049 木匠海狸

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A long time ago, many beavers lived in Scotland

很久以前，苏格兰生活着许多河狸。

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But their fur became very popular for making coats, and people thought beavers tasted delicious

但它们的皮毛因用于制作大衣而广受欢迎，人们还觉得河狸肉味道鲜美。

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They hunted all the beavers until they were gone

他们猎杀所有的河狸，直到它们灭绝。

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That happened over four hundred years ago

那发生在四百多年前。

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Today scientists are worried that the beavers have not returned

如今，科学家担心河狸还没有回归。

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So they have decided to learn more about the beaver's habitat

于是，他们决定深入了解河狸的栖息地。

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Habitat means the natural place where an animal lives

栖息地是指动物生存的自然环境。

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If scientists know more about how beavers live, they can encourage beavers to return to Scotland

如果科学家更了解河狸的生活方式，就能鼓励它们重返苏格兰。

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When a beaver turns three years old, it leaves its family and swims downriver to build a new home

河狸长到三岁时，会离开家人，顺流而下，去建造一个新家。

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A beaver's home is called a lodge

河狸的家叫做巢穴。

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It looks like a big pile of sticks, but it is actually a carefully designed house

看起来像一大堆树枝，但实际上它是精心设计的房子。

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Beaver lodges are made of small tree branches and mud that are piled in the shape of an upside down bowl

河狸的巢穴由小树枝和泥巴堆成，形状像一个倒扣的碗。

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Most lodges are two to three meters high, three to six meters wide, and full of tunnels

大多数巢穴有两到三米高，三到六米宽，并且布满通道。

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Some tunnels lead to the rooms inside where the beavers live

一些通道通向河狸居住的内部房间。

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Other tunnels store food

其他通道用来储存食物。

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There are also secret tunnels that confuse predators — so hungry animals don't make beaver soup for dinner!

还有秘密通道来迷惑捕食者——这样饥饿的动物就不会把河狸当晚餐做成汤了！

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Beavers build their lodges in streams, and the entrance is always underwater so that it is hard to find

河狸在小溪里建造巢穴，入口总是在水下，因此很难被发现。

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For a long time, scientists were confused about the size of a beaver lodge

很长一段时间，科学家对河狸巢穴的大小感到困惑。

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Most beaver families have a mom, a dad, and one to four babies, which are called kits

大多数河狸家庭有妈妈、爸爸，和一到四只宝宝，称为幼崽。

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Why did they need so much room?

它们为什么需要这么大的空间？

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After watching beavers for a long time, scientists found two answers to their question

在长时间观察河狸后，科学家找到了问题的两个答案。

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First, beavers build big homes because they need thick walls to keep out predators

第一，河狸建造大房子是因为它们需要厚实的墙壁来阻挡捕食者。

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Second, beavers need a place to store their food

第二，河狸需要一个地方储存食物。

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Since beavers do not hibernate, they need a warm, safe place and lots of food when the weather gets cold

由于河狸不冬眠，当天气变冷时，它们需要一个温暖、安全的地方和大量的食物。

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In the north many lakes turn to ice in the winter

在北方，许多湖泊在冬天会结冰。

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The ice often traps beavers inside their lodge, so beavers need to store enough food to make sure they don't get hungry

冰常常把河狸困在巢穴里，所以河狸需要储存足够的食物，以确保不会挨饿。

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Beavers will often build their lodge with young trees on the inside so they can eat the bark during winter

河狸常常在巢穴内部放入小树，这样冬天就可以吃树皮。

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Beavers love to eat bark, especially from aspen and cottonwood trees

河狸喜欢吃树皮，尤其是白杨树和棉白杨的树皮。

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Beavers also like to eat clover and raspberry bushes, but their favorite food is water lilies

河狸也喜欢吃三叶草和覆盆子灌木，但它们最喜欢的食物是睡莲。

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Many people think beavers eat fish, but this is not true

许多人认为河狸吃鱼，但这不是真的。

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The best way to find a beaver habitat is to look for a lot of water

找到河狸栖息地的最好方法是寻找大量的水。

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Beavers always build a dam near their lodge

河狸总是在巢穴附近建造水坝。

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It makes the stream slow down and creates a pond

这会让溪流变慢，形成一个池塘。

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This way the lodge is surrounded by water, making it look like a tiny island

这样，巢穴被水环绕，看起来像一个小岛。

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After watching beavers for a long time, scientists learned that beavers live for about ten years

经过长时间观察，科学家了解到河狸的寿命大约为十年。

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Once two beavers decide to make a family, they never leave each other

一旦两只河狸决定组建家庭，它们就永远不会离开对方。

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Beavers somehow always know when there are too many beavers living on their river

河狸似乎总是知道什么时候它们河里生活的河狸太多了。

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They have the right-sized family to keep the river from getting crowded

它们有大小合适的家庭，以保持河流不会过于拥挤。

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Now that the scientists know what beavers like to eat, where they like to live

既然科学家知道了河狸喜欢吃什么，喜欢住在哪里，

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and how they build their homes, they are working to make Scotland a place that beavers can call home

以及它们如何建造家园，他们正在努力让苏格兰成为河狸可以称之为家的地方。