大象-Elephant

　　Elephant

　　Elephants are like us in some ways. They live for a long time——fifty or sixty years. They can remember things very well. They never forget sadness or great happiness for many months.

　　Elephants are like us, but they are also different.

　　They live in families: families of females. There will be a few young males a few baby boys. But the females will soon send them away. An elephant family keeps only its daughters, mothers, grand mothers and its great grandmothers. They stay together for fifty, sixty... a hundred years. The older animals look after the young ones. The mothers teach their daughters and set a good example.

　　And what happens to male elephants? Well, the young males stay with their mothers for a time.  Then they must leave the family. The females just send them away. A bull elephant doesn＇t often have a friend. He [ives apart, away from the family, and often away from other bulls.

　　Sometimes the females call a bull. He can visit them then, and stay for a time. But soon his "wives" and sisters send him away again. The females have a very happy familly life. What do the bulls think about it? We don＇t know.

　　[点评]

　　文章中词汇句型都比较简单，但作者运用了比较和对比的手法对大象家庭作了生动的描述。或许在此之前很多读者还不了解大象家族情况呢!

　　[参考译文]

　　大象

　　大象有些地方跟我们很像。他们的寿命很长，一般活五十到六十年。他们的记忆非常好，常常好几个月忘不掉一件伤心事或高兴的事。

　　大象和我们很相像，但也有不同之处。

　　他们也是以家庭的形式生活，但家庭是由女性组成的。有时也会有一两只幼公象在家，但母象很快将他们赶走。大象家庭只有女儿，母亲、祖母、曾祖母。她们在一起生活50年，60年甚至100年，年纪大的照顾年纪小的，母亲教育女儿并以身作则。

　　那公象们怎么办呢?幼公象与母亲呆上一段时间，然后必须离开家。母象们将他们赶出家门。公象一般没有朋友。他独自一人生活，远离家人，而且远离其他公象。

　　有时候，母象们召一头公象来。他来做上一阵客，住上一段日子，但很快他的“妻子们”和姐妹们又把他赶走。母象们过着幸福快乐的家庭生活。公象们会怎么样想呢?我们无法知道。

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