【推荐1】There is a kind of bird called starling (椋鸟). A few starlings were brought to the United States from Europe more than a hundred years ago. Now they are found all over the United States.

Starlings are mostly black. Their mouths are straight and sharp (尖的). They are about six inches long with short tails. Their feathers sometimes seem to change colors.

Starlings like to live in groups of many birds. You will know when a group of starlings is nearby. They will make a lot of noise.

Some birds have beautiful songs. They always sound the same. People often know a bird by its song. This is not true about starlings. They can make many different sounds.

Starlings are also very hungry birds. They eat plants, strawberries, and small insects. Starlings do something that is not very nice. They eat so much that there is no food for other birds. When starlings come to an area, they often drive away other birds.

Just like other birds, starlings like to keep their babies safe. They make homes of sticks and feathers. Starlings can live in trees and also buildings. Starlings sometimes make their living places in a person’s house. Can you imagine waking up and finding a starling flying in your bedroom?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐2】Some chicken feeders say the coronavirus (冠状病毒) has led more people in the United States to start raising their own chickens. The practice provides people with a new interest, animal friendships and fresh eggs.

Businesses that sell young chicks and chicken houses say they have seen an increase in need since last March. That is when U. S. health officials ordered people to stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Allison and Ron Abta live in California. They had talked about setting up a chicken house for years. They finally did so this summer. The couple’s three children were excited when their parents finally agreed to buy chicks. “These chickens are like my favorite thing, honestly,” said 12-year-old Violet. “They actually have personalities once you get to know them.” The baby birds lived inside the family’s home for six weeks before moving into their yard. It now houses the five hens and protects them from foxes and other animals that could hurt them.

Mark Podgwaite is a chicken feeder. He said he and other feeders have noticed an increase in need for chicks since the coronavirus began. The Abta family bought their chicks from Mill Valley Chickens. The farming business sells chickens and feed. It also builds chicken houses. Owner Leslie Citroen offers first-time chicken keepers some classes. She says her sales grew 400 percent in 2020.

Citroen said most of her buyers in 2020 were first-time chicken keepers. Some of them are parents looking for something to keep their children busy while at home. Others are “preppers” — people who want their own supplies (供给) of things if the world falls apart.

People already knew that pigs can learn to “sit” and “come” as we order. Research shows pigs are even cleverer than we thought. They are able to play video games.

Researchers at Purdue University in the USA did the research on pigs’ game skills. The researchers were surprised that their test pigs were able to play some games. Researchers got four pigs, named Ebony, Hamlet, Ivory and Omelet, to play a simple game at different levels. They had to move a handle (把手) with their nose to make a cursor (光标) move to a bright blue wall on the screen. If they were successful, they got a delicious treat. Dr. Candace Coney, the leader, said, “It’s very clear that they understood what they were being asked to do.” The research is in a paper in the magazine Frontiers in Psychology.

It took a lot of efforts to do the research. The pigs spent many days playing the game. During the last 50 rounds, the pigs played the game at three different levels. If they were successful at one level, they moved to the next level. The higher the levels, the better the treats. A scientist said, “The pigs clearly understood the connection between their own behavior, the handle, and what was happening on the screen. It was not a snap for them.”

Dr. Coney said, “It is important to understand how pigs get information, and what they are able to learn and remember. This will help us to learn what pigs think of interacting (互动) with humans and understand what pigs think of different environments..

China’s Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar every year. It is a traditional folk holiday focusing on good health and long life. Let’s take a look at some keywords related to this festival.

Nine is an important number in Chinese culture because its pronunciation means “long” in Chinese. According to the Book of Changes (《易经》), the number six is considered yin while nine is yang. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the Chinese calendar has something interesting—two nines, so the day is given the Chinese name “Chongyang”.

When it comes to the Double Ninth Festival, two important plants, the cornel(茱萸) and chrysanthemum, have to be talked about. Cornel, famous in traditional Chinese medicine, is widely planted in the north and south of China. Ancient people believed that wearing the cornel on this day could help stop illness and keep away from the bad things. They also believed that the chrysanthemum could drive away bad luck and stop one from getting a cold in late autumn. So, drinking chrysanthemum wine has always been a traditional custom at this festival.

As times change, the festival has been given more meaning. In 1989, the Chinese government set it as a day for the elders, to call on all to care about and love them, so as to build a beautiful, age-friendly society.

【推荐3】A new study discovered that more conflicts (冲突) happened between humans and animals because of the climate change. For example, in the Arctic, with the rising of the temperature, ice is less than before, so it’s more difficult for polar bears (北极熊) to get enough food. As a result, they spend more time on the land and sometimes go into human villages. This can be dangerous because they might hurt people.

Climate change can change the habitats of animals, like the less sea ice for polar bears. The study also found that because of climate change, animals are changing what they do and where they go. In 2009, a bad drought (旱灾) in eastern Africa drove African elephants to move closer to villages for food and water in their field. The elephants ate their plants so some people punished and killed elephants.

“It’s important to understand the connection between climate change and human-animal conflicts. It is not only helpful to protect animals, but also helps people stay safe. We are sharing the same blue earth,” said a biology expert.

But they are examples for us. The expert mentioned, “By studying different cases, we can find ways to avoid conflicts.” He thinks the government can get ready for terrible weather so they can deal with problems quickly. For example, Botswana’s government paid farmers when wild animals ate their plants or farm animals because of drought. In return, the farmers promised not to hurt or kill the wild animals.

【推荐1】There is a very special hotel in Sweden(瑞典). It is made of snow and ice. Sweden’s Ice hotel is the first ice hotel in the world. It is about —5°C in the hotel. Each room comes with quilts and sleeping bags to help people keep warm.

In the winter of 2020, it opened 12 new art suites(套房). Each suite has a special theme(主题). 35 artists from around the world worked on the art suites. People can learn more about the theme by using a OR code (二维码) in the room.

The hotel also has a big hall. People can have parties in it from December to April every year. Do you want to go and have fun?