儿童故事集：小熊的夜晚-The Bears’ Night Out

 Megan loved bears more than anything else in the whole world. She had a polar¹ bear, a grizzly² bear, a panda bear, and even a koala³ bear. She had other animals too, but it was only the bears that got to sleep in Megan’s bed at night.

Each night before bed, she gathered the bears around her and tucked⁴ them in. Before she closed her eyes she told each of the bears to behave. And, normally⁵ they did. But one summer night, the polar bear couldn’t sleep.

 

“It’s too hot in here,” he told the other bears. “I wish I were in the North Pole right now.”

 

“Where is the North Pole?” asked Panda.

 

“I’ll take you there if you want to go,” said Polar.

 

Panda did want to go and Grizzly and Koala did too.

 

So, the four bears slid down the bedpost and headed off North. When they arrived in the North Pole, Polar showed the other bears around. Koala did not feel very comfortable.

 

“It’s too cold!” said Koala. “I could never live here.”

 

“We polar bears have two kinds of fur,” Polar said, “some that is woolly and keeps us warm, and some that is spiky⁶ and keeps us dry. And even though we are as white as the snow we have thick black skin that keeps us comfortable.”

 

“It was nice to meet your friends and family,” said Koala, “but I wish I were somewhere warmer.”

 

So, the bears headed South, all the way down to Australia. Koala showed her friends around.

 

“Is there something to drink?” asked Grizzly. “It’s hot here, and I’m thirsty.”

 

“Koala bears eat eucalyptus⁷,” said Koala. “We get all the water we need from the leaves.” Koala shared some eucalyptus with her bear friends, and they all got sleepy. But, just before they were about to have a nap⁸, Grizzly’s tummy began to roar⁹.

 

“I’m still hungry,” Grizzly said. “I wish I were in the mountains by a nice cold stream.

 

So, the bears headed West, all the way to Canada. Grizzly showed his friends all of the wonderful things to eat, like fish, and grapes, and even garbage left by nearby campers. Panda was exhausted¹⁰ from all of the travelling.

 

“I wish I were home where life is a whole lot slower,” said Panda.

 

So, the four bears headed East to China. As they were travelling, Panda looked very worried.

 

“Aren’t you happy to be going home for a visit?” Polar asked Panda.

 

“I am, but I’m afraid there won’t be any pandas left,” explained Panda.

 

When they arrived in China there were only a few other panda bears around. Panda and his friends had to share one small bamboo stick.

 

“Where is everybody?” asked Koala.

 

“Is this all there is to eat?” asked Grizzly.

 

“I’m afraid bears like me have almost gone extinct,” said Panda. “And most of the bamboo trees have been cut down so there isn’t much to eat.”

 

The bears were tired so they decided¹¹ to head back to Megan’s house. All the way home, the bears were very quiet. They had enjoyed their trip around the world, but they felt sad that there were only a few panda bears left. When they had snuggled back in bed with Megan, Panda lifted up his head and smiled.

 

“I’m so thankful to have other bear friends like you,” Panda said. “Friends don’t have to be panda bears. Other kinds of bears are just as nice.”

 

The bears smiled and hugged each other and then closed their eyes and went to sleep. A moment later Koala sat up again.

 

“I have a secret to tell you,” she said. “I’m not really a bear at all. I wish I were a bear, but actually I’m a marsupial¹². I hope you’ll love me just the same.”

 

None of the bears said a word. They were already fast asleep. But, just when Koala thought her secret was still a secret she heard a tiny voice.

 

“I love you just the same as all the other bears, Koala,” Megan said. “And, sometimes I wish I were a bear too.”

 

Wordchecker

 

gather (verb): to bring together in a group

tuck someone in (verb): to help someone get comfortable under the blankets in a bed

eucalyptus (noun): a flowering tree native to Australia

exhausted (adjective): very tired

extinct (adjective): no longer a species on earth

snuggle (verb): to get comfortable with soft or warm things or people

marsupial (noun): a mammal that lives in its mother’s pouch after birth and continues to develop there

1 polar   

adj.两极的，极地的，南辕北辙的，南极的，北极的，极性的；n.极线，极面

参考例句：

• It's very cold in the polar regions.南北极地带是很寒冷的。
• Love and hatred are polar feelings.爱与恨是完全相反的感情。

2 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。

3 koala   

n.考拉，树袋熊

参考例句：

• The koala is the most popular animal in this zoo.树袋熊是这个动物园里最受欢迎的动物。
• Some species sleep day and night such as the Koala Bear.一些物种白天和夜晚都睡觉，例如树袋熊。

4 tucked   

塞进( tuck的过去式和过去分词 )； 翻折； 盖住； 卷起

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. 她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。

5 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

6 spiky   

adj.长而尖的，大钉似的

参考例句：

• Your hairbrush is too spiky for me.你的发刷，我觉得太尖了。
• The spiky handwriting on the airmail envelope from London was obviously hers.发自伦敦的航空信封上的尖长字迹分明是她的。

7 eucalyptus   

n.桉树，桉属植物

参考例句：

• Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains.桉树油可以很好地缓解肌肉的疼痛。
• The birds rustled in the eucalyptus trees.鸟在桉树弄出沙沙的响声。

8 nap   

n.(白天)打瞌睡，打盹

参考例句：

• The nap of the coat has been worn off.外衣上的绒毛已经磨掉了。
• Don't bother me while I am taking my nap.我小睡的时候不要打扰我。

9 roar   

n.吼，咆哮，轰鸣，喧闹；vi.吼叫，大声说出，喧闹；vt.呼喊，使轰鸣

参考例句：

• He began to roar when I took the chocolate away. 当我把巧克力拿走时，他大哭起来。
• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight.机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。

10 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 marsupial   

adj.有袋的，袋状的

参考例句：

• Koala is an arboreal Australian marsupial.考拉是一种澳大利亚树栖有袋动物。
• The marsupial has been in decline for decades due to urban sprawl from car accidentsdog attacks.这种有袋动物其数量在过去几十年间逐渐减少,主要原因是城市的扩张、车祸和狗的袭击。