20091210 Hop Up to Victoria's Bug Zoo for some Creepy Crawly Fun (1)

Hop Up to Victoria's Bug Zoo for some Creepy Crawly Fun

Hug a bug today

It would be a shame if the inhabitants of the leaf-cutter-ant farm mistook that flat green thing on a nearby branch for something good to eat. It's their new neighbor, a giant shield mantis, which looks exactly like a leaf if you don't count those enormous bug eyes out front. The mantis, which is about six inches long, and the leaf-cutter-ant colony are among an infestation of new insect residents brought to the Victoria But Zoo in December 2007 from the Amazon. New, too, is a canopy grasshopper with bright red legs, from Trinidad, some exotic katydids and two yellow and black millipedes.

The zoo houses 2 million ants and about 70 species of swarming, squirming, crawling, leaping, flying, hissing wildlife from all over the world in a two-room storefront just a few blocks from the famous Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria.

Over the past decade, thousands of bug-loving kids - and a few squeamish parents - have visited the zoo to learn about insect romance and potty habits from knowledgeable guides who lead tours every day of the week. The millipedes are by far the crowd favorites at this creepy-crawly version of a petting zoo.




inhabitant n. (某地區、部位等)棲居的動物/(某地區的)居民/居住者
=> something live somewhere
eg: That old house looks like it hasn't had any inhabitants for 50 years.

infestation n. (動、植物的)寄生蟲侵擾
=> a large number of something going all the same area
eg: The restaurant's rat infestation seriously damaged its reputation around town.
eg: It's hard to ease the pain and the itching caused by a flea infestation.
eg: An infestation of rats in the building caused the bureau of public health to shut it down.

hiss v. (蛇等或氣體漏出時)發出嘶嘶聲
eg: Vivian scroamed in fear when the snake hissed at her.
eg: The snake hissed to threaten its enemy.
eg: The steam(蒸氣) hissed loudly because the pipe was broken.

squeamish adj. 易受驚嚇的/神經質的
eg: While the thought of eating insects makes most people feel squeamish, it makes Bill hungry.
eg: Sean is too squeamish to be a doctor. He feels faint when he sees blood.
eg: This horror movie is definitely not for the squeamish.

exotic adj. 異國情調的/奇特的
eg: exotic food 異國料理

creepy crawly
=> if something is creepy and crawly, we are probably talking about insects.
=> The way the insects move

creepy adj. 令人毛骨悚然的
crawly adj. 令人毛骨悚然的


cutter n. 切割者/裁剪者
mantis n. 螳螂

canopy n. 遮雨篷
colony n. 殖民地



millipede n. 節肢動物
katydid n. 美洲大螽斯

swarm v. 成群地來回移動
squirm v. 蠕動/扭動
crawl v. 爬/爬行/蠕動

storefront n. 店面

potty adj. 嬰兒的便盆
=> refer to toilet, small toilet for children

potty habit
=> bathroom habit

//== Chat Room ==//

milli- 毫/千分之一
=> one-thousandth

millisecond
= one thousandth (0.001) of a second

millimeter n. 一公釐/一千分之一尺
= one thousandth of a meter

millennium
=> the period of thousand year

millipede n. 類似蜈蚣的節肢動物


pedal n. 腳踏板

pedicure n. 修趾甲/做腳步的護理


//== Grammar on the Go ==//

It's their new neighbor, a giant shield mantis, which looks exactly like a leaf if you don't count those enormous bug eyes out front!

out front
=> that are out on the front of its face

eg: There is a "for sale" sign out front.
eg: I'll see you at the theater; we'll meet out front.