蛇(Snakes)

　　the snake is a long and thin animal that lives in grass or other dark places. a snake has no legs or feet, but it can move very fast on its stomach. snakes usually have green, yellow or black skins, which make them difficult for their enemies to find them. some kinds of snakes live in water. they can swim as freely as fish.

　　snakes are cold-blooded animals. in winter they hibernate ① in holes which are narrow enough only to hold the snakes’ bodies. the snakes can sleep through a whole winter without eating and moving. they can not feel any pain. the hibernation ② period lasts about five months. when spring comes, the snakes come out and begin their normal life.snakes can take many things as food, such as mice, sparrows, frogs,birds’ eggs, pests ③ and so on. people sometimes can see a snake eat a sparrow. first it moves close to the sparrow, then it puts out its tongue and brings the sparrow into its mouth and swallows it, which makes a lump ④ in the snake’s body. after some time the lump disappears.as snakes are dreadful-looking ⑤, people are afraid of them. many people drive them away whenever they see snakes. but in chinese fairy tales, snakes are by no means bad. they seem to have human feelings. they can change into pretty girls. people like and respect them. the most well-known is the story about the white snake and the blue snake.

　　in fact, snakes are not as dreadful as they look. they can help us to kill mice and pests. they can provide us with delicious meat. their blood is a good drink. poisonous snakes are especially useful. we can make valuable drugs with them.