A whooping crane is a large white North American crane famous for its loud call.
You may weigh more than a whooping crane, but maybe you aren’t taller than one! Whooping cranes can grow up to five feet tall. It makes them the tallest birds in North America. But even as tall as they are, whooping cranes weigh only about 15 pounds, because of their hollow （空心的） bones.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER?
Whooping cranes live in wetlands, wet prairies, and fields. They’re not picky （挑剔的） about their meals—they have a mixed diet and eat small fish, and insects, as well as grains and marsh plants.
CALL OF THE WILD
Whooping cranes really like to ‘whoop it up’ when they want to attract a mate （伙伴）. They call loudly and do what might look like a crazy dance to be eye—catching. They flap their wings, and move their heads from side to side quickly, jumping up and down.
A SPECIAL TRICK
These cranes are in danger, but scientists have used some very interesting tricks to help them stay alive. At first, they moved one group of cranes to Florida, but the cranes never learned to migrate （迁徙）. When they got to Florida, they didn’t know how to fly back home. Scientists did all they could do to make the number of the cranes larger, so they used a special trick with another Florida group of cranes. Scientists “taught” the younger cranes to migrate by having them follow a very light airplane from Florida to Wisconsin. After the cranes gave birth to their babies in Florida, they’d follow the plane back to Wisconsin!
Some whooping cranes stay in Florida all year round, some fly from Florida to Wisconsin, and others fly from Texas to Canada and back again each year.
Whooping Cranes | |
| A whooping crane is from North America. | |
Looks | Whooping cranes can be five feet in They weigh only about 15 pounds |
Food | They |
Qualities | To catch a mate’s eyes, whooping cranes use a |
Fun facts | Scientists moved one group of cranes to Florida, but they were not Scientists wanted to have Scientists used a plane to |
In the deserts of North Africa and Saudi Arabia lives the fennec fox, which is smaller than any other kind of foxes.
Fennec foxes have ears that are 5 to 6 inches long. That’s big for an animal that weighs less than four pounds. Their ears help shed (去除) body heat. And, as you may have guessed, they also provide great hearing.
It’s also interesting to think about the hair of fennec foxes. Why would a fox that lives in the desert need a thick, fur coat? Actually, the desert isn’t always warm. During the nighttime, a desert can be terribly cold! A fennec fox’s fur keeps them warm during those desert nights. They also have long bushy (浓密的) tails that they use as a blanket. And the hair on their feet protects them from the hot sand in the daytime.
Fennec foxes live in small communities of dens (兽穴). They spend most of the day sleeping in their dens, out of the hot sun. Then, when night comes, they come out looking for food. Besides their great hearing, fennecs also use their great sense of smell and big eyes to find dinner.
Like other foxes, fennecs are omnivores. This means they eat both meat and plants. They like eating birds, eggs, insects, snails, fruit and leaves best.
An | |
| Where they live | They live in the deserts of North Africa and Saudi Arabia |
What they look like | 1. They are the 2. Their big ears 3. Their thick fur helps them to survive in the cold desert night. 4. The hair on their feet protects them from the heat of the sand during the daytime. |
| How they live | 1. They live in small communities. 2. They 3. Their |
Camels are amazing animals. They aren’t the most beautiful animals in the world. But they are certainly the most useful animals in the hot areas such as North Africa and the Middle East. They usually help people carry things. Now let’s learn more about camels.
There are two kinds of camels on the Earth. They are Arabian (阿拉伯的) camels and Asian camels. Arabian camels are dromedaries (单峰骆驼), but Asian camels are bactrianus (双峰骆驼). An adult camel is about 2 meters tall and weighs about 500 kilograms. Its legs are long. And its feet are big and soft. Most of the camels can live for about 40 years, but they usually stop working when they are about 25.
Camels live on their own in the desert (沙漠). They aren’t afraid of the hot and cold weather. They mainly eat grass, leaves and bushes. They can walk for more than 600 kilometers without drinking. They only need to drink water every six or eight days. But when there is water, they can drink up to 90 liters (升). Camels walk slowly. They don’t like running because it’s too hot. But if they need, they can run at 20 kilometers an hour.
Ships of the desert | |
| Age | Most camels can live for about They usually stop |
| Kinds | They are Arabian camels and |
| Features | An Its legs are long and its The |
| They live They They only need to drink water every six or eight days. They can drink up to 90 liters every time. They walk not very |
After getting some information about dinosaurs from the encyclopedia (百科全书), Mary got interested in these animals. She surfed the Internet and found a lot more about dinosaurs. Here’s what she wrote in her notebook.
General information
Millions of years ago, long before there were any people, there were dinosaurs. They existed (存在) on earth for about 165 million years and suddenly died out (灭绝) 65 million years ago.
Fun facts
Size
◆The largest dinosaurs were more than 30 meters long and up to 15 meters tall.
◆The smallest dinosaurs were about the size of a chicken and had very long tails. They ate insects (昆虫).
Egg
◆Most dinosaurs were hatched (孵化) from eggs.
◆The biggest dinosaur egg ever found was the size of a football.
◆There were egg-eating dinosaurs that stole eggs from other dinosaurs’ nests (巢穴).
