【推荐1】Blue whales are the largest animals in the world. But they are amazing not only because of their huge size, ______ their slow heartbeat

For the first time, scientists have researched the ______ of a blue whale. They found ______ when blue whales dive for food, their heart rates are as ______ as 2 beats per minute (bpm). Scientists used to ______ that their diving heart rate was 15 bpm. When the whales go to the ocean’s ______ to breathe, their heart rate is between 25 and 37 bpm.

Usually, the ______ an animal is, the slower its heart beats, since it takes more time to pump (输送) blood around ______ body. Shrews, the smallest mammals (哺乳动物), have a heart rate of up to 1, 000 bpm. Humans usually stay between 60 and 100 bpm. ______ slowing their heart rate, blue whales can send more blood to the muscles (肌肉) that they use ______. These muscles become stronger, allowing the whales to dive for longer periods of time.

As we know this year is the Year of the Tiger. Do you know _________ born in the Year of the Tiger? What’s their personality like? Are they brave, lovely and strong? If so, then they are a _________ “tiger”.

In Chinese _________, tigers are considered the king of all animals. They symbolize power, energy and protection. Tigers are _________ as fearless animals, So that’s why in China you can see images of tigers on the walls of temples and houses to protect from disasters and danger.

Tigers have an important cultural _________ not just in China, but across Asia. As they mostly live in Asia, in the eyes of people in the West they have become a cultural symbol of Eastern _________. For example, strong economies(经济体) in the _________ —Singapore, South Korea, China’s Hong Kong and Taiwan—were called “The Four Asian Tigers”. In the book Life of Pi, Canadian _________ Yann Martel chose a Bengal tiger(孟加拉虎) as the partner for Indian boy Pi on his adventure in the Pacific Ocean(太平洋). French fashion brand KENZO takes the tiger as its main theme _________ it tries to show Eastern elements(元素) with European design.

Tigers are __________ one of my favorite animals. I first learned about the beauty of tigers as a child, while __________ animal documentaries. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you that my most valuable toy was my toy tiger, __________ I still treasure to this day. As a young animal lover, I feel so sad that they are __________ and I want to help protect them.

This is why I love China’s animal zodiac system(十二生肖) , as it shows the connection, understanding and respect that humans can have for __________.

Just like tigers serve as a symbol of protection in Chinese culture, we can only hope that in the Year of the Tiger more people can learn about tigers and help __________ them and their habitats from further destruction.