Many of us stayed at home in January because of COVID-19, but a special mom and her two babies took a trip. They were driven a few miles from a breeding center in northeastern Argentina to a 1.7 million-acre nature reserve called Gran Ibera Park. There the three jaguars were released into the wild.
Their release was the first reintroduction of jaguars in that part of Argentina since the species (物种) almost died out there 70 years ago. Scientists hope they can turn things around for this important apex predator, meaning one that is on top of the food chain (链). Only 200 to 300 jaguars remain in the country.
“That is the highest level of protection that can be given in Argentina,” says Sebastian Di Martino. He’s the conservation director for Rewilding Argentina, which is one of the organizations helping to restore jaguar populations.
The jaguars’ journey started in 2018 when the park was built in the Ibera Wetlands. Several thousand jaguars once lived there, along with other important species. But the jaguars’ fur was valuable, so people hunted them. Then farmers cleared the land they lived on. With the jaguars gone, the ecosystem was out of balance.
“In the absence of this species, ecosystems stop working well and may even collapse,” Di Martino says. “The main prey (猎物) of the jaguar is the capybara and the caiman. They are very abundant because of the absence of the jaguar, which causes imbalances in the ecosystem.”
The park was the first step to give jaguars a place to live. Then they needed to breed. A female named Mariua mated with a male jaguar from Brazil. Mariua then gave birth to the two baby jaguars.
It sounds simple, but the reality is more complicated. Di Martino said that jaguars born at breeding centers have to learn how to hunt and must not become used to humans. Otherwise, they will not have success in the wild.
The people who work at the breeding center stay out of sight. They use video cameras to watch the jaguars from several miles away. “We provide live prey for them, without them realizing it comes from people,” Di Martino said.
Mariua wears a radio collar so researchers can track her and her babies, Karai and Pord. “So far, so good. She’s been hunting capybaras and wild pigs and is raising her babies very well,” Di Martino says.
1. What can we learn about the jaguar?| A．It is found only in Argentina. | B．It is taught to hunt by humans. |
| C．It is not hunted by any other animal. | D．It is not considered as a rare species. |
| A．Exciting. | B．Meaningful. | C．Surprising. | D．Successful. |
| A．More than enough. | B．Less than enough. |
| C．Getting more powerful. | D．Getting less powerful. |
| A．to give an example of jaguars’ life | B．to show the importance of female jaguars |
| C．to introduce a way of training jaguars | D．to explain the method of rewilding jaguars |
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【推荐1】A solar-powered airplane finished its first international flight from Switzerland to Belgium. This is a big step for solar power. Solar energy is clean and useful and you can find it everywhere.
But what is solar energy? How do we use it? Let’s find out!
Do you ever see houses with shiny boards on the roofs? Those families are using solar power.
Solar power converts the sun’s rays into energy. One hour of the sun’s energy is said to be greater than the energy used by all humans all year. People can convert solar power into heat and electricity.
In the 1830s, British scientist John Herschel used a solar collector to cook food in Africa. This is said to be mankind’s first try at using solar energy. Today, people use it for many things.
Solar energy can light streets, warm houses and heat water. Unlike other resources, the sun’s energy will not run out for billions of years.
Australian students from the University of New South Wales made a solar-powered car on their own. It reached a speed of 120 km per hour. The car uses the same amount of electricity as an oven(微波炉). Moreover, American scientists made a solar-powered nanosatellite(微型卫星). Scientists sent it into space in 2012 to try to find Earth-like planets.
However, solar power has its problems. The amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface is not constant(持续的). It changes depending on time and weather patterns.
1. The underlined word “convert” means “________” in Chinese.| A．转化 | B．吸收 | C．反射 | D．使用 |
| A．fly a plane | B．cook food |
| C．light streets | D．warm houses |
| A．scientists from Switzerland | B．British scientists |
| C．scientists from Australia | D．American scientists |
| A．It will run out quickly. |
| B．It won’t be affected by weather. |
| C．It can be collected at any time. |
| D．It has started to be widely used. |
| A．A Solar-powered Airplane | B．Earth-like Planets |
| C．The Use of Solar Energy | D．The Problems of Solar Power |
【推荐2】Funny action, Chinese kung fu, and the Monkey King: If you want to re-experience the adventures of Journey to the West, then Unruly Heroes, a 2D action game by Magic Design Studios (MDS) in France, is for you. The game is an example where international talent meets traditional Chinese culture.
“Creating a game based on the novel, Journey to the West, has actually been my dream since I entered this profession,” said Lu Yang, CEO and creative director of MDS. “It is a very dramatic tale set in a big, imaginary world. Every character is described vividly.”
