Who Says Dogs Can't Fly?|腊肠狗：短脚的飞毛腿

by Leigh Goldberg

Long in body and short of leg, dachshunds are anything but ordinary.

Lovingly called hot dogs or wiener dogs because of their appearance, dachshunds are not as mild-mannered as they look. Dachshunds were _(1)_ bred in Germany in the early 1600s to sniff and hunt out badgers. As a matter of fact, the name dachshund means badger dog in German. Their keen sense of smell, stretched bodies, and muscular physique _(2)_ them to dig out badger burrows and fight the vicious creatures to the death.

No longer required to hunt, dachshunds have won over the hearts of people everywhere for their small stature as well as their devotion. _(3)_ their hunting instincts, dachshunds are naturally curious and filled with energy, making for great watchdogs and providing hours of comical entertainment with their crazy antics. With a long lifespan, dachshunds make good family pets since they're quite sociable _(4)_. However, despite being charming and irresistible, dachshunds are stubborn and require a lot of attention. They have been known to get into mischief if they feel _(5)_ for even a small amount of time.

Even with their short legs, dachshunds are _(6)_ running at breakneck speeds. At the Holiday Bowl Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals, these tiny dogs can be seen flying down the 56-foot race course. The final event is held annually in December as part of the San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade, with qualifying races _(7)_ throughout the southwestern US. There's no doubt that these hot dogs are full of goodness.

1.  (A) currently   (B) originally  (C) similarly   (D) relatively

2.  (A) let (B) made    (C) forced  (D) enabled

3.  (A) Thanks to   (B) Instead of  (C) But for (D) According to

4.  (A) by heart    (B) in case (C) on duty (D) by nature

5.  (A) adopted (B) noticed (C) neglected   (D) informed

6.  (A) likely to   (B) capable of  (C) aware of    (D) reluctant to

7.  (A) dropping by (B) making off  (C) taking place    (D) giving way

腊肠狗：短脚的飞毛腿

长长的身体搭配小短腿，腊肠狗真是别具特色。

　　因为外型而被昵称为『hot dog』或是『wiener dog』的腊肠狗（dachshund），牠们的个性其实不像外表看起来那么温驯。腊肠狗原本是德国在 17 世纪初，培育用来嗅出并追捕獾的。事实上，dachshund 这个名字在德语里就是『猎獾的小狗』之意。灵敏的嗅觉、长长的身体以及精壮的体型，使他们可以挖掘獾的洞穴，并且和这种凶猛的动物咬得你死我活。

　　腊肠狗现在已不需要狩猎，却因为牠们娇小的体型及忠心耿耿而在各地赢得人们的喜爱。由于牠们狩猎的天性，腊肠狗天生好奇心强、体力充沛，使牠们成为绝佳的看门狗，而且还会做出一些搞怪的行为，提供人们不少的欢乐时光。腊肠狗的平均寿命很长，而且天生喜欢与人互动，所以很适合当作家庭宠物。然而，尽管牠们很有魅力令人难以抗拒，腊肠狗也有固执的一面，并且需要很多关怀。众所皆知，牠们要是觉得受到片刻忽略的话，就会变得调皮捣蛋。

　　即使腿很短，腊肠狗还是有能力跑很快。在『假日杯足球赛』（编按：Holiday Bowl 为在美国圣地亚哥举行的大学杯足球赛）的场边，由 Wienerschnitzel 赞助的『全国腊肠狗大赛』中，你可以看到这群小不点在 56 英尺长的跑道上快速冲刺。每年 12 月，该赛事的决赛会在圣地亚哥举行，它同时也是该地大海湾气球游行所举办的活动之一，再加上全美西南部各地所举办的资格赛，无可否认地，这些腊肠狗全身上下充满惊喜之处。

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

饲养腊肠狗的小秘诀

1.  在炎热潮湿的台湾，长毛种的腊肠狗容易发生湿疹等问题，因此狗主人要较为注意清洁及梳理。当腊肠狗皮肤有秃毛、变黑等情形即要注意。

2.  腊肠狗的耳朵为垂耳，平日需特别注意通风及清洁，避免滋生细菌。

3.  腊肠狗容易贪吃过胖，尤其是公狗特别有体重方面的问题，需特别注意。

4.  腊肠狗因其体型较长，椎间盘的负担较重，因此容易有相关的病变产生。家中的狗狗在嘻戏时最好找平坦的地方，避免不平的地面加重脊椎的负担。