The geese are back
Canada geese do not live only in Canada. They spend spring and summer in Alaska（阿拉斯加加州）and northern（北方的）Canada. In autumn, many of the geese migrate（迁徙）to warmer places. They usually fly to northern Mexico（墨西哥）, but lately many began to fly to the south of the USA. This may be because it is warmer there now than it was in the past.
Canada geese fly very fast. They can fly as fast as 100 kilometers per hour. The geese usually travel in groups of about 100, but groups of 1,000 are common. On cloudy days, the geese will fly lower, but on sunny days they can fly as high as 2,500 meters.
Canada geese know when to migrate by checking how long and how warm the days are. They also wait until the young geese learn to fly. When the day becomes shorter and the temperature（气温）gets lower, they know it is time to leave. This is usually at the end of August. A few days before leaving, all the geese get very excited. They start honking（雁叫）and making a lot of noise.
The Canada geese make a “V” shape in the sky when they fly south. This helps them fly more easily through the air. The first goose pushes through the air, and this makes it easier for the other geese to follow. Each goose takes a turn being the first goose.
No one is sure how the geese find their way. Some scientists think that geese use the stars at night to help them know where they are.
1. Where do Canada geese spend spring and summer?2. Why do some geese now fly to the south of the USA?
3. How many geese fly in a group?
4. What do they do when they fly on cloudy days?
5. Why do the geese fly in a “V” shape?
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Can we give a hand to those endangered animals? Yes, we may only do a little bit, but together our small actions add up to a lot.
1 Protect wildlife habitat (栖息地).
Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species (物种) is the widespread destruction (破坏) of habitat. Cutting down forests, farming, and development all result in loss of wildlife habitat. In areas where rare (稀有的) species live, habitat destruction can quickly force a species to extinction (灭绝). By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals can be protected together naturally.
2Reduce the threat (威胁) of invasive (入侵的) species.
The spread of non-native species has greatly reduced native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources (资源) and habitat. They can even prey (捕食) on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction.
3 Place decals (贴花纸) on windows.
It is reported that as many as one billion birds in the United States die each year because of collisions (碰撞) with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office.
4 Slow down when driving.
Many native animals have to live in developed areas and this means they must move in human-living areas. One of the biggest obstacles (障碍) to them is that created by roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant (不断的) risk to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you’re out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife.
1. Is the greatest threat that endangered animals faces created by roads?2. How many ways to protect the endangered animals is mentioned in the passage?
3. Why are people advised to put decals on windows?
4. Do you think it necessary for people to protect the endangered animals? Why or why not?
【推荐2】Extreme Amazon（亚马孙之最）
Twenty percent of all the water that goes into oceans around the world comes from one river—the Amazon.
The Amazon River begins in the Andes Mountains in Peru. It travels about 6000 kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest river in the world. It is also the second longest. Most of the Amazon's water comes from rain. During the rainy season, parts of the river are 190 kilometers wide.
The Amazon River goes through the world's largest rain forest. The Amazon rain forest is home to the highest number of plant and animal species（种类）on Earth. There are 2.5 million kinds of insects, such as the world's largest ant. At least 3,000 kinds of fish live there, and one-fifth of all the bird species in the world. Some of the Amazon's animals are dangerous, such as the anaconda, the largest snake in the world. But there are also gentle animals, like the sloth and the pink dolphin.
The Amazon is very important to Earth. There are still many kinds of animals and plants there that we don't know about. If we lose the Amazon, we will lose a big part of life on Earth.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The giant panda is one of the most popular animals in the world. A giant panda can grow up to 1.5meters long and weigh up to 160kg. People think the giant panda is very lovely. So it is not surprising that the World Wide Fund for Nature chose the giant panda as its symbol. The WWF tells people about animals that they are in ①
The giant panda only lives in the wild in China. In the early 1980s,were only 1,000 left in the wild, the main reason why pandas are endangered is that the area where panda can live has become smaller.
The WWF works to help giant pandas in the wild in many ways. One of the ways that helps them is to increase the size of panda reserves （自然保护区）.Some reserves need to be joined together by planting bamboo between them to make “corridors” . These are paths that lead from one reserve to another. No one may harm the pandas in these areas. The corridors let pandas move from one habitat (栖息地) to another to look for food.②People are working very hard to make sure the giant panda does not die out.
1. How long and heavy can a giant panda grow to be? (no more than 9 words)
2. 将文中①处填入适当的词语。
3. Why are the giant pandas endangered? (no more than 10 words)
4. Give a way to help the giant pandas in the wild ,please. (no more than 10 words)
5. 将文中画线的句子②翻译成中文。
It’s hard to turn down a tasty banana. They taste good and you don’t have to wash them before eating them. However, British scientists say that the fruit may die out by 2050.
