groundhog
groundhog — 名詞
1. a medium-sized brown rodent with a short tail and strong claws, found in North A
土撥鼠
北美褐色、會挖洞的嚙齒動物
a medium-sized brown rodent with a short tail and strong claws, found in North America, that lives in a hole it digs in the ground and sleeps through the winter.
A groundhog came out of its hole and sniffed the cool morning air.
一隻土撥鼠從洞裡探出頭來，嗅了嗅清晨涼爽的空氣。
come out of its hole — typical spring behaviour
The old groundhog waddled slowly across the dirt road near the farm.
那隻老土撥鼠搖搖晃晃地走過農場附近的泥土路。
Leila saw a groundhog eating clover in the field behind her house.
Leila 看到她家後方田裡有一隻土撥鼠在吃苜蓿。
Groundhogs dig long tunnels that can damage the roots of fruit trees.
土撥鼠挖出的長長隧道可能損害果樹的根部。
用法筆記
In Canada and the northern United States, this animal is also called a 'woodchuck'.
常見錯誤
2. the animal that is the main character in a North American tradition on February
土撥鼠
二月二日預測春天到來的土撥鼠
the animal that is the main character in a North American tradition on February 2nd: people believe that if the groundhog comes out of its hole and sees its shadow after a sunny morning, winter will continue for six more weeks; but if the sky is cloudy and it does not see its shadow, spring will come early.
On Groundhog Day, people in Pennsylvania gather to watch the ceremony.
在土撥鼠日，賓州的人們會聚集觀看這項儀式。
Groundhog Day — annual February 2nd tradition
The groundhog did not see its shadow this year, so spring should arrive early.
今年土撥鼠沒有看到自己的影子，所以春天應該會提早到來。
see its shadow — key prediction outcome
Ravi's class watched a short film about the Groundhog Day tradition in Canada.
Ravi 的班級觀看了一部關於加拿大土撥鼠日傳統的短片。
Millions of people watch the groundhog prediction on television every February.
每年二月，數百萬人都會在電視上觀看土撥鼠的天氣預測。
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 describes the animal within the cultural tradition of Groundhog Day, not the animal itself. The tradition is mainly observed in the United States and Canada. The phrase 'Groundhog Day' is also used to describe any situation that keeps repeating in exactly the same way.