Jellyfish are badly named. They are neither a fish nor made of jelly. Instead, their bodies are made up of 95% water and 5% solid matter. They have been in existence for at least half a billion years. Hence, they are older than dinosaurs. Surprisingly, they don’t have a brain, a heart, or lungs. You may wonder how they can possibly survive without these vital organs, but everything is for the best. They don’t have lungs because their skin is so thin that they can absorb oxygen through it. They don’t need a heart to pump blood because they don’t have any. And they have a nerve net—which is sensitive to touch—below their outer skin. They respond to the changes in their environment using signals from the nerve net, so they don’t need a brain to process complex thoughts.
Their variety is nearly endless. Most of them are umbrella-shaped and have tentacles. Some jellyfish have very long tentacles. However, they never get tangled up or sting themselves. That’s because the tentacles are very slippery and will only sting other animals. Most jellyfish have little or no vision, but they can detect light and ocean currents, which helps them to navigate and move. A few species can also recognize color and have a 360-degree view of their environment.
Jellyfish come in all sizes, from 0.5 millimeters to the giant Nomura’s jellyfish, which can measure up to two meters in diameter and weigh over 200 kilograms. While jellyfish are beautiful, they can also be dangerous. Some jellyfish toxins can be deadly to humans, such as those from the box jellyfish and the Australian Irukandji, but deaths are relatively rare given the number of jellyfish-sting victims every year. In any case, it’s better to stay out of the way of any jellyfish you may see. You can go swimming with dolphins, but you definitely want to think twice before swimming with jellyfish.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock 照片：Shutterstock 提供
水母的英文命名並不恰當。牠們既不是魚也不是果凍製成的。牠們的身體反而是由95%的水和5%的固體物質所組成。牠們存在的時間至少有五億年之久。因此，牠們比恐龍更古老。令人驚訝的是，牠們沒有大腦、心臟或肺。你可能會納悶沒有這些重要器官牠們怎麼可能生存，但一切都是最好的安排。牠們沒有肺，因為牠們的皮膚薄到可以被穿透來吸收氧氣。牠們不需要心臟來輸送血液，因為牠們根本沒有血液。牠們的外皮下面有一張神經網，其對觸碰非常敏感。牠們使用神經網所發出的訊號對環境中的變動做出反應，所以牠們不需要大腦來處理複雜的想法。
牠們的品種幾乎無限多。牠們大多數是傘狀且有觸手。有些水母的觸手很長。但是，牠們永遠不會纏成一團或螫傷自己。那是因為觸手很滑，而且只會螫其他動物。大多數的水母視力不佳或看不到，不過牠們可以察覺到光線和海流，這有助於牠們確定方向和移動。有些品種也可以辨別顏色且對牠們所處的環境有著三百六十度的視角。
水母有各種尺寸大小，從0.5毫米到直徑達兩公尺、重量超過兩百公斤的巨大越前水母都有。雖然水母很漂亮，但也很危險。有些水母的毒素對人類相當致命，例如箱型水母和澳洲的伊魯康吉，但有鑑於每年受到水母螫傷的受害者人數，死亡人數相對稀少。無論如何，最好遠離任何你可能會看見的水母！你可以和海豚一起游泳，但在和水母一起游泳之前你一定要三思而後行。
Word in Use
1. vital a. 極重要的
Technology plays a vital part in our modern life.
科技在我們的現代生活中扮演了極為重要的角色。
2. pump vt. 抽送（氣體或液體）
Dad pumped air into the tire of my bike.
爸爸替我的腳踏車輪胎打氣。
3. signal n. 信號
A red flag is often used as a signal for danger.
紅色的旗子常用作危險的信號。
4. process vt. 處理（資料、數據等）
The machine processed the information and gave me an answer in minutes. 這臺機器處理了訊息並在幾分鐘內就給我答案。
5. variety n. 種類
The food of this restaurant is very tasty and the variety is endless.
這家餐廳的食物非常好吃，種類多到數不清。
Practical Phrases
1. be made up of... 由…組成
The poor child’s lunch was merely made up of a bowl of rice and an egg.
那可憐孩子的午餐僅有一碗白飯和一顆蛋。
2. in existence 存在
That custom has been in existence for about 500 years.
那個風俗已存在約五百年了。
3. be sensitive to sth 對某物敏感
Christine is sensitive to changes in temperature.
克莉絲汀對溫度的變化很敏感。
4. respond to sth 對某事做出反應；回應某事
Jenny didn’t respond to my question, which made me mad.
珍妮沒有回答我的問題，讓我很生氣。
5. get / be tangled up 纏結在一起
The wires on the ground are all tangled up.
地上的電線都纏在一起了。
What Did You Learn?
1. What does the author mean by “everything is for the best” in the first paragraph?
(A) Ocean creatures without vital organs don’t live long.
(B) Jellyfish live just fine with what they naturally have.
(C) The numerous ocean species make life pretty easy for jellyfish.
(D) It’s best for jellyfish to live in the ocean because everything is suitable for them.
2. How long have jellyfish lived on our planet?
(A) At least 5,000,000,000 years.
(B) More than 500,000,000 years.
(C) Roughly 50,000,000 years.
(D) Less than 5,000,000 years.
3. Which of the following statements about jellyfish stings is true?
(A) They are not painful to humans.
(B) Only Nomura’s jellyfish stings are deadly.
(C) Thousands of people die from them every year.
(D) They are rarely fatal, but people should watch out for them.
4. Which of the following topics about jellyfish is NOT mentioned in the reading?
(A) Their size. (B) Their toxicity.
(C) Their diets. (D) Their appearance.
參考答案
1. (B) 2. (B) 3. (D) 4. (C)
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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