Vocabulary Idioms & Phrases

Paragraphs 5-6

Post-reading

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Now,

answer

the following

questions.

What helps the blue whale swim quickly?

Its smooth skin.

Where is the baby blue whale born?

In warm seas.

Reading

The full-grown blue whale gets food in a strange way. Some whales have teeth, but not the blue whale.

Adj + V-en 為複合形容詞，例如：full-grown 、 new-born 、 clean-shaven 、ready-made 、 white-washed 等等。

Instead, it has a kind of curtain that hangs from the roof of its mouth.

That 為關係代名詞，引導形容詞子句，修飾先行詞。roof: top

It is made of fine whalebone.When the whale wants to feed, it opens its mouth wide and swims at full speed ahead.

be made of ( 原料沒有產生質的變化 )The desk is made of wood.be made from ( 原料產生質的變化 )Cheese is made from milk.wide (adv.) 張大地She left the door wide open.swim at full speed ahead→swim ahead at full/top speed→swim forward as fast as possible

Soon its huge mouth is filled with water. In the water are thousands of tiny sea animals and plants. The whale then closes its mouth and pushes the water out with its tongue.

soon: before long/within a short timehuge: bigis filled with = is full of 地方副詞置句首，後面主詞與動詞的位置要倒裝。On the shelf are some English dictionaries.

The water shoots out through the curtain. But the food stays trapped in the whale’s mouth.

It takes many mouthfuls to fill up such a big animal.

“stay + 補語” 表示「保持…狀態」，例如：stay awake 、 stay young 、 stay calm 、stay friends 、 stay seated 等等。it 是虛主詞，代替後面的不定詞真主詞。It takes many mouthfuls to fill up such a big animal.→The whale has to eat many mouthfuls of food until it is full.

For much of the year whales live in warm seas. That is where baby whales are born.

much 為代名詞，表示「大部分」，為單數。Much of the work has been done.

That is where baby whales are born.→That’s (the place) where baby whales

are born. Yesterday morning I went to the librar

y where I borrowed several books. (where 子句為形容詞子句 )

That’s where I happened to meet my English teacher. (where 子句為名詞子句 )

But warm waters are not as rich in food as cold waters. So when the baby whales are strong enough, the whales move south.

not as Adj/Adv as= not so Adj/Adv as 不如…一樣在否定句中，可用 so 代替第一個 as

be rich in 含有豐富的… This country is rich in natural resource

s. The city is rich in ancient buildings.

Blue whales may swim halfway around the world to reach the waters near the South Pole. Their smooth skin helps them swim quickly. They rest by taking short naps as they float on top of the water.

by + V-ing 藉著… He passed the exam by studying hard. She makes money by selling flowers.taking short naps =sleeping for a short time on top of the water =on the surface of the water　

Finally, they reach the cold sea. And the summer feast begins. The food there will make them fat and will help them live through the coming year.  

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Match the description with the correctparagraph.

Paragraph Description

1. How the blue whale gets food.

2. The blue whale is not a fish, but a mammal like us.

3. When summer is coming, the blue whale moves to the cold waters near the South Pole for more food.

4. The blue whale is the largest animal in the world.

5. Why does the whale spout?

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Discussion 1:

Do you know how whales “talk” with one another?

Reference answer:They “talk” with one another bymaking different noises, including clicks, whistles, squeaks, thumps, and low moans. Because sound waves travel well in water, the “song” of some whales can be heard more than a hundred milesaway.

Discussion 2:

Today, people still kill whales for their meat and whalebone. What do you think of it?

Reference answer:

I think the killing of whalesshould not be allowed. If peoplekeep doing so, we will have fewer and fewer whales on earth. AtLast, they may be gone forever.

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