小长颈鹿的腿部支架

周伟国

Ara Mirzaian和他的團队为一只小长颈鹿设计了矫形器，以帮助其正常行走。

1 When Msituni was born， zoo workers knew right away there was a problem. One front leg was bending the wrong way. The problem made it hard for Msituni to stand or walk. Zoo workers worried that she might not survive， since she needed to be able to stand to get milk from her mother.

2 The problem was caused by the bones in one of Msitunis front legs. But the problem in that leg soon caused problems in the other front leg. Msituni was about 70 inches （178 centimeters） tall when she was born， and weighed more than 120 pounds （55 kilograms）. The more she tried to stand， the more stress she put on her joints.

3 Dr Matt Kinney， the veterinarian in charge of Msituni， knew she needed braces to support her legs. The day she was born， he got some supports from a local store， and worked to make them fit. When the supports kept sliding off， he tried medical braces made for humans. He changed the braces to better fit Msitunis long legs. These temporary braces helped， but didnt last.

4 So the zoo reached a company called Hanger Clinic. Hanger Clinic has designed prosthetics for Paralympic athletes. In 2006， the company even helped create a replacement tail for a dolphin. Hanger Clinic hadnt worked with a giraffe before， but Ara Mirzaian， who works there， said he immediately began studying giraffes. Together， the team carefully measured Msitunis legs and made models of them.

5 Msitunis braces needed to be tough. Working with a company that makes braces for horses， Hanger Clinic was able to create extremely tough braces made of a material called carbon graphite （碳石墨）. Msituni made quick progress. By the time the braces arrived from Hanger Clinic， she only needed one of them. With her new brace， she quickly became healthier and grew to a more normal size for a giraffe of her age. After 39 days with the brace， Msituni was able to walk on her own again.

6 After spending most of her life in the zoo hospital， Msituni has now joined the rest of the zoos giraffe herd. That will help her learn many of the giraffe skills she has missed out on. Best of all， she has a playmate. Nuru is another young female giraffe whos just four days younger than Msituni.

Detail 1. Why did the zoo workers worry that Msituni might not survive？

A. She couldnt eat anything. B. She was overweight.

C. Her leg was unhealthy. D. Her tail was broken.

Detail 2. What can we learn about the company Hanger Clinic according to the text？

A. It helps create braces for horses.

B. It makes braces for giraffes alone.

C. It is the first time for it to design braces for a giraffe.

D. It specializes in making braces for humans.

Inference 3. What made Msituni healthier according to the text？

A. Her new brace.

B. The treatment in the zoo hospital.

C. Her new playmate.

D. The better environment in the zoo.

Gist 4. Whats the main idea of the last paragraph？

A. Msituni was able to walk on her own finally.

B. Msituni adapted to life in the zoo after the treatment.

C. Msituni learnt many of giraffe skills after recovery.

D. Msituni was able to make friends with other giraffes.

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. Zoo workers worried that she might not survive， since she needed to be able to stand to get milk from her mother. 动物园的工作人员担心她可能活不下去，因为她需要站起来才能从母亲那里喝奶。

【点石成金】本句中，that引导宾语从句，后面的since引导原因状语从句，表示“因为”。

2. Working with a company that makes braces for horses， Hanger Clinic was able to create extremely tough braces made of a material called carbon graphite. Hanger Clinic與一家为马制造支架的公司合作，用一种叫碳石墨的材料制成了极其坚硬的支架。

【点石成金】本句中，Working with...for horses作原因状语；that引导的是定语从句，在从句中作主语，先行词是a company；called在句中作后置定语，修饰a material。