蛇
【內容提示】
請你選擇一種你所熟悉的動物作一描寫。內容要點如下：
①該動物的外觀及形體；
②該動物的習性；
③其生活特性；
④其食物構成；
⑤人們對它的態度；
⑥它的益處或害處。
【作文示範】
Snakes
The snake is a long and thin animal that lives in grass or other dark places. A snake has no legs or feet, but it can move very fast on its stomach. Snakes usually have green, yellow or black skins, which make them difficult for their enemies to find them. Some kinds of snakes live in water. They can swim as freely as fish.
Snakes are cold-blooded animals. In winter they hibernate ① in holes which are narrow enough only to hold the snakes＇ bodies. The snakes can sleep through a whole winter without eating and moving. They can not feel any pain. The hibernation ② period lasts about five months. When spring comes, the snakes come out and begin their normal life.
Snakes can take many things as food, such as mice, sparrows, frogs,birds＇ eggs, pests ③ and so on. People sometimes can see a snake eat a sparrow. First it moves close to the sparrow, then it puts out its tongue and brings the sparrow into its mouth and swallows it, which makes a lump ④ in the snake＇s body. After some time the lump disappears.
As snakes are dreadful-looking ⑤, people are afraid of them. Many people drive them away whenever they see snakes. But in Chinese fairy tales, snakes are by no means bad. They seem to have human feelings. They can change into pretty girls. People like and respect them. The most well-known is the story about the White Snake and the Blue Snake.
In fact, snakes are not as dreadful as they look. They can help us to kill mice and pests. They can provide us with delicious meat. Their blood is a good drink. Poisonous snakes are especially useful. We can make valuable drugs with them.
（選自《英語畫刊》高中版1996年第7期）
【詞語解釋】
①hibernate [＇haib+:neit] v. 冬眠
②hibernation [?haib+:＇neiM+n] n. 越冬；冬眠
③pest [pest] n. 害蟲
④lump [l)mp] n. 隆起
⑤dreadful-looking [＇dredful ＇lukiR] a. 看起來可怕的
【寫法指要】
作文是社會經驗積累的產物，本文充分說明了這一點。作者對事物觀察得非常仔細，把蛇這種不易接近的動物的方方面面都了解到了。
文章從五個方面描寫了蛇這一動物：蛇的外貌和習性、生活特徵、食物結構、人們對它的態度及蛇的益處。
文章中關於“蛇”一詞有the snake，a snake，snakes，the snakes 四種表達形式。這是一個詞在文中多次出現時為避免冗繁而採用的很好方法，應注意觀察其用法，學會運用。