HSK4 Reading Practice – Ship Of The Desert

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HSK 4 · Reading Practice

Ship of the Desert

Vocabulary

HSK 4 地dì区qū Tap to flip

region, area

这zhè个ge地dì区qū的de夏xià天tiān又yòu热rè又yòu湿shī。。

Summers in this region are hot and humid.

HSK 4 沙shā漠mò Tap to flip

desert

我wǒ们men在zài沙shā漠mò里lǐ看kàn到dào了le很hěn美měi的de星xīng空kōng。。

We saw a beautiful starry sky in the desert.

HSK 4 环huán境jìng Tap to flip

environment, surroundings

他tā希xī望wàng找zhǎo一yí个ge安ān静jìng的de环huán境jìng学xué习xí。。

He hopes to find a quiet place to study.

HSK 4 骆luò驼tuó Tap to flip

camel

我wǒ第dì一yī次cì骑qí骆luò驼tuó，，觉jué得de有yǒu一yì点diǎn紧jǐn张zhāng。。

It was my first time riding a camel, and I felt a little nervous.

HSK 4 依yī靠kào Tap to flip

to rely on, to depend on

他tā毕bì业yè以yǐ后hòu不bù想xiǎng再zài依yī靠kào父fù母mǔ。。

After graduating, he doesn’t want to rely on his parents anymore.

HSK 4 储chǔ存cún Tap to flip

to store, to save

我wǒ的de手shǒu机jī里lǐ储chǔ存cún了le很hěn多duō旅lǚ行xíng的de照zhào片piàn。。

My phone has lots of travel photos stored on it.

HSK 4 脂zhī肪fáng Tap to flip

fat

这zhè种zhǒng牛niú奶nǎi的de脂zhī肪fáng比bǐ较jiào少shǎo。。

This kind of milk is lower in fat.

HSK 4 口kǒu袋dài Tap to flip

pocket, pouch

袋dài鼠shǔ妈mā妈ma把bǎ孩hái子zi放fàng在zài口kǒu袋dài里lǐ。。

The mother kangaroo keeps her baby in her pouch.

HSK 4 混hùn Tap to flip

to mix

把bǎ红hóng色sè和hé蓝lán色sè混hùn在zài一yì起qǐ，，就jiù会huì变biàn成chéng紫zǐ色sè。。

Mix red and blue together and you get purple.

HSK 4 仙xiān人rén掌zhǎng Tap to flip

cactus

仙xiān人rén掌zhǎng很hěn好hǎo照zhào顾gù，，一yí个ge星xīng期qī浇jiāo一yí次cì水shuǐ就jiù够gòu了le。。

Cacti are easy to care for; watering once a week is enough.

1 / 10

Reading Passage

沙漠之舟 — 骆驼
Ship of the desert — camel

世界上有些地区是一大片沙漠。那里既没有树，也没有水。旅行者必须自己带食物和水。在这样不好的环境下，能穿过沙漠的动物就只有骆驼。它们可以长时间不吃不喝，只需要依靠身体里储存的东西生活，而且平均寿命长达40至69年。

它们能够搬重物，也可以载人穿过沙漠，所以人们叫骆驼“沙漠之舟”。骆驼的身体可以储存脂肪，然后它的胃里有十二个又深又大的口袋可以储存水。

每个口袋都有一个能关起来的开口，所以食物不会和水混在一起。在沙漠行走时，骆驼每次口渴都能自己从胃里的口袋里拿出水来喝，非常方便。

骆驼主要的食物是绿色植物。虽然在沙漠中没有很多绿色植物，但是骆驼的嘴巴非常厉害，连仙人掌都可以吃下去。

Shìjiè shàng yǒuxiē dìqū shì yí dà piàn shāmò. Nàlǐ jì méiyǒu shù, yě méiyǒu shuǐ. Lǚxíngzhě bìxū zìjǐ dài shíwù hé shuǐ. Zài zhèyàng bù hǎo de huánjìng xià, néng chuānguò shāmò de dòngwù jiù zhǐyǒu luòtuó. Tāmen kěyǐ cháng shíjiān bù chī bù hē, zhǐ xūyào yīkào shēntǐ lǐ chǔcún de dōngxi shēnghuó, érqiě píngjūn shòumìng cháng dá sìshí zhì liùshíjiǔ nián.

Tāmen nénggòu bān zhòngwù, yě kěyǐ zài rén chuānguò shāmò, suǒyǐ rénmen jiào luòtuó “shāmò zhī zhōu”. Luòtuó de shēntǐ kěyǐ chǔcún zhīfáng, ránhòu tā de wèi lǐ yǒu shí’èr ge yòu shēn yòu dà de kǒudài kěyǐ chǔcún shuǐ.

Měi ge kǒudài dōu yǒu yí ge néng guān qǐlái de kāikǒu, suǒyǐ shíwù bú huì hé shuǐ hùn zài yìqǐ. Zài shāmò xíngzǒu shí, luòtuó měi cì kǒu kě dōu néng zìjǐ cóng wèi lǐ de kǒudài lǐ ná chū shuǐ lái hē, fēicháng fāngbiàn.

Luòtuó zhǔyào de shíwù shì lǜsè zhíwù. Suīrán zài shāmò zhōng méiyǒu hěn duō lǜsè zhíwù, dànshì luòtuó de zuǐba fēicháng lìhai, lián xiānrénzhǎng dōu kěyǐ chī xiàqù.

In some parts of the world, there are vast deserts. There are neither trees nor water. Travelers must bring their own food and water. In such harsh conditions, the only animals that can cross the desert are camels. They can survive for long periods without eating or drinking, relying only on what is stored in their bodies, and their average lifespan is as long as 40 to 69 years.

Camels can carry heavy loads and also transport people across the desert, which is why they are called the “ships of the desert.” Their bodies can store fat, and their stomachs have twelve deep, large sacs that can hold water.

Each sac has an opening that can be closed, so food and water don’t mix together. While traveling through the desert, whenever a camel feels thirsty, it can draw water from one of these sacs in its stomach — very convenient.

The main food of camels is green plants. Although there are not many green plants in the desert, camels have very strong mouths and can even eat cacti.

Comprehension Questions

Question 1 of 5

为wèi什shén么me人rén们men叫jiào骆luò驼tuó““沙shā漠mò之zhī舟zhōu””？？

Paragraph 2 explains that camels carry heavy loads and take people across the desert, just like a ship carries people across the sea.

骆luò驼tuó胃wèi里lǐ的de十shí二èr个ge口kǒu袋dài有yǒu什shén么me用yòng？？

The twelve sacs in the stomach store water. Fat is stored in the camel’s body, not in these sacs.

为wèi什shén么me食shí物wù和hé水shuǐ不bú会huì混hùn在zài一yì起qǐ？？

Paragraph 3 says each sac has an opening that can close, which keeps food and water apart. The camel has twelve sacs, not twelve stomachs.

骆luò驼tuó的de嘴zuǐ巴ba有yǒu什shén么me特tè点diǎn？？

The last paragraph says a camel’s mouth is so tough that it can even eat cacti.

骆luò驼tuó在zài沙shā漠mò里lǐ为wèi什shén么me很hěn方fāng便biàn？？

Paragraph 3 says that whenever a camel is thirsty, it can take water from the sacs in its own stomach — that is why it is so convenient.

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