原文： 

Why Dogs Bury Their Favorite Bones

You may find it crazy that your dog buries his favorite bone or chew toy, only to dig it up a day or two later, but there is actually a reason behind it— it is simply in their nature. For thousands of years, dogs have buried their bones. The practice itself started long before dogs were even pets when they had to bury bones to survive.

When dogs lived in the wild, sometimes food was scarce.If they were able to find food, dogs became very protective of it. Sometimes they would have more bones than they could eat for one meal. To keep other dogs and animals from stealing their bones, dogs would bury them in the ground. When it was time for the next meal, they would dig up their bones and enjoy them again.This would continue until the bones were gone.

Even though most dogs have plenty of food to eat today, their instincts still tell them to bury their bones and favorite toys. They do this to keep other dogs and animals from stealing them, just like their ancestors did. Some dogs keep at least two bones buried at once. When they want to dig up one, they will bury one more. This may leave a backyard full of holes and bones.

How do dogs decide where to bury their bones? A dog cannot bury a bone just anywhere. He must first find the perfect spot. This involves using his nose to find a spot that is free from  other dogs and animals. Often it is near a tree or a large rock, but it could be anywhere in the yard.Once the dog finds the perfect spot, he uses his front paws to dig a hole, drops the bone in and covers up the hole to protect his treasure. 

词汇释义：

第一段：You may find it crazy that your dog buries his favorite bone or chew toy, only to dig it up a day or two later, but there is actually a reason behind it— it is simply in their nature. For thousands of years, dogs have buried their bones. The practice itself started long before dogs were even pets when they had to bury bones to survive.

1.buries：

vt. 埋葬；隐匿；专心致志；抛弃

例句：

The funeral is tomorrow and they will bury the body after the church service.（葬礼明天举行，他们会在教堂仪式后埋葬遗体。）

2.chew：

vt. 咀嚼；嚼碎；深思

vi. 咀嚼

n. 咀嚼；咀嚼物

例句：

You must chew your food well before you swallow it.（食物吞下去之前先要细细咀嚼。）

3.dig it up

把它挖出来

例句：

The fact is true, but where did you dig it up ? （事实是真的，但你在哪里发现的呢？）

4.nature

n. 自然界；性质；自然；自然状态；本性；类型

例句：

To a great extent, that is the nature of my own work.（在很大程度上,这就是我工作的性质。）

5.For thousands of years

数千年来

例句：

For thousands of years man couldn't fly .（数千年来人类不会飞。）

段落一译文：

你也许会认为你的狗把他最喜欢的骨头或咀嚼玩具埋起来，然后一两天后再挖出来是很疯狂的，但实际上，这背后有一个原因——那就是它们天性中的行为。几千年来，狗一直在埋骨头。这个做法早在狗还不是宠物时期就开始了，当时它们需要埋骨头来生存。

第二段：When dogs lived in the wild, sometimes food was scarce.If they were able to find food, dogs became very protective of it. Sometimes they would have more bones than they could eat for one meal. To keep other dogs and animals from stealing their bones, dogs would bury them in the ground. When it was time for the next meal, they would dig up their bones and enjoy them again.This would continue until the bones were gone.

1.wild

adj. 野生的；野蛮的；未开发的；狂热的

adv. 胡乱地；失去控制地

n. 荒野；荒地

例句：

Danger in the wild comes from the carnivores.（荒野地带的危险来自食肉动物。）

2.scarce

adj. 缺乏的；不足的；稀少的；罕见的

adv. 勉强

例句：

Firewood is scarce in many parts of the world.（世界上很多地区都缺乏木材。）

3.stealing

n. 偷窃；欺骗

adj. 有偷窃行为的

例句：

He was sent into prison for stealing.（他由于偷窃被送入监狱。）

4.in the ground

埋在地下

例句：

the potatoes are in the ground.（土豆埋在地下）

段落二译文：

在野外生活时，有时食物很稀缺。如果它们能找到食物，狗会变得非常保护它。有时它们会有更多骨头，一个餐不足以消耗完。为了防止其他狗和动物偷走它们的骨头，狗会将它们埋在地里。在下一次进餐时，它们会挖出骨头并再次享用它们。这样继续下去，直到骨头被消耗殆尽。

【点击↓ ↓ ↓进入在线报名入口】

热点关注：

2023年10月湖南自考报名官网

湖南自考毕业申请流程（图文版）

湖南自考成绩历年公布时间

2023年上半年湖南自考毕业申请截止时间：6月8日

延伸阅读：

自考高数常用公式——求导公式及法则

《外国文学史 》：模拟题一（论述题）

《西方政治制度》：模拟题一（名词解释）

《西方政治制度》：模拟题二（简答题）