Forsythia（连翘）is one of the earliest     1     (flower) blooming in spring,     between March and May. It is a popular plant known for its bare branches filled with brilliant yellow flowers. The plant has four petals and its branches stretch upward,     2     is native to China. It’s easy to grow     3     it can tolerate unfavorable conditions and partial shade, but it grows best in full sun. During July and August it produces fruit, often used in     4     (tradition)     Chinese medicine, proven by some of the earliest Chinese medical texts dating back to some 4,000 years.

A number of white cranes (鹤) have been spotted at Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province,     1     (mark) the start of the migratory (迁徙的) birds’ wintering in China’s     2     (large) freshwater lake this year.

At 10:45 am, October 29, 2020, one white crane     3     (observe) at the lake. Another 17 were spotted at 2:30 pm, according to staff with the Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Administration.

Apart from white cranes, white-naped cranes, grey cranes, oriental white storks,     4     other species of migratory birds have also arrived at the lake.

White cranes are also known as “living fossil” birds,     5     only about 4,000 in the world. Every year at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, they fly to the lake for the winter, aiming     6     (search) for food in shallow water. From late February to early March the following year, a large number of birds begin to fly to the     7     (north) part.

Poyang Lake is an important wintering area     8     (natural) for waterbirds in Asia. More than 300 migratory birds from Russia, Mongolia, Japan, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as China’s northwest and northeast     9     (quarter) have their flocks (鸟群) to winter at the lake each year, of     10     115 are waterbirds, accounting for about 51% of the country’s waterbirds.