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Lesson 31 The Gliding Snake
第31課 游來游去的蛇
Snakes belong to the class of animals which is known as reptiles. Very few snakes are found in our country. InIreland there are none at all; and in England and Scotland there are only two kinds to be met with.
蛇屬于動物界里的“爬蟲類”。英國的蛇非常少， 愛爾蘭一條蛇也沒有， 英格蘭和蘇格蘭也只能見到兩種蛇。
One of these is the common or ringed grass-snake, which is quite harmless. The other is the poisonous snake called the adder or viper.
一種是常見的“水游蛇”， 基本是沒有害處的；另一種是有毒的“極北蝰”。
A full-grown viper is rather less than two feet in length. It is of a brownish-yellow colour, with a chain of black marks running in a zig-zag line down the back.
極北蝰長大以后， 也不足兩英尺長。身體是棕黃色的， 背上有“之”字形的黑色條紋。
In its upper jaw it has two long hollow teeth or fangs, each of which is joined to a poison-bag in the roof ofthe mouth. When the viper seizes any small animal, the poison runs down through the fangs into the body of theanimal and kills it.
極北蝰的上腭有兩顆又長又尖的牙， 也就是“毒牙”， 毒牙是中空的， 連接著上腭里面的毒囊。極北蝰抓住小動物的時候， 毒液就會通過毒牙流到動物體內， 把動物殺死。
The viper has also a number of small solid teeth. These have their points turned backwards, and help to hold the prey while it is being swallowed.
極北蝰也有很多堅硬的小牙齒， 齒尖是朝后的， 極北蝰吞掉獵物的時候， 這些牙可以抓住獵物， 不讓獵物跑掉。
The ringed grass-snake has a double row of black spots running down its back. It has also two yellow patches or stripes on its neck. It has no poison-fangs. The ringed snake, like the viper, feeds on small animals, such as frogs and mice.
有環紋的水游蛇， 背上有兩排黑點子， 脖子上還有兩片黑色的斑點， 也叫條紋。水游蛇沒有毒牙， 它跟蝰蛇一樣， 以青蛙、老鼠一類的動物為食。
