Madagascar: An Island like No Other
特有種天堂：馬達加斯加
Almost 90 million years ago, Madagascar broke off from a much larger piece of land. Because of this, the island is home to many unique and wonderful plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The island’s wildlife includes 113 kinds of lemurs. These animals, which are related to monkeys, live in trees throughout the island’s forests. The ring-tailed lemur has become a national symbol of the country. The largest lemur is the indri: a skilled jumper that can leap up to 10 meters from one tree branch to another.
在接近九千萬年前，馬達加斯加從一片更大塊的陸地分離。正因為如此，島上是許多獨特而奇妙的動植物的大本營，在世界其他地方都找不到。
島上的野生動物包含一百一十三種狐猴。這些與猴子有血緣關係的動物生活在整座島的森林樹上。環尾狐猴已成為國家的象徵。而最大的狐猴則是馬達加斯加大狐猴：牠是一位技藝高超的跳躍者，牠可以從一個樹枝跳到距離長達十米遠的另一個樹枝。
生活必備字詞：
break off 分開；斷開
be home to... 是……的大本營∕所在地
skilled a. 熟練的；有技巧的
本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見十二月號。
