兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第二十冊 Dingoes at Dinnertime 02 Sleepyhead
Jack opened his eyes. Glaring hot sunlight floodedinto the tree house.
"Neat hats," said Annie.
She and Jack were both wearing hats.
"I think they will protect us from the sun" said Jack.
He and Annie looked out the window. Teddylooked out, too.
The tree house had landed in a scrubby forest filledwith droopy plants and dry brown trees.
"Man, this place needs rain," said Jack.
He sat back on his heels and looked at the picture ofwhere they had landed in the Australia book.
He read:
Australia's forests go through times of drought (sayDROWT). A drought is a long period of time withoutany rain. The same forest can be flooded by heavyrains at other times of the year.
Jack pulled out his notebook and wrote:
Drought = no rain"Hey, Jack," said Annie. "Doesn't it smell like acookout?"Jack sniffed the air. It did smell like a cookout.
Jack looked out the window. A wisp of smokefloated above some trees in the distance.
"Maybe people are camping over there," Jack said.
"Let's go see," said Annie.
Jack put his notebook and the Australia book intohis backpack.
"Put Teddy in there, too," said Annie.
Jack slipped the little dog into the pack. Then hefollowed Annie down the ladder.
When they stepped onto the ground, the hot windnearly blew their hats off.
"The campers must be over there," said Annie.
She pointed at the smoke in the blue sky. Theystarted walking across a sun-baked clearing.
They passed bushes and scrawny trees. Lizards ranover the dry, cracked ground.
Arf! Arf! Teddy barked from Jack's pack.
"Whoa!" said Jack.
A pair of huge, funny-looking birds walked outfrom behind a bush.
They were taller than Jack. They had fat bodies,long, skinny legs, and long, skinny necks.
"Who are you?" Annie asked the strange pair.
Jack opened his pack and took out the Australiabook. He found a picture of the birds.
"They're emus," he said. He read aloud:
The emu (say EE-myoo) is a large bird that doesn'tfly. It can run as fast as thirty miles per hour"Wow, that's fast," said Annie.
Arf Teddy jumped out of Jack's backpack andbarked at the strange birds.
The emus gave the little dog a haughty look. Thenthey turned and walked proudly away.
Jack wrote in his notebook:
EmusProud birdsDon't fly"Look, a live teddy bear!" said Annie.
Jack looked up.
Annie ran to a tree at the edge of the clearing.
The "live teddy bear" was nestled in the fork of thetree.
"Aww, it's so cute!" whispered Annie.
The creature was fast asleep. He had large roundears, a black nose, and a furry body. His feet had long,curved claws.
"It's a koala bear" said Jack.
"Hi, sleepyhead," Annie said to the koala.
She patted his soft fur. He opened his big eyes andlooked calmly at her.
Jack found a koala picture in the Australia book. Heread:
The koala is actually not a bear at all. It's amarsupial (say mar-SOUP-ce-ul), like a kangaroo. Amarsupial mother carries her babies in a stomachpouch.
"That's neat," said Annie.
Jack kept reading:
Koalas mostly eat the leaves of gum frees, socutting down gum trees to clear land has hurt them.
Wildfires are also a threat. Koalas are slow-movingand can't escape the smoke and flames.
Jack pulled out his notebook and wrote:
Wildfire are a threat to koalas"What's wrong, sleepyhead?" Annie asked thekoala. "Don't you feel well?""Don't worry," said Jack. "Listen to this--" He readmore from the book:
Koalas, like kangaroos, are active at night and sleepduring the day, when the sun is hot. The name"koala" means "no drink," because koalas rarely drinkwater. They get moisture from the leaves they eat.
Jack licked his lips. His mouth felt dry. "Speaking ofwater," he said, "I'm thirsty.
"Me, too," said Annie.
Teddy was panting, as if he was thirsty, also.
"Let's find those campers," said Jack, sighing.
"Maybe they can give us some water."Jack put Teddy back into his pack. He tucked thebook under his arm, in case he needed to looksomething up.
They began walking again. Suddenly, there was aloud, harsh cackle.
"Yikes," said Annie.
"What was that?" said Jack.
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