“Everyone in China knows the story, but in European countries or the US, few people know about Journey to the West. I think such a fascinating story should be introduced to more people,” he said.
Released in January, Unruly Heroes has received an 80 percent positive reaction on STEAM. The game features a unique story and cast of characters, where players can alternate between four characters: Wukong, Sanzang, Kihong and Sandmonk.
The creative team combines many Chinese cultural elements with the art design, building an immersive world of art, animation and a taste of Chinese folk music. “Our goal is to introduce Journey to the West to the world, and be accepted by players from different cultural backgrounds,” Lu said.
Set against lush (华丽的) environments and a hand-drawn art style, Unruly Heroes updates the Journey to the West classic tale into an adventure that is more colorful, humorous and attractive to people in modern times. As Lu introduced, the game differed a lot compared with the original story. “For example, we reimagined White Bone Spirit as the owner of a beauty salon, so players need to destroy her mask to defeat her.”
Lu believes that Chinese culture has strong potential to reach a broader audience, but it needs the efforts of more companies and creative minds.
“We can add Chinese cultural elements into products that are acce ssible to people around the world. Video games, film and TV series, and other cultural and entertainment products resonate (共鸣) easily internationally,” he said.
“I am not a scholar; I simply want to do what I can to present a story I love to more people far and wide,” Lu added.
1. The writer mentions the example of White Bone Spirit in order to________.| A．explain why Unruly Heroes changes the story in Journey to the West |
| B．compare the story in Unruly Heroes with that in Journey to the West |
| C．show how Unruly Heroes modernize the story in Journey to the West |
| D．criticize Unruly Heroes for changing the story in Journey to the West |
| A．likely to interest | B．easy to reach | C．possible to upset | D．hard to attract |
| A．Journey to the West is widely known and accepted in Europe and the United States. |
| B．Many traditional Chinese stories need changing as their characters are not vivid enough. |
| C．With more creativity, Chinese culture will be accepted by more people around the world. |
| D．Unruly Heroes avoids Chinese cultural elements to attract players from different countries. |
| A．Unruly Heroes: A Tale that Continues to Develop |
| B．Unruly Heroes: A Method that Makes a Difference |
| C．Unruly Heroes: An Effort that Creates Traditional Culture |
| D．Unruly Heroes: A Game that Takes Chinese Culture Abroad |
【推荐3】B
Soccer fans in Qatar (卡塔尔) are having the most exciting time. They can both enjoy the World Cup, they can also take a look at a super big soccer shoe.
The shoe is 5 meters, long and 2 meters tall. It weighs about 5,000 kilograms. It is the world’s largest soccer shoe. Who can wear such a big shoe?
Indian artist Muhammed Dileef spent seven months making the shoe. He used the same materials (材料) as usual soccer shoes. Muhammed is famous for making super big things. He made the biggest marker pen, bicycle, cleaner, and more. They are among the Guinness World Records.
1. What can soccer fans in Qatar do according to the text?| A．They can have a big meal. |
| B．They can learn to make shoes. |
| C．They can learn about the Guinness World Records. |
| D．They can enjoy the World Cup and look at the super big soccer shoe. |
| A．About 500 kilograms. | B．About 5 kilograms. |
| C．About 5,000 kilograms. | D．Less than 400 kilograms. |
| A．China. | B．America. | C．India. | D．Japan. |
| A．Anyone can wear it. |
| B．It is made of an unusual material. |
| C．It is the smallest shoe in the world. |
| D．Muhammed Dileef spent seven months making the shoe. |
There’s an unwritten rule among documentary film-makers—to watch, but not intervene（干涉）. But a BBC documentary worker in Antarctica made a hard decision to intervene when several emperor penguin mothers and their babies became trapped in a ravine（深沟）.
In one of the Dynasties series, mother penguins can be seen leaving babies behind when they can’t get out from the ravine. Some babies died from the freezing low temperatures.
After a storm, the workers returned to the area and decided to do something. In the beginning, they are not sure about the proper way to help with the least intervene. Finally, they built a ramp to help the remaining penguins climb to safety.
“We chose to intervene with the least influence,” said the shows director, Will Lawson. “Once we’d dug that little ramp, which took very little time, we left it to the birds. We were excited when they decided to use it.”
The show’s creator, Sir David Attenborough, is known for his strong support to let nature take its course. But in this case.he said he would have intervened.
“It’s very rare for the film workers to intervene,” he said. “But they realize that they might be able to save some of these birds simply by digging a few steps in the ice.”
“It’s such an unusual condition to do this,” he added. “It wasn’t dangerous. You weren’t touching the animals and by doing this, they had the chance to get out of the trouble.”
