebs, and twigs are also popular building supplies.
Birds tend to use materials from their environment. For example, the black tern builds its nest in the water, so the nest is made of broken reeds. Birds that live near cities sometimes use string, wire, bits of newspaper, or pieces of packaging. If you find a hanging woven nest, it probably belongs to a weaver finch. These talented birds weave their nests by pushing the grass through the nest and pulling it out the other side.
The male bowerbird builds a very odd nest. Its purpose is to attract females, so the nest is meant to draw attention. Some items you might find in a bowerbird’s nest are feathers, bones, shells, berries, flowers, buttons, keys, and glass. You’re probably thinking that this doesn’t sound like a cozy place to raise baby birds. The female builds her own nest before she lays her eggs.
Whether the nest is simple or complicated, birds tell the careful observer something about themselves by the construction of their nests.
並不是每個鳥巢都長得一樣
如果你仔細去觀察
鳥巢可能在任何地方
記住那是有細菌的
所以當你碰觸過後記得先洗手再摸自己的臉
這時鉗子就是個好工具
當你觀察不同鳥巢的構造
便會發現鳥類通常會使用住處周遭環境容易取得的物品當作材料
譬如住水邊的可能用蘆葦
住城市的可能用報紙碎片、金屬絲線或包裝紙
也有些製作鳥巢所使用的東西十分奇特
譬如骨頭、鑰匙等聽起來不太舒適的材料製作它們的鳥巢
閱讀筆記 S6048 Darwin’s Finches
Science 6048
Darwin’s Finches
Why were the beaks of birds living on the Galápagos Islands worth studying?
ln the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near the equator and west of Ecuador, lie the Galápagos Islands. These volcanic islands are the site of studies done by the scientist Charles Darwin. His research there led to the creation of his most well-known theories.
Finches, small, sparrow-like birds, live on the islands. With the help of a colleague, Darwin learned that there were 13 different species of finches on the islands. The birds were all about the same size, and they had similar coloring. The main difference that Darwin noticed was in the birds’ beaks.
Darwin came to the conclusion that all these different species of finches had an ancestor in common. He believed that over time, they developed different types of beaks to suit different needs. Some had beaks that were suited for crushing, which would be useful for eating seeds. Others had grasping beaks that could hold twigs or thorns and use them as a tool to pull insects from tree branches.
Even though the Galápagos finches have beaks that allow them to eat special foods, their general eating habits don’t vary that much from species to species. Instead, they are able to survive difficult times—such as times of drought or intense competition—because of their specialized beaks.
Darwin’s study of the finches led to his theory of natural selection. He believed that certain traits in a species make it better able to survive. Over time and many generations, the traits that benefit the animal become more common. For example, a certain type of coloring in a moth might protect it from predators. According to Darwin, future generations of the moth would have this coloring because it helps the species survive.
ln recent years, scientists have watched an example of this theory unfold. Traits usually evolve over a long period of time. In just about 20 years, though, one of Darwin’s finches developed a smaller beak so that it could eat smaller seeds. In the past, it fed on seeds of different sizes. Then, another species of finch came to the island and began eating all the larger seeds. A drought also caused greater competition for the existing food. The finches that had smaller beaks were better able to survive these changes. It was a perfect illustration of Darwin’s theory of natural selection—in the very same place he had originally formed his theory.
為甚麼居住於加拉巴哥群島鳥類的喙嘴值得被研究呢?
Charles Darwin將加拉巴哥群島中一些島嶼的鳥類做了研究
發現儘管屬於同是種類的鳥類，它們的鳥嘴形狀、大小並不盡相同
研究的結論為
會造成這些不同的原因是當他們在生存的過程中，碰上了不同挑戰與考驗
為了因應這些變因繼續生存下去， 體上的構造便會隨著一代一代緩慢改變
而現今發現擁有這些特徵的生物辨識經過大自然的淘汰及篩選所存活、傳承下來的基因型態
Darwin’s Finches
Why were the beaks of birds living on the Galápagos Islands worth studying?
ln the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near the equator and west of Ecuador, lie the Galápagos Islands. These volcanic islands are the site of studies done by the scientist Charles Darwin. His research there led to the creation of his most well-known theories.
Finches, small, sparrow-like birds, live on the islands. With the help of a colleague, Darwin learned that there were 13 different species of finches on the islands. The birds were all about the same size, and they had similar coloring. The main difference that Darwin noticed was in the birds’ beaks.
Darwin came to the conclusion that all these different species of finches had an ancestor in common. He believed that over time, they developed different types of beaks to suit different needs. Some had beaks that were suited for crushing, which would be useful for eating seeds. Others had grasping beaks that could hold twigs or thorns and use them as a tool to pull insects from tree branches.
Even though the Galápagos finches have beaks that allow them to eat special foods, their general eating habits don’t vary that much from species to species. Instead, they are able to survive difficult times—such as times of drought or intense competition—because of their specialized beaks.
Darwin’s study of the finches led to his theory of natural selection. He believed that certain traits in a species make it better able to survive. Over time and many generations, the traits that benefit the animal become more common. For example, a certain type of coloring in a moth might protect it from predators. According to Darwin, future generations of the moth would have this coloring because it helps the species survive.
ln recent years, scientists have watched an example of this theory unfold. Traits usually evolve over a long period of time. In just about 20 years, though, one of Darwin’s finches developed a smaller beak so that it could eat smaller seeds. In the past, it fed on seeds of different sizes. Then, another species of finch came to the island and began eating all the larger seeds. A drought also caused greater competition for the existing food. The finches that had smaller beaks were better able to survive these changes. It was a perfect illustration of Darwin’s theory of natural selection—in the very same place he had originally formed his theory.
為甚麼居住於加拉巴哥群島鳥類的喙嘴值得被研究呢?
Charles Darwin將加拉巴哥群島中一些島嶼的鳥類做了研究
發現儘管屬於同是種類的鳥類，它們的鳥嘴形狀、大小並不盡相同
研究的結論為
會造成這些不同的原因是當他們在生存的過程中，碰上了不同挑戰與考驗
為了因應這些變因繼續生存下去， 體上的構造便會隨著一代一代緩慢改變
而現今發現擁有這些特徵的生物辨識經過大自然的淘汰及篩選所存活、傳承下來的基因型態
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