1.The sheep is not very much like the cow，is it？It is much smaller，and it has quite a different kind of coat.But still the sheep and the cow are of the same family-the large family of animals that “chew the cud.”Do you remember what that means？
2.As the sheep always lives in the open air，it needs a warm coat all over its body.This is called a fleece，and the long curly hair of the fleece is called wool.
3.When the cold winter is over and the spring has come，the sheep’s fleece is cut off with a pair of shears①.The wool of the fleece is used to make our clothing.
4.The sheep has four toes on each foot.The two at the back of the foot are very small，and do not touch the ground.The two at the front have each a hard，horny covering or nail，and so we call the sheep‘s foot a hoof.The hoof is split or cloven between the two toes，just like the hoof of the cow.
5.The teeth of the sheep are also like those of the cow.The sheep could not live upon flesh；its teeth are suited only for eating plant-food.
6.In the front of its lower jaw there are eight sharp teeth for nipping②.There are no teeth in its upper jaw opposite③these，but there is a hard pad instead.At the back of its mouth the sheephas six teeth with flat tops on each side of each jaw.These are called grinders④.
7.The sheep does not use its two kinds of teeth at the same time.First it nips off the grass，and swallows it as quickly as possible.Now，the sheep has no fewer than fourstomachs.The grass goes straight down into the first stomach.When this is full，the sheep lies down and begins to “chew the cud.”
8.The grass goes from the first stomach into a second stomach，①Shears，a large pair of scissors.
②Nipping，cutting off.
③Opposite，on the other side of；facing.
④Grinders，teeth used for crushing.
THE SHEEP’S STOMACHS
（绵羊的四个胃）
where it is rolled up into balls，called “cuds.”Then these cuds come up one by one to the mouth，where they are slowly chewed by the flat grinding teeth.
9.Then the grass is swallowed again，and passes through a third bag into the fourth or true stomach①.The cow，the deer，and the goat “chew the cud”in just the same way as the sheepdoes.
10.The male sheep is called a ram，and the female sheep a ewe.Young sheep are called lambs.The flesh of the sheep，called mutton，is very good for eating.Its fat is called suet，and is used for making candles and soap.
SUMMARY
The sheep belongs to that family of animals which chew the cud.It has cloven hoofs，like the cow.Its teeth are suited for eating plant-food.It first nips off and swallows as much grass as it wants，and then brings up the grass again and chews it a little at a time.The male sheep is called a ram，and the female a ewe.Young sheep are called lambs.The flesh of the sheep is called mutton.Its fat or suet is made into candles and soap.In spring its fleece or wool is cut off and made into clothing.
【中文阅读】
1．绵羊跟牛长得不太像，对吧？羊的个头比牛小多了，毛皮也很不一样。但是牛和羊还是一个家族的，都是“反刍动物”。还记得这是什么意思吗？你在上一册关于“牛”的课文里学过。①2．绵羊一直生活在露天的地方，所以需要温暖的毛皮来遮盖身体。这一层毛皮，在剪下来的时候是聚成一块儿的，这种块儿（fleece）上面长长的卷毛，英语里叫做wool。
①True stomach，the stomach in which the food is changed so as to nourish the body.
3．寒冷的冬天结束，春天来临的时候，人们就用剪子把羊毛块儿剪下来，用羊毛块儿上的羊毛来做衣服。②4．绵羊的每只脚上都有四个脚趾。脚后面的两个脚趾非常小，不着地。两个前面的脚趾，每个都有一个坚硬的角质层覆盖着，相当于人的指甲，所以我们把羊的脚叫做“蹄子”。两个脚趾的蹄子是“分开”的，也可以说是“分趾”，跟牛蹄子一样。
5．绵羊的牙齿，跟牛的牙齿也很像。绵羊是不能靠吃肉活着的，它的牙齿只适合吃植物。
6．绵羊的下腭前面，有八颗锋利的牙齿，用来咬植物。上面的上腭部分没有牙齿，只有一个坚硬的齿垫。绵羊嘴的后面，上腭和下腭的两边，各有六颗牙齿，牙齿的顶端是平的，叫磨牙或者臼齿（grinder）。
7．这两种牙齿，绵羊不是同时用的。首先，绵羊把青草咬下来，尽可能快地吞下去。其实，绵羊的胃，整整有四个！青草直接进到第一个胃里去，盛满了，绵羊就躺下来开始“反刍”。
8．青草从第一个胃进入第二个胃，在这个胃里卷成团儿，这种团儿的英语叫cuds。然后，青草团子一个接一个送回嘴里，绵羊用臼齿，慢慢地嚼这些团子。
9．然后，绵羊再把青草咽下去，通过第三个胃，进入第四个胃--真正的胃。牛、鹿、山羊的反刍，也跟绵羊的反刍一样。③10．公绵羊的英语叫ram，母绵羊的英语叫ewe，小羊羔叫lamb。绵羊的肉，英语叫mutton，非常好吃。绵羊的油，英语叫suet，可以用来制作蜡烛和肥皂。④译注①绵羊属于“哺乳纲”、“偶蹄目”、“牛科”、“羊亚科”。绵羊居然属于牛科，可见关系确实很近。反刍的原文英语是chew the cud，这是古代的说法，现代的说法是ruminant。
②从20世纪90年代开始，电动剪羊毛机逐渐普及了，现在很多中国牧民也在用，剪一只羊只需要4-5分钟。
③生物学上，第一个胃叫“瘤胃”，容积最大，是临时的“仓库”；第二个胃叫“网胃”或者“蜂巢胃”，因为内壁分隔成很多网格，像蜂巢一样。第三个胃叫“瓣胃”，用来压榨食物。第四个胃叫“皱胃”或者“真胃”，这才是消化食物的地方。反刍的功能，可以让绵羊取食的时间缩短，有效地逃避天敌，更安全地进食。另外，还能更好地消化粗糙的食物。
④现在的羊油一般用来做工业原料，除了做肥皂，还做脂肪酸、润滑油等等。精制的羊油可以食用。还有一种“绵羊油”用作化妆品，但它不是绵羊的脂肪，学名叫“羊毛脂”，英语是lanolin，是从羊毛中提取的。
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