L06_Chapter 3_Good Eggs

Good Eggs

Many animals hatch (孵化) from eggs.Birds, fish, snakes, turtles, and frogshatch from eggs. Salamanders (蝾螈) and insectsdo, too.

Let‘s look at a young duck, or duckling (小鸭子). When aduckling hatches from its egg, it cannot swim or fly. It stays close to itsmother. Yet one or two days later, the duckling can swim. But it still cannotfly. It is still small and round. Its feathers (羽毛) are soft. Itneeds its mother to keep it safe.

A week goes by. The duckling‘s body begins to change shape. Itis not so round anymore. Its body is longer and bigger. The duckling’s softbaby feathers 羽毛 fall out.Long, stiff (硬的) feathers growin their place. These new feathers will help the duck fly. When a duck is eightweeks old, it can swim and fly. It is all grown up!

The ostrich (鸵鸟) lays thebiggest egg in the world. Its egg can weigh about 1.5kilograms (about 3pounds)!