How Coqui Frogs Fight Sickness
小科基蛙如何對抗疾病
Introduction
Scientists from the University of Florida studied the coqui frog. They wanted to see how the frog uses energy to grow and stay healthy.
佛羅里達大學的科學家研究了小科基蛙。他們想觀察這種青蛙如何利用能量來成長並維持健康。
Main Body
A bad fungus makes many frogs sick. The coqui frog lives in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Hawaii. The scientists used math to study these frogs.
一種有害的真菌導致許多青蛙生病。小科基蛙生活在波多黎各、佛羅里達和夏威夷。科學家利用數學來研究這些青蛙。
Frogs need energy. When the fungus is not there, frogs use energy to grow big. This helps them stay safe. When the fungus is there, frogs use energy to fight the sickness. Then, they stay small.
青蛙需要能量。當沒有真菌時，青蛙會利用能量快速成長。這有助於牠們保持安全。當真菌存在時，青蛙則利用能量來對抗疾病，因此牠們會維持較小的體型。
Weather is also important. Frogs born in the warm months find more food. They grow fast and live longer. Frogs born in the cold months get sicker because their bodies are weak.
天氣同樣非常重要。在溫暖月份出生的青蛙能找到更多食物，成長較快且壽命較長。而出生於寒冷月份的青蛙則更容易生病，因為牠們的體質較為虛弱。
Conclusion
The weather and the fungus decide if the coqui frog lives or dies.
天氣與真菌決定了小科基蛙的生死。
Vocabulary Learning
💡 The 'Switch' Pattern
In this story, we see how things change based on the situation. We use When... [this happens], [that happens] to explain rules.
How it works:
- When the fungus is not there frogs grow big.
- When the fungus is there frogs stay small.
🛠️ Simple Word Pairs
Notice these opposite words from the text. Learning them in pairs is the fastest way to A2 level:
| Good/Positive | Bad/Negative |
|---|---|
| Healthy | Sick |
| Warm | Cold |
| Big | Small |
| Strong (not weak) | Weak |
📝 Quick Tip: 'Stay'
Look at how we use stay:
- Stay safe
- Stay healthy
- Stay small
It doesn't mean 'to live in a hotel.' It means 'to continue being' something.