Black and White Stripes|话说斑马

by Marcus Maurice

Do you know why zebras have stripes?

The Bushmen of Africa have been telling the tale of how zebras got their stripes for many years. They say that when the Earth was still new, the weather was very hot, and the only water to drink was in small pools. One of these was guarded by a baboon that called himself the Lord of the Water, and it didn't let other animals near as it sat next to a fire. One day, an all-white zebra and its son came down for a drink, but the baboon forbade them to have any. The young zebra told the baboon that the water was for everyone. The baboon replied that if they wanted water, they would have to fight for it. Within seconds, the baboon and the zebra were locked in battle, and before long, the zebra turned around and kicked the baboon with its hind legs. This sent the baboon high into the rocks. However, the zebra staggered back through the baboon's fire and scorched its white fur, leaving black stripes.

Zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys, but they have never been fully domesticated. Each zebra has a black and white pattern that is unique, and these social animals live in small groups called harems. Their vertical striping helps them survive from their main predators, lions. Since lions are colorblind, zebras use their stripes to hide in the grass. Also, when predators attack, they get confused by all the stripes of a harem and think that it may be one big animal or have a hard time singling out one zebra. While African Bushmen may be telling tall tales about zebras, there is no doubt that they are creatures of beauty.

1.  What happened after the baboon and zebra got into a fight?

(A) The baboon won in the end.

(B) The zebra killed the baboon.

(C) The zebra got burned, which is how it got its stripes.

(D) The baboon succeeded in preventing the zebra from going near the water.

2.  Which of the following statements is true about zebras?

(A) Horses and zebras are part of the same family.

(B) All zebras' stripes are identical.

(C) Zebras are nocturnal animals.

(D) Zebras were tamed a long time ago.

3.  What is NOT a reason for zebras' stripes?

(A) It is hard to kill a single zebra in a harem because they collectively look like one big animal.

(B) Female zebras are attracted to males with intricate stripe patterns.

(C) For animals that can't see color, the stripes look like grass.

(D) They help zebras hide from predators.

4.  How does the author see the African Bushmen's story about zebras?

(A) It's accurate.

(B) The author made it up himself.

(C) It's exaggerated and unreliable.

(D) The author isn't sure whether to believe it or not.

话说斑马

你知道斑马身上条纹的由来吗？

　　非洲的布什曼人多年来，一直流传着 1 则关于斑马身上的条纹是如何出现的故事。他们说地球肇始之初，天气非常炎热，唯一的饮用水都在小水池中。其中有 1 处水池由 1 只自称『池水之王』的狒狒看守着，牠坐在火堆旁，不准其他动物接近水池。有一天，1只全身雪白的斑马和牠的儿子到水池边喝水，但狒狒却不准牠们喝。小斑马告诉狒狒这里的水是给大家喝的。狒狒回答说如果牠们要喝水，就得凭本事争取。狒狒和斑马立刻陷入战斗，没多久，斑马转身用后腿把狒狒踢得老远，最后狒狒掉到岩石堆里。斑马踉跄倒退穿过狒狒的火堆，把自己的白色毛发烧焦了，留下黑色的条纹。

　　斑马跟马还有驴子是近亲，但牠们从未被人类完全驯养过。每只斑马身上的黑白纹路都是独一无二的，而且这种群居动物生活在一夫多妻的小群体里。牠们身上垂直的条纹图案使自己得以躲过牠们的主要猎食者狮子。狮子有色盲，所以斑马利用自己的条纹优势躲在草丛中。此外，当猎食者发动攻击时，牠们会被整个斑马家族身上的条纹搞得头昏脑胀，以为自己面对的是 1 只巨无霸的动物，或是无法锁定 1 只斑马进行攻击。非洲布什曼人的斑马故事也许是无稽之谈，但毫无疑问的，牠们是种美丽的生物。

答案：1. (C)2. (A)3. (B)4. (C)

布什曼人

布什曼人（Bushman）又称桑人（San）或巴萨尔瓦人（Basarwa），是生活于南非、波札那、纳米比亚与安哥拉的一个原住民族，其语言是科伊桑语系的一支，是科伊科伊人的相近种族。

遗传学上，根据 Y 染色体 DNA 的研究显示，此民族可能是世界上现存最古老的民族之一。在语言学上，布什曼人也因为其古老的发音方式（例如吸气音）而著名。

斑马

现存的斑马有 3种，分别为平原斑马、细纹斑马及山斑马。平原斑马跟山斑马属于『斑马亚属』，而细纹斑马则为『细纹斑马亚属』。细纹斑马和驴属有点类似；而平原斑马及山斑马则比较像马。虽然如此，根据 DNA 及分子生物学的数据显示，斑马有其独立的起源，但和马与驴同属马科马属。在肯亚的一些地区，平原斑马经常跟细纹斑马一起生活。（数据源：维基百科）