As one of the world’s most ancient bird species, the kākāpō has lived on the islands of New Zealand for millions of years. When humans first arrived on the islands 700 years ago, the birds could be found throughout the islands. However, their number soon dropped as humans hunted them for food. To make matters worse, the kākāpō has a tendency to freeze when it feels threatened. This makes the birds easy prey for humans and their dogs. By the mid-1970s, only 18 of these birds were known to exist.
作為世界上最古老的鳥類之一，鴞鸚鵡已在紐西蘭島嶼上生活了數百萬年。當人類在七百年前首次抵達這些島嶼時，島上到處都可以看到這種鳥類。然而，隨著人類獵捕鴞鸚鵡作為食物，牠們的數量很快就減少了。更糟的是，鴞鸚鵡在感受到威脅時，往往會僵住不動。這使得鴞鸚鵡輕易成為人類與其獵狗的獵物。到了 1970 年代中期，此類鳥已知僅存十八隻。
生活必備字詞：
species n. 物種（單複數同形）
freeze vi.（因恐懼而）呆住
三態為：freeze, froze, frozen。
threatened a. 受威脅的
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本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見二月號。
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