氣質姐與可愛可

　　People who are totally into cuteness should go check out Siku the baby polar bear online. Born in November 2011, Siku has become a worldwide sensation, with viral videos and thousands of Facebook fans. Siku, whose name means ice in Greenlandic, lives at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park in Denmark. The zookeepers responsible for his care have been posting pictures of the adorable little furball on his Facebook page, along with videos and updates.

　　Since his mother could not produce milk, Siku had to be hand-fed with a bottle. At first, his handlers were not sure if Siku would even take to the bottle. However, he has responded well and is now thriving. He doubled in size and weighed three kilograms in December, and he tripled that in February of 2012, with a weight of nine kilograms. By the time he is fully grown, Siku will weigh around 500 kilograms and stand three meters tall.

Siku is not just about cuteness. With Polar Bears International, Siku asks that people do more to reduce their carbon footprints for their future's sake. Siku really brings cheer into the world in more ways than one.

1. According to the article, which of the following is NOT true?
(A) Siku is loved by people all over the world.
(B) Pictures and videos of Siku have been taken and posted on Facebook by his handlers.
(C) The name Siku means ice in Greenlandic.
(D) Siku now weighs 500 kilograms and stands three meters tall.
 

2. What is Polar Bears International trying to do?
(A) Attract more tourists to the zoo where Siku lives.
(B) Train handlers on how to hand-feed baby polar bears.
(C) Raise people's awareness about global warming.
(D) Find families to adopt polar bears in the wild.

1. be into...　　對……感興趣
   Darren is into photography and spends most of his days out shooting.
   達倫對攝影很感興趣，並把大部分時間都花在外出拍照上。


2. be responsible for + 名詞∕動名詞　　負責……
   They are responsible for organizing all the food and beverages for the party.
   他們負責安排派對所需的所有食物和飲料。


3. adorable a. 可愛的
   The stray dog was so adorable that Connie wanted to take it home.
   那隻流浪犬可愛到康妮想把牠帶回家養。


4. take to + 名詞∕動名詞　　開始習慣……
   Caroline has taken to going for long walks after dinner.
   卡洛琳開始習慣在晚餐後去散步。


5. respond vi.（對治療等）有良好反應（常與介詞to並用）
   The children didn't respond well to the vaccine and threw up.
   那些孩子對疫苗產生不良反應而出現嘔吐的狀況。


6. thrive vi.（動植物）茁壯成長；（生意）興旺
   The majority of orchids thrive in tropical climates.
   大部分的蘭花都生長在熱帶氣候。


7. for + 所有格 + sake　　為了……的緣故
   ＝for the sake of...
   For the sake of everyone's safety, you shouldn't drive so recklessly.
   為了大家的安全，你開車不該這麼橫衝直撞。


8. adopt vt. 收養，領養
   The couple adopted an orphan and treated him like their own son.
   那對夫婦收養了一名孤兒並對他視如己出。

1. sensation n. 引起轟動的人事物


2. viral video n. 網路上廣為流傳的影片
    


3. Greenlandic n. 格陵蘭語
    


4. Scandinavian n. & a. 斯堪地納維亞（的）
    


5. furball n. 毛球
    


6. handler n. 照顧者；管理員
    


7. carbon footprint n. 碳足跡
   

　　熱衷於可愛事物的人都該上網看看這隻名叫Siku的北極熊寶寶。出生於2011年十一月的Siku已經轟動全球，不但網路上四處流傳各種與牠有關的影片，就連Facebook上都有成千上萬的粉絲。Siku住在位於丹麥的斯堪地納維亞野生動物園裡，其名字在格陵蘭語中意指『冰』。負責照料Siku的動物園工作人員都會將這個可愛小毛球的照片、影片和最新近況發表在牠Facebook的粉絲頁面上。

 

　　由於Siku的母親無法分泌乳汁，所以牠必須藉由瓶子來進行人工餵食。起初Siku的養育人員甚至不確定牠能不能適應用瓶子餵食。不過Siku對此反應良好，並且正茁壯地成長中。在十二月時，牠的體型已變大了兩倍，並且重達三公斤，接著在2012年二月時，這個數字又成長三倍，也就是來到了九公斤重。等到Siku完全長大時，牠將會重達約五百公斤，站起來更可高達三公尺。

　　Siku不光只是可愛而已。國際北極熊中心也透過Siku來呼籲人們為了未來著想，多為減少自身的碳足跡盡點心力（編按：碳足跡是指個人、家庭或公司每日的溫室氣體排放量）。Siku著實以各種方式為這個世界帶來了無盡的歡樂。