ESKIMO CHILDREN

The Eskimos live in Greenland. I am sure you would wonder why it is called “Greenland,” for it is almost never “green.” Nearly all the year round the ground is covered with ice and snow, so that it seems as if “Whiteland” would be a better name.
two children ice fishing

It is so cold in Greenland that the Eskimos have to wear very warm clothing. The boys and girlsdecoration114decoration and men and women dress very much alike¹. They wear trousers made of bearskin and coats made of sealskin. Their stockings² are like leggings and are made of birdskin, with soft feathers inside to keep their feet warm. Over these they wear sealskin boots, which are long enough to cover their knees.

It is so cold in Greenland that trees cannot grow. If you think of all the ways in which we use the wood from our forest trees you will wonder what the Eskimos can do without them.

We build houses of wood, but the Eskimos make theirs of blocks of ice and snow.

We burn wood in our stoves. The Eskimos burn oil and fat which they get from the walrus³ and the seal. They burn this oil in a lamp which gives them all the light and heat they have.

Our beds, chairs and tables are made of wood. The Eskimos have no beds. They sleep on bearskin rugs⁴.

They have no tables and no chairs. A big bowl made of bone is set on the floor, and the family sit around the bowl on bearskins, and eat out of it.

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There are no stores in Greenland, no churches, and no schools. Everything that a family needs has to be provided⁵ by the father or the mother. The father goes hunting and fishing, to get food to eat, and oil to burn, and skins to wear. He catches fish, and kills bears, seals, walrus, and reindeer⁶. Sometimes in the summer he kills a few birds.

The mother helps cut up the meat, and sometimes she cooks it, but much of the meat and fat is eaten raw. From the skins and furs she makes all the clothing for her family.

As there are no schools the Eskimo children never learn to read or write, but they like to hear their mother and father tell stories, and they learn these stories so that they can tell them to their children.

Every one in Greenland has a sled. The runners are made of bone, and the top is made of sealskin. Dogs draw these sleds over the snow, and they can run very fast and very far.

The boys and girls have very few toys, but they like to play games, and they have many good times.

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The girls have dolls made of bone, and the boys play a game with a ball and stick made of bone.

But the boys like to hunt and fish. They have small boats made of bone and sealskin, and paddles⁷ made of bone. Of course they can use these boats only in the short summer time, as the water is frozen⁸ the rest of the year. When they go hunting they carry spears⁹, and a bow and arrows¹⁰.

Do you think you would like to live in Greenland?

Name ten things that you have that the Eskimo children have never seen.

Tell five things that you can do that the little Eskimos cannot do.

What do we have to eat that the Eskimos cannot have?

Why do the Eskimos build their houses of snow? How is the house heated?

Of what is their clothing made?

How do they cook and eat their food?

What do the Eskimo children do for fun?

1 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

2 stockings   

n.长袜( stocking的名词复数 )；靺；袜子

参考例句：

• a pair of silk stockings 一双长筒丝袜
• She wears a pair of sheer stockings. 她穿着一双透明的丝袜。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 walrus   

n.海象

参考例句：

• He is the queer old duck with the knee-length gaiters and walrus mustache.他穿着高及膝盖的皮护腿，留着海象般的八字胡，真是个古怪的老家伙。
• He seemed hardly to notice the big walrus.他几乎没有注意到那只大海象。

4 rugs   

n.小块地毯( rug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• Try to avoid colours that jar when choosing curtains and rugs. 选择窗帘和地毯时，尽量避免颜色不调和。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

6 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

7 paddles   

n.划船( paddle的名词复数 )；桨状物；（机具的）桨状部份v.涉水( paddle的第三人称单数 )；趟水；用桨划船；用戒尺打（孩子）

参考例句：

• Paddles are used especially to propel canoes and kayaks. 短桨特别用于划独木舟和小艇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He paddles his own canoe. 他自己划独木舟。 来自辞典例句

8 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

9 spears   

矛( spear的名词复数 )； 枪； （某些植物的）嫩枝； 幼芽

参考例句：

• Spears hurtled against shields. 矛猛击在盾上。
• With a flourish of their spears, the two men started sparring with each other. 两人拿长枪一比试，便打了起来。

10 arrows   

n.箭( arrow的名词复数 )；矢；箭号；箭头

参考例句：

• He shot arrows one by one, but each missed. 他射了一箭又一箭，但都未能射中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They fired poisoned arrows at us. 他们向我们射出毒箭。 来自《简明英汉词典》