A
Hippos live both in the water and on land. Most photos of these large African animals show them in rivers and lakes. That's because they spend the daytime in the water, keeping cool in the hot sun. Hippos sleep in the water, and baby hippos are born there.
But when the sun goes down, hippos come out of the water for food. They eat grass. During the night, they can walk as far as 10 kilometres to get enough grass. An adult hippo can eat over 50 kilograms of it in one night!
Hippos are dangerous animals, both on land and in the water. They fight with lions on land, and with the crocodiles that share their rivers and lakes. Male hippos often fight each other to see which one will dominate an area of river. Female hippos will fight to protect their young.
Hippos can attack people. They may look like big, slow animals, but they can run fast—about 30 kilometres an hour. That's faster than a person can run. Hippos will also attack boats that come too close to them.
Looking at the photos of hippos, it's easy to think they are funny, friendly animals. But in fact, they are deadly!
词汇
male /meIl/ adj. 雄性的
dominate $ \wedge $ dmineit/ v. 控制
female /'fi:meɪl/ adj. 雌性的
attack /ə'taek/ v. 攻击
deadly /'dedli/ adj. 致命的，致死的
句型
Male hippos often fight each other to see which one will dominate an area of river.雄性河马经常互相打斗来决定谁是一方水域的霸主。
理解
1. Why do hippos stay in the water during the daytime ?
2. Why do we say hippos are dangerous animals ?

1. To keep cool in the hot sun.
2. Because hippos can attack people and boats.