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The mystery of hibernation
冬眠的奥秘
No human has ever experienced hibernation, and yet many creatures experience it every year.
没有人曾经历过冬眠，然而很多动物每年都要冬眠。
Read the following article from a science magazine to see what hibernation is all about.
阅读以下选自科学杂志上的文章，了解冬眠的有关知识。
What do bears, bats and frogs have in common? They all hibernate.
熊，蝙蝠和青蛙有什么共同之处？它们都要冬眠。
Hibernation is a state often compared to sleep.
冬眠这种状态通常被拿来与睡眠相比。
It usually occurs in winter, when a creature does not move for weeks or months continuously.
冬眠通常发生在冬季，此时动物连续数周或数月不再活动。
Creatures hibernate to survive the cold weather and the absence of food.
动物冬眠抵御寒冷的天气和食物的匮乏。
A typical example of a hibernating creature is the bat.
动物冬眠的典范就是蝙蝠。
When winter comes, bats find a safe place in a cave.
冬天来临时，蝙蝠在洞穴内找到一个安全之地。
Looking like they are dead, they hang upside down.
它们倒挂着，看上去像死了一样。
Their pulse and breathing rates greatly slow down.
它们的脉搏和呼吸逐渐慢下来。
Their body temperatures drop as well.
体温也慢慢下降。
These things help them save energy during long winters when it is difficult to find food.
这种状态有助蝙蝠在难于找到食物的漫长冬天里节省能量。
Frogs, like many amphibians, also hibernate when it gets cold.
像许多两栖动物一样，当天气变冷时，青蛙也要冬眠。
After digging deep into the mud at the bottom of a pond, they do not stir again until it is warm.
深藏在池塘底部泥土中，它们将一动不动，直到气候变暖。
During hibernation, they breathe through their skins, not their mouths.
冬眠期间，它们通过皮肤而不是嘴巴来呼吸。
Another hibernating creature is the bear.
熊是另一种冬眠的动物。
In contrast to other creatures, hibernating bears do not appear as though they are dead, but seem as though they are very sleepy.
不同于其他动物，冬眠中的熊看起来不像死了一样，更像是熟睡一样。
If they are disturbed during hibernation, they can get up very quickly.
如果它们在冬眠时被吵醒，它们能很快地爬起来。
While hibernating, bears stay in their dens, which are filled with leaves to make their stay more comfortable and warmer.
冬眠时，熊呆在洞穴里，那里填满了树叶，使得它们住得更舒适，温暖。
In spring, having awakened, they leave their dens, thin and hungry.
在春天苏醒过来，它们离开洞穴，体形瘦小，饥肠辘辘。
