万花筒 kaleidoscope2007-08-15&08-16, 小北极熊要节食

And in Germany the story of Knut, the polar bear cub¹ has taken a new turn. With all of his worldwide fame, his handlers have decided² he now needs to be brought down to size, literally³, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports.

With more of a waddle⁴ than a walk, Kunt still struts⁵ his stuff at the Berlin Zoo. Now 6-months old and no longer quite so irresistibly⁶ cute, his keepers acknowledge they have overindulged the polar bear. "Knut," they say, "is overweight and has to cut back on poisson and extra portions of fish.” Raised by keepers after being abandoned by his mother, the oh-so-cute Knut became the star of the Berlin Zoo. His daily romps⁷ with the keeper, who hand-raised him were a huge and money-making attraction. More than one million people have come to the zoo to see him. He's spawned⁸ fan clubs, a true child star and a whole line of merchandising. But like all child stars, Kunt grew and grew, testing his teeth and his paws until finally it became too dangerous to play. Now one inadvertent swipe could badly maul his devoted⁹ keeper. But even as Knut grows up and the crowds are not quite so entranced with a teenage bear, there is good news for the Berlin Zoo. Another baby, this one a pygmy hippo named Paul, not quite so cuddly¹⁰, and with a face only a mother could love. Berlin is hoping they have a new child star. Sheila MacVicar, CBS News, London.

1 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 waddle   

vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子)

参考例句：

• I am pregnant.I waddle awkwardly and my big stomach pressed against the weight of the world. 我怀孕了，我滑稽可笑地瞒珊而行，大肚子上压着全世界的重量。
• We waddle and hop and have lots of fun.我们走起路来摇摇摆摆，还一跳一跳的。我们的生活很有趣。

5 struts   

（框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄

参考例句：

• The struts are firmly braced. 那些支柱上得很牢靠。
• The Struts + EJB framework is described in part four. 三、介绍Struts+EJB框架的技术组成：Struts框架和EJB组件技术。

6 irresistibly   

adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地

参考例句：

• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside. 她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was irresistibly attracted by her charm. 他不能自已地被她的魅力所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 romps   

n.无忧无虑，快活( romp的名词复数 )v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的第三人称单数 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜

参考例句：

• Liz doesn't enjoy romps as much as other girls do. 莉兹不像别的女孩那样喜欢嬉戏吵闹。 来自辞典例句
• We don't like romps and flirts, though we may act as if we did sometimes. 我们不喜欢轻佻女和调情郎，虽然有时我们表面上看似喜欢他们。 来自辞典例句

8 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。