Life in the zoo was not as exciting as on the outside, but it had its attractions.
attraction:something interesting or enjoyable to see or do
The daily menus catered for everyone’s tastes.
cater:to provide and serve food and drinks at a party, meeting etc, usually as a business
Some liked berries, others liked bananas.
Some hungered for steak, others for fresh termites.
steak:good quality beef, or a large thick piece of any good quality red meat
termite:an insect that eats and destroys wood from trees and buildings
The food just turned up every day, and nobody had to hunt or gather.
The animals didn’t even have to tidy up their own cages or make their beds with fresh straw.
straw:the dried stems of wheat or similar plants that animals sleep on, and that are used for making things such as baskets, hats etc [↪ hay]
The keepers did all that for them.
The keeper of the monkeys cage was called Mr. Hartley.
He was a sweet man, and if the truth be told, a bit of a softy.
sweet:kind, gentle, and friendly
Anything the monkeys screeched for, he provided - almost always.
screech:to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited [= shriek, scream]
The chief monkey, whose name was Bozo,
wanted a television so that he could watch Animal Planet.
At first Mr. Harley could not understand what he was squawking on about,
squawk:if a bird squawks, it makes a loud sharp angry sound
but he saw that Bozo was pointing to the video screen
that displayed important information for the visitors.
He tried turning it off, but that agitated Bozo even more.
agitated:so nervous or upset that you are unable to keep still or think calmly
Then he twigged what was in monkeys’ mind,
twig:to suddenly realize something about a situation
and he went out and bought the latest flat panel TV and put it in the window of his office
where Bozo and his followers could watch it.
But such a life of luxury could not go on for ever, and it didn’t.
luxury:something expensive that you do not need, but you buy for pleasure and enjoyment [≠ necessity]
After Theo’s famous escape and his chocolate-crazed escapade,
craze:a fashion, game, type of music etc that becomes very popular for a short time [= fad]
escapade:an adventure or series of events that are exciting or contain some risk
the zoo was noticed in high places.
The local newspaper ran a headline that read:
“Slack Security at the Zoo.”
slack:not taking enough care or making enough effort to do things correctly - used to show
disapproval
And a local politician ran for election under the slogan;
“Time to get tough on the animals.
The word of shout in English have many way.
but there is difference of nuance.
I enjoy that today.
2 件のコメント:
I can see that you have looked up a lot of words. Good work!
thank you
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