Although different people hold different views, the workers have received more praise from the public for what they did.
1. What difficulties did the emperor penguins meet?| A．The penguins died of illness. |
| B．The penguins got hit on their way. |
| C．The penguins got trapped in a ravine. |
| D．The penguins finally climbed to a safe place. |
①The workers decided to intervene.
②Some babies died from the low temperatures.
③The film workers dug a ramp.
④Some mother penguins left their babies behind.
| A．①②③④ | B．②④①③ | C．④②①③ | D．①③②④ |
| A．Digging some steps in the ice. | B．Doing nothing. |
| C．Touching the animals. | D．Making a decision. |
| A．We need to obey the rules at any time. |
| B．“To watch, not intervene “is written in the rules of filming documentaries. |
| C．People sometimes have to break rules to do the right thing. |
| D．Love is priceless among animals. |
【推荐2】Although similar in appearance to hyenas (土狼), African wild dogs are nevertheless true wild canine (犬). They are a mixture of black, yellow, and white in such various patterns that no two individuals look exactly alike. African wild dogs are widely distributed across the African plains but they do not live in jungle areas.
They are social animals, living in groups of usually from 2 to 45 individuals. A hierarchy (等级制度) exists within the group, but the animals are friendly to one another. The young and the weak are given special privileges (特权) within the group.
African wild dogs use their sense of sight, not smell, to find their prey (猎物). They can run up to 55 km/h for several kilometers. In eastern Africa, they mostly hunt Thomson’s gazelles, but they will also attack calves, warthogs, zebras, impalas, and the young of large antelopes such as the gnu.
Growing human populations have decreased or damaged the African wild dog’s habitat and also reduced their available prey. Road kill and human persecution (迫害) have also had a negative impact on African wild dog populations. This species is also susceptible to a variety of diseases such as distemper, which is controlled in domestic dogs. Protection of the African wild dog’s natural habitat must be given great concern, as these dogs suffer in habitats changed much by human intrusion (入侵).
1. What does underlined word “susceptible” mean?| A．Easily affected or suffered. | B．Badly doubtful. |
| C．Seriously harmful. | D．Highly dangerous. |
a. the distribution of the dogs b. social living
c. highly increasing human populations d. human’s killing the dogs
e. many diseases f. the changes of their habitats
g. domestic dogs h. food reduction
| A．a, b, c, d, e | B．b, c, d, e, f | C．c, d, e, f, h | D．d, e, f, g, h |
| A．African wild dogs are completely different from domestic dogs in size and in weight |
| B．African wild dogs are living in groups |
| C．African wild dogs use their eyes mostly when sleeping to guard |
| D．African wild dogs use their noses to find their food in most cases |
| A．In a pack there may be about 90 wild dogs and no leader. |
| B．There are no such wild dogs that are different. |
| C．African wild dogs can run at a speed of about 15 m/s for a long distance. |
| D．All African wild dogs kill zebras, impalas, and antelopes as their food. |
What Is Coral?
The corals that form reefs aren’t rocks or plants. Corals are made up of groups of tiny animals called polyps (PAH-lips). Most polyps are smaller than a pea. Thousands of polyps can live on a piece of coral.
Where Do Corals Live?
Coral reefs need certain living conditions to stay healthy.
Coral reefs can be damaged easily.
Fresh water that comes from rivers can kill coral. Dirt and debris can clog them. Heavy waves from large storms can break reefs apart.
Coral reefs are very fragile. Both disease and human activities damage reefs. Other harmful bacteria（细菌）attack the algae. If the coral can’t eat the algae, the coral starts to starve. If the bacteria are stopped, the coral can recover（复原）. Without enough algae to eat the coral will die. If the coral dies, the reef will die.
Humans cause most coral reef damage. Some people fish with poisons（毒药）and explosives（炸药）. Boats and ships break off large parts of reefs. Boats can leak（渗漏）gas and oil. Gas and oil leaks harm coral, plants, and fish.
Protect the coral reefs.
Coral reefs are beautiful. Reefs are also valuable. Reefs help protect coasts from storms and floods. Much of the world’s supply of fish lives around reefs. The fish depend on the reefs for their food. Many reef plants and animals also have other uses. Some are used for medicines.
Many countries try to protect their reefs. They have written laws and rules.
Almost 25 percent of the world’s reefs have been destroyed. More than half of the rest are damaged. We can all do things to help protect the reefs. We can help even if we don’t live near an ocean.
| A．Coral Reefs Die of Bacteria. |
| B．Danger to Coral Reefs. |
| C．They need the right depth of water. |
| D．Never throw things in the water. |
| E．Try our best to protect the environment. |
| F．But people do not always follow them. |
