Just because you major in English, don't think that you will have mastered real English.
不要以为你是英语专业的就能精通“真正”的英语。
Take care and give my by best to your parents.
多保重,代我向你的父母问候。
Apparently what happened was that water collected on these tar pits, and the bigger animals like the elephants ventured out on to the apparently firm surface to drink, and were promptly bogged in the tar.