Why Did the Lizard’s Tail Disappear?
蜥蜴的尾巴为何不见了？
刘永科
蜥蜴的体形虽然不大，可是尾巴又粗又长，这是为什么呢？原来，蜥蜴的尾巴是危急时断尾自救的工具，是贮存营养的仓库，也是其力量的象征。当蜥蜴遇到天敌时，便自断其尾，以活脱乱动的尾巴吸引天敌，自身则逃之夭夭，免受丧生之难。然后，新的尾巴还会慢慢长出来。
然而，该文中的小作者抓到一只蜥蜴后，把它放在玻璃缸里观察，发现在没有敌人袭击的情况下，它的尾巴却不见了。究竟是怎么回事呢？
Tom was a member of the biology group. He was interested in breeding fish and collecting insects.
Once he caught a house-lizard and put it in a large glass jar with some dirt in the bottom so he could watch and study its habits.
Watching carefully, he discovered that the lizard liked to enjoy catching and eating moths which it caught with its long tongue. In winter, when the temperature dropped below 21 degrees centigrade, he found the lizard hibernated.
One day he was astonished to see that its long, thin tail had disappeared. Where had it gone? He remembered reading a book which said that when a lizard is chased by an enemy, it casts its tail so that the enemy is attracted by the waggling tail while the lizard gets away. But there were no signs of anything having attacked the lizard. Where on earth could the tail have vanished? Perhaps the lizard had got hungry and eaten its own tail because he had not brought it any food for two days. He asked his schoolmates if they knew anything about it, but could not get any help. Then he thought if he could see what was in its stomach that might help him solve the mystery, but he was afraid that when he opened it up, his schoolmates would laugh at him if there was no tail there.
His teacher had often told them that if they wish to have knowledge they must have courage enough to seek it. He asked himself why he was being so timid where there was really nothing to fear? So he killed the lizard and carefully slit open its stomach. How exciting! There, right before his eyes, was the missing tail! His guess was correct. He began to understand that scientific observation is very important and that it can train him to analyze and solve problems through practical experience. Comprehension Questions:
1. Tom was a _______.
A. biologist B. number of the biology group C. student D. teacher
2. The lizard escapes from its enemy by means of _______.
A. attracting it B. attacking it C. chasing it D. casting its tail
3. Which of the following statements is not true? ______
A. The lizard is a reptile that can hibernate.
B. The lizard described in the text cast its tail and ate it.
C. Tom did the observation and experiment on his own.
D. The lizard will often eat its own tail.
4. What lesson did Tom learn in the end? ______
A. He discovered the secret of the lizard.
B. He realized the importance of scientific observation and practical experience.
C. He came to know that there was nothing to fear in the world.
D. He found the lizard was very hungry and cruel.
(Key: 1.C 2.D 3.D 4.B)
（山东省潍坊第七中学 刘永科）