A Bird like No Other|与众不同的鸟

by Brian Foden

Why craziness is named after a bird?

It looks like a big duck or a small goose, but in fact it's an aquatic bird. It's the state bird of Minnesota, and it's on the Canadian one dollar coin. Not only that, but it's also mentioned in well-known idioms to describe craziness. Don't know what it is yet? Before these hints drive you loony or make you as crazy as a loon, here's another onehe nickname of the Canadian one dollar coin is the loonie.

Even though loons are excellent swimmers, skilled divers, and strong fliers, it is another quality that is responsible for how they got their name. When the creatures walk on land, they have a certain awkwardness that prompted them to be named after a word which means clumsy. The reason for the loons' gracelessness comes from the fact that their legs are set far back on their bodies, making it difficult to walk. However, this physical characteristic helps give loons the ability to dive to depths of more than 60 meters. While the legs of most birds are hollow, loons' are solid, so this heavier weight allows them to plunge deeper. This remarkable diving ability is also assisted by the use of their wings.

Found in Canada, the United States, northern Europe, Greenland, and Russia, loons consist of five species known for their distinctive calls. These haunting calls have helped make loons that much more appreciated in North America.

    1.     According to the article, what is a loonie?

(A) An English idiom.

(B) A nickname for someone that is very smart.

(C) A Canadian coin.

(D) Someone who gets sick all the time.

    2.     How did loons get their name?

(A) From the noises they make.

(B) From the way they stumble when they walk.

(C) From the way they swim.

(D) From the way they dive underwater.

    3.     Which of the following is true?

(A) Loons aren't ducks or geese.

(B) Loons have hollow legs.

(C) Loons can't swim very well.

(D) Loons use their wings to help with balance when walking.

    4.     Which is distinctive in the second to last sentence closest in meaning to?

(A) Standard.

(B) Common.

(C) Similar.

(D) Unique.

与众不同的鸟

为什么疯狂会以一种鸟为名?

牠看起来像是大型的鸭子或是小型的鹅，但事实上牠是一种水生的鸟类。牠是美国明尼苏达州的州鸟，同时也出现在加拿大的一元硬币上。不仅如此，牠也在著名惯用语中被提及，用来形容疯狂。你还不知道牠是什么吗？在这些提示让你抓狂之前，这里还有另一个提示加拿大一元硬币的昵称就叫作 loonie。

虽然潜鸟非常擅于游泳、潜水和飞行，但牠的另一个特性才正是牠得名的主因。这种生物在陆地上走路时，某种程度的笨拙样貌促使牠们被以一个意为笨手笨脚的字来命名。潜鸟之所以走路这么不优雅是由于牠们的腿在身体的很后面，这让牠们走起路来很困难。然而，这项身体上的特性却帮助潜鸟拥有能够潜水超过 60 公尺的能力。大部份鸟类的腿是中空的，而潜鸟的腿却是实心的，因此较重的重量让牠们能潜得比较深。而翅膀的使用也有助于潜鸟这项卓越的潜水能力。

潜鸟产于加拿大、美国、北欧、格陵兰岛及俄罗斯，牠们由 5 个不同的品种组成，分别以其独特的叫声闻名。这些令人难忘的叫声使得潜鸟在北美地区更加受到喜爱。

答案：  1.  C   2.  B   3.  A   4.  D

加拿大元（Canadian dollar），又称加元或加币，是加拿大的法定货币，自 1858 年起使用，通常缩写为 C$。1加元相等于 100 加拿大分。

加拿大使用的所有硬币由加拿大皇家铸币局铸造，所有纸币则由加拿大纸币公司与BA International Inc 印制。加拿大银行 2011 年 6 月 20 日在渥太华总部公布了用特殊塑料制成、包含先进防伪技术的新型塑质钞票，分为 100 加元和 50 加元两种面值，以遏止在货币流通领域的高技术犯罪并节约印制钞票费用，这一技术参考由皇家澳洲铸币公司于 2002 年发行制造的澳元。（数据源：维基百科）