Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother（小蝌蚪找妈妈）

In a quiet pond, a group of little tadpoles swam happily. They had round black heads, grey bodies, and long wiggly tails. “Where is our mom?” they wondered as they drifted through the water.

One day, two hind legs grew on their bodies. They saw Mother Carp teaching her babies to find food. “Aunt Carp, where is our mother?” they asked. Mother Carp smiled, “Your mom has four legs and a wide mouth. Look over there!”

A few days later, two front legs appeared. When they saw a turtle swimming with four strong legs, they shouted, “Mom! Mom!” The turtle laughed, “I’m not your mom. Your mom has big eyes on her head and wears a green coat. Keep looking!”

Their tails grew shorter day by day. Near a lotus flower, they spotted a big frog on a leaf—green skin, a white belly, and huge eyes! “Mom! Mom!” they cried. Mother Frog smiled, “Yes, my darlings! You’ve grown into frogs. Jump up here!”

With a kick of their legs, they leaped onto the leaf. Their tails were gone without them noticing. Now, they hop after Mom every day, catching pests together in the pond. This warm story tells us about the growth process of frogs. It is one of the most famous classic children’s stories in China.

在一个安静的池塘里，一群小蝌蚪快活地游来游去。它们长着圆圆的黑脑袋、灰色的身子，还有长长的摇摆尾巴。它们一边在水里漂游，一边心里疑惑：“我们的妈妈在哪里？”

有一天，它们的身体长出两条后腿。它们看见鲤鱼妈妈正在教自己的宝宝寻找食物。“鲤鱼阿姨，我们的妈妈在哪里？” 它们问道。鲤鱼妈妈笑着说：“你们的妈妈有四条腿，还有一张宽嘴巴，往那边找找看吧！”

过了几天，两条前腿长了出来。当它们看见一只长着四条健壮腿的乌龟在水里游动时，大声喊道：“妈妈！妈妈！” 乌龟笑着说：“我不是你们的妈妈。你们的妈妈头顶上有大大的眼睛，还穿着一件绿衣裳。继续去找吧！”

它们的尾巴一天天变短。在荷花旁边，它们看见荷叶上蹲着一只大青蛙 —— 绿色的皮肤、白白的肚皮，还有一对大眼睛！“妈妈！妈妈！” 它们大声呼喊。青蛙妈妈笑着说：“是的，亲爱的孩子们！你们已经长成小青蛙啦，快跳到荷叶上来！”

它们用力蹬腿，一跃跳上荷叶。不知不觉间，尾巴已经消失不见了。现在，它们每天跟着妈妈蹦蹦跳跳，一起在池塘里捕捉害虫。这个温暖的故事向我们展示了青蛙的生长过程，是中国家喻户晓的经典儿童故事之一。

重点词汇和短语

1. tadpole /ˈtædpəʊl/n. 蝌蚪
2. pond /pɒnd/n. 池塘
3. wiggly /ˈwɪɡli/adj. 扭动的，摇摆的
4. drift /drɪft/v. 漂流，漂游
5. hind legs 后腿
6. front legs 前腿
7. carp /kɑːp/n. 鲤鱼
8. turtle /ˈtɜːtl/n. 乌龟
9. belly /ˈbeli/n. 腹部，肚皮
10. lotus flower 荷花
11. leap /liːp/v. 跳跃，猛跳
12. hop /hɒp/v. 蹦跳
13. pest /pest/n. 害虫
14. day by day 一天天，逐日

阅读理解简答题

1. What do the little tadpoles want to find at the beginning of the story?
2. What does Mother Carp tell the tadpoles their mother has?
3. Where do the tadpoles finally see Mother Frog?
4. What colour is Mother Frog’s skin?
5. What do the little frogs and their mother do together in the pond?

参考答案

1. They want to find their mother.
2. She tells them their mother has four legs and a wide mouth.
3. They see Mother Frog on a leaf near a lotus flower.
4. Her skin is green.
5. They catch pests together in the pond.

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