英语博客：The Reptile Man.

　　On Wednesday, the Reptile¹ Man came to visit my kids' elementary school. It is a very worthwhile show to watch. The owner of the Reptile Man business, and the Washington Serpentarium is Scott Peterson. You could say that he is an advocate for reptiles² of all kinds. He is based in Monroe, in the Seattle area. His business is open 365 days a year, and speaking at schools is part of his commitment to spreading the word about how necessary and wonderful reptiles are. He is very informative³, having studied zoology⁴ in college. And he has a very calm, soothing⁵ voice. And that's just as well, because when he is holding up a venomous snake, or an alligator⁷ in a room full of people, he has to keep everyone calm. I have seen him before, and I've also visited his serpentarium. However, each time I see his show, I learn something new. At one point, for example, he held up Lucy the alligator, telling us many facts about the animal. I didn't know that alligators⁸ never stop growing, and can reach up to 1000 lbs in weight. Lucy is just a baby, and was raised as a new born by Mr. Peterson. In fact, he raises all his animals from newborns or eggs; he doesn't keep any wild-born animals. All of his venomous snakes have had their venom⁶ sacks removed, obviously for the safety of everyone around them. And, talking about snakes, he has many, many kinds, including the deadly black mamba, cobras, and rattle⁹ snakes, and the non-venomous pythons, anacondas, and boas. I also didn't realize just how important snakes are because of their diet. They mainly eat rodents¹⁰, and that saves us all from diseases and a lack of crops. One of the animals that I liked best was the African tortoise. They can live up to 200 years. I was able to pet the one he brought. It was amazing. It's shell was thick and hard like rock. In fact, you can drive a car over one and it won't be crushed; it is that strong! Lions try to eat them, and have to give up, because they cannot penetrate¹¹ the touch shells. It really was quite a show. The children and parents loved it. I recommend his website too, at : reptileman.com. Enjoy!
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: an advocate, venomous, rodents.
1. He is an advocate for abandoned animals, and works hard to protect them.
2. The black mamba is the most dangerous venomous snake in the world.
3. Rats and mice breed very quickly, and spread diseases if uncontrolled

1 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

2 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 informative   

adj.提供资料的，增进知识的

参考例句：

• The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
• This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。

4 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

5 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

6 venom   

n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨

参考例句：

• The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
• In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。

7 alligator   

n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)

参考例句：

• She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

8 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

9 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

10 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

11 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。