One reason for this is the weather change. Scientists at the University of Exeter collected numbers from 27 countries and places that produce 86 percent of the world’s bananas. They found that weather change has made growing conditions in 21 of these countries better. In the past 60 years, the average yield（平均产量）has reached 1.37 tons of bananas per hectare（每公顷）.
However, if temperatures keep rising, this advantage will disappear. Ten of the countries, including India, the world’s biggest producer of bananas, will produce fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out.
Shouldn’t bananas grow more easily if it’s hotter outside? In fact, the perfect temperature for growing bananas is between 24℃ and 32℃. If the temperature gets too high, they will stop growing.
Diseases are another danger to bananas. Unlike other plants, the bananas we grow come from shoot cuttings（茎段）rather than seeds. This means that all banana plants have the same genotype （基因型）. In other words, if a disease is able to kill one plant, it could kill them all.
One serious disease is called Panama. Caused by fungus（真菌）in the soil, it spreads easily. It has spread across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. If one banana farm catches the disease, it will take 30 years until it is able to grow bananas again. Have the scientists found a cure for this disease yet? No.
It’s hard to | |
Facts of growing bananas | The perfect temperature for growing bananas is |
| Climate change has | |
| Scientists predicted bananas may | |
| If the temperature keeps going | |
| Banana plants have the same genotype, so they can possibly die from the same Example: Panama, a serious disease, can | |
【推荐2】Hiking (徒步) in the countryside is one of life's simple and cheap pleasures. But is it safe? Sport writer Mark Waters considers the dangers.
Imagine the following...
One day, Tom decided to take up hiking. Before going, he quickly looked at a map and decided that he could easily walk from the bus stop at Pak Tam Chung to the beach at Dai Long Wan.
After walking for hours and hours under the hot sun, Tom started to feel sick. He reached for his water but found that the bottle was empty. Then he smelt smoke and saw a fire. He called 999. However, he could not tell them where he was because he did not have a map.
Think about it...
Put yourself in Tom's shoes. How could you stay away from the risks? One way is to learn the following common types of danger well.
1. Getting lost
Bad weather is one of the reasons that some walkers get lost. However, the most common one is not having enough knowledge of the hiking route (路线). Always remember to bring a map and don't be too confident. Always choose a route that is right for you.
2. Heat stroke (中暑)
The summer in Hong Kong is very hot and wet. Many hikers forget this and walk for too long in the midday heat. They become hot and feel weak. Don't forget it is necessary to drink 100 to 200 ml of water every 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Accident
Some of Hong Kong's paths are very dangerous and it is not unknown for hikers to fall. Never walk alone and always bring a map and a mobile phone with you.
4. Hill fire
Every year, over 10,000 hill fires take place in Hong Kong, hurting more than 600 people. Never light fires unless you are allowed to and, if you see a hill fire, stay cool, walk away and report it quickly.
1. In Mark's opinion, is hiking in the countryside safe or dangerous?2. Why couldn't Tom tell the police where he was?
3. What is the most common reason for people getting lost?
4. What will you do if you see a hill fire according to the passage?
5. What does the writer mainly talk about in the passage?
China won “double delight（双喜）” at the2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships（世界乒乓球团体锦标赛）held in Chengdu, Sichuan.
On Oct. 9, the Chinese men’s team beat the German team and lifted the Swaythling Cup for the tenth time in a row. That’s now a record of 22 times overall. Just one day earlier, China’s women’s team also won its fifth consecutive title （连冠）after beating Japan 3-0.
The victory was smooth（顺利的）, just as everyone had expected. People are used to China’s great achievements in table tennis. But behind the achievements is the participation（参与）of ordinary people.
Known as the “national sport’”, table tennis has a large fan base（群众基础）in China. Liu Guoliang was once a top table tennis player and now is the chairman （主席） of the World Table Tennis board. He once said that around 100 million people play table tennis in China, with about 30, 000 trainees（受训运动员）in sports schools and 2, 000 professional players.
Thomas J. Scheuer, a professional table tennis player from the US, described these people as “folk masters” after he paid a visit to ordinary outdoor（户外的）table tennis courts（场地） in Beijing. “Almost everyone can play a little,” he said. “It’s possible that you meet someone in the park, and he or she is a very skilled table tennis player.”
It’s true that Chinese people play table tennis not only for competition but also as a way of exercising and socializing （社交）. That might be why more than 100 world champions have grown out of such a fan base.
1. What did China win at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships?2. When did China’s women’s team win its fifth consecutive title?
3. What is the table tennis known as in China?
4. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
5. Why do Chinese people love playing table tennis?
6. What’s your favourite sport? Why do you like it?
