Stop That Pacing, Fido!
菲多，安静！ I-10 / 010

If you are planning a picnic, watch your pets. If your dog paces and your cat twitches, make other plans. It may rain that day. If you want to wash your car, go outside early in the day and look for a spider. If you see a spider spinning a web, get out your soap and bucket. There will most likely be fair weather.

If you would rather fly a kite, look at the stars the night before. If they are bright, find your kite and string. It will be windy the next day. But if you are more in the mood for a swim, listen to the crickets. By counting their chirps, you can tell if it is warm enough.

What do animals know about weather? Dampness collects in the air before rain. It makes each hair in an animal's fur swell. That is why your pets move about restlessly. Spiders do not like dampness in the air, either. A spiderweb will not stick to a damp surface. So if a spider is spinning a web, the air must be dry.

How can stars help you plan your fun? Stars are most easily seen when winds high in the air blow dust and clouds away. These winds will drop to the ground the next day, making it windy. What about those crickets? Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds. Then add 37 to find out how warm it is. If you hear 35 chirps, it is 72 degrees.

Words and Phrases

picnic [ˈpɪknɪk] 名 郊游，野餐

twitch [twɪtʃ] 动 抽动；颤动；抽搐

spider [ˈspaɪdə] 名 蜘蛛

spin [spɪn] 动 吐（丝）；结网

cricket [ˈkrɪkɪt] 名 蟋蟀

chirp [tʃɜ:p] 名 唧唧声，喳喳声；动 鸟叫，虫鸣

dampness [ˈdæmpnəs] 名 潮湿；湿气

swell [swel] 动 肿胀；膨胀；增强

restlessly [ˈrestləslɪ] 副 不安地，慌张地

spiderweb [sˈpaɪdəweb] 名 蜘蛛网

Practice

1. If your cat twitches as you plan a picnic, please________.

A. wash your car

B. go swimming

C. take more food

D. make other plans

2. If you want to fly a kite the next day, look at the________.

A. dust

B. crickets

C. grass

D. stars

3. To tell about the weather, count a cricket's________.

A. legs

B. chirps

C. eyes

D. wings

4. If a spider is spinning a web, the air must be________.

A. damp

B. fresh

C. dry

D. hot

5. Dampness in the air makes an animal_________.

A. hungry

B. warm

C. restless

D. smaller

译文

菲多，安静！

如果你计划去野餐，看看你的宠物。如果小狗来回踱步，或者小猫抽搐，最好改变计划，因为那天可能会下雨。如果你想洗车，还是早点出门找只蜘蛛。如果你看到蜘蛛正在结网，那么拿起你的肥皂和水桶吧。今天很有可能是个好天气。

如果你想放风筝，请在前一天晚上观察星象。假如星星明亮可见，那么就准备好你的风筝和线吧，因为明天一定有风。但如果你更想去游泳，那么请先听听蟋蟀声。数数它们的叫声，你就能判断气温是否足够暖和。

是什么让动物们知道天气呢？下雨前空气中会聚集湿气，这些潮气让动物的每根毛发膨胀，这就是你的宠物焦躁不安的原因。蜘蛛也不喜欢空气中的湿气，因为蜘蛛网无法固定在一个潮湿的表面。因此如果蜘蛛在结网，那么空气一定是干燥的。

那么星星是怎么帮你计划你的娱乐活动的呢？如果高空中有风的话，它会把高空中的灰尘和云层吹散，这样星星就能清晰可见。而这阵风隔天就会落到地面，当然就是一个起风的日子。那么蟋蟀又是如何判断气温的呢？数数蟋蟀15秒内叫了多少声，再加上37，你就会知道当天的气温了。如果你听到蟋蟀叫了35声，那么那天的气温就是72华氏度（约22摄氏度）。

练习

1．当你计划去野餐时，如果你的猫咪抽搐，请你________。

A．洗你的车

B．去游泳

C．带多点的食物

D．改变计划

2．如果你隔天想去放风筝，看看________。

A．灰尘

B．蟋蟀

C．草

D．星星

3．判断天气，可以数蟋蟀的_________。

A．腿

B．叫声

C．眼睛

D．翅膀

4．如果一只蜘蛛正在织网，那么空气一定是________。

A．潮湿的

B．新鲜的

C．干燥的

D．炎热的

5．空气里的湿气让动物________。

A．饥饿

B．温暖

C．焦躁不安

D．变小

注

摄氏（C）与华氏（F）温度的换算：C= 5/9×（F-32）