氣質姐與可愛可

（可按右鍵另存音檔）
　　 Last year, a movie about a naughty dog that protects little penguins from foxes was a moderate success in Australia. Oddball, which was based on a true story, is set in Middle Island, Australia. People brought foxes over for sport hunting and they were soon killing little penguins at an alarming rate. At one time, the island was full of penguins, and at the beginning of the movie, there were less than 10 left. A local chicken farmer named Swampy Marsh knew he had the solution. He would let his sheepdog that protected his livestock from being eaten by foxes protect the penguins as well.
　　Marsh proposed his idea to the city council, but it took a while to get them to agree to it. Eventually, Marsh's dog was protecting the penguins, and the penguin population grew to over 150. As with any movie, some of the facts were changed to appeal to the general public for support, but Marsh's plan worked so well that the city is raising money for more dogs to protect other species of animals that are threatened by the foxes.

Words & Phrases

1. moderate a. 適度的，中等的
   Adding moderate amounts of olive oil to your diet can prevent heart disease.
   在飲食中加入適量的橄欖油能預防心臟疾病。
2. at an alarming rate　　以驚人的速度
   alarming a. 驚人的，令人恐慌的
   Deaths from the mysterious disease increased at an alarming rate.
   該神秘惡疾造成的死亡人數以驚人速度增長。
3. at one time　　一度，曾經
   At one time, there were millions of dinosaurs on Earth.
   以前地球上曾經有好幾百萬隻恐龍。
4. be full of...　　充滿……
   The magazine was full of interesting articles on scientific knowledge.
   這本雜誌裡充滿了有關科學知識的有趣文章。
5. propose vt. 提議，提出
   The manager proposed various changes for improvement at the office meeting.
   經理在公司會議上提出各種改進的意見。
6. eventually adv. 最後，終於
   Eventually, we found a solution to the problem.
   最後，我們找到了解決問題的辦法。
7. appeal to...　　吸引……
   appeal vi. 吸引
   Our products attempt to appeal to teens, especially teenage girls.
   我們的產品主要想吸引青少年族群，尤其是少女。
8. threaten vt. 威脅
   My brother can't handle being threatened by bullies every day.
   我弟弟每天被校園惡霸威脅，不知如何是好。
   * bully n. 惡霸

* livestock n. 家畜，牲畜（集合名詞，不可數）

去年，一部關於一隻淘氣狗狗保護小企鵝免受狐狸攻擊的電影在澳洲取得適度的成功。《Oddball》是根據一個真實故事拍攝而成，場景設定在澳洲的中島。人們為了狩獵活動而把狐狸引進，牠們很快便以驚人的速度殺害小企鵝。這座島上曾經都是企鵝，在電影一開始，只剩下不到十隻。當地的養雞農夫史旺比‧馬許想到了解決辦法。他讓保護他家畜不被狐狸吃掉的牧羊犬也來保護企鵝。
　　馬許提出他的點子給市議會，但是花了一陣子才讓他們同意。最後，馬許的狗狗保護了企鵝，企鵝的數量也成長到一百五十多隻。如同其他電影，劇情改變了一些事實來吸引一般大眾的支持，然而馬許的計畫非常成功，因此該城市正在募款來訓練更多狗狗保護被狐狸威脅的其他物種。

引用自常春藤網路書城https://www.ivy.com.tw/index.php