Brain
◆A lot of dinosaurs have big heads, but they didn’t have much brain inside. Most of the space was taken up with muscle (肌肉) and bones instead.
Tail
◆Dinosaurs that used their tails to beat their enemies had four feet and ate plants.
◆Dinosaurs that used their tails for balance (平衡) had two feet and two small arms, and they were often meat-eaters.
Discovery
◆From looking at bones, scientists can figure out (弄清楚) the shape of the dinosaur’s body.
◆There were more than 800 different kinds of dinosaurs.
Conclusion
We can only know about the lives of dinosaurs from the fossil (化石), eggs and footprints they left behind. But we still don’t know how they sounded, how they behaved, what colors they were and so on.
Oh, my God! Dinosaurs are the most mysterious animals in the world!
Mary’s notebook | |
| General information | Dinosaurs lived on earth for about 165 million years and suddenly |
| Fun facts | Size: The smallest dinosaurs were as Eggs: Some dinosaurs stole and ate other dinosaurs’ eggs. Brain: The dinosaur’s big Tail: Some tails were used to beat their enemies and some to |
| Discovery | Scientists can figure out the shape of the dinosaur’s body from looking at the bones. |
| Conclusion | There are still many things we don't know about dinosaurs. |
Like all insects(昆虫), ants have six legs. Each leg has three joints. The legs of ants are so strong that they can run very quickly. An ant has two eyes. Each eye is made of many smaller eyes. An ant has two stomachs. One stomach keeps the food for itself and the other keeps food for other ants. Like all insects, the outside of their body is hard.
Each ant has at least one or more queens. The queen’s job is to lay eggs and worker ants look after queens. Worker ants look after the young, protect(保护) the nest(巢穴) from unwanted visitors and look for food. At night, worker ants move the eggs and baby ants deep into the nest, and protect them from the cold. During the daytime, worker ants move them to the top of the nest to keep them warmer. Some worker ants have to take the rubbish out from the nest.
Many people don’t like ants. To stop them coming into the kitchen(厨房), people put some sugar outside. Ants have so much to eat that they are not interested in coming into the kitchen.
Title Looks of ants An ant has Life of ants The queen’s job is to lay Hobbies of ants Like |
6 . According to the traditional Chinese custom, 2018 is just the year of Dog. Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac -- the Shengxiao, Dog is a symbol of loyalty (忠诚) and honesty.
● Self-mocker (自嘲)
Words and phrases including dogs (Gou in Chinese) are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves. For example, you can say “Valentine’s Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog.” It is believed that dog-related words and phrases usually have good humour.
● Close relationship
Among some young people, adding “dog” to a friend’s name has the meaning of a close relationship. One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans.
● Easy to raise
Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up, according to an ancient Chinese saying. Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs.
● Metaphor (隐喻)
Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities (品质), the word is included in more than 10 Chinese metaphors. For example, “serve like a dog or a horse,” is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers.
| Symbol Dog is a loyal and | ||
| Self-mocker The dog-related words and phrases are commonly used by young people when telling |  | Easy to raise Parents hope that kids can grow up as |
| Close relationship Adding “dog” to a person’s name | Metaphor Please translate “Serve like a dog or a horse.” into Chinese. |
Animals are people’s friends. But many wild animals are in danger because the environment that they are living in has changed a lot. For example, their living area has become smaller and smaller because of the development of cities and the serious pollution. They don’t have enough places to live in or enough food to eat. At the same time, men are trying to kill these animals to earn more money or have their meat.
People should realize how serious the situation is and must do something to protect the animals. We should stop the killing and build some nature reserves, so that animals can live happily there. What’s more, we should do something to make our world cleaner.
Research Report Problem ● Many animals are in Situation ● Animals’ living area is becoming ● They don’t have enough Reason ● The environment animals live in has changed. ● People Action to ● Build some nature reserves. ● Make the world cleaner |
8 . Many animal lovers would like to do more to help animals, but aren’t sure where to start or feel like they just don’t have the time. The good news is that there are many simple things you can do to help protect animals.
Think more before you make decisions
The decisions you make may go a long way toward stopping the killing of animals. You can eat a vegetarian diet. If you aren’t ready to make this change, there are still things you can do. Do not buy animal products from companies that have illegal(违法的) practices.
Help speak the word out
Speak the word out about the problems faced by animals by putting up a notice on your car. Also, talk to your friends and family members about important problems of animals. Give some simple advice to a friend with a new pet about the pet over-population (过剩)problem we’re facing.
Write a letter
We’ve all heard the saying, “ The pen is more powerful than the sword(宝剑)”. Put this idea to the protection of animals. If a company has practices or rules that are harmful to animals, write them a letter to let them know about your anger, and that you won’t buy their products until they make some changes. Write letters to state and local legislators(立法者)to let them know how important it is that they support legislation for protecting animals. Make them know that their actions will have a great effect on your vote.
Be more loving
If you’re considering adding a dog or a cat to your family, think about getting one from a homeless-animal house rather than buying a pet. There are many wonderful animals just waiting for a home. By taking back an animal from there, you will be helping in the fight against pet over-population, as well as giving your money to those who look after poor animals.
Let your actions be an example to others
It may sound simple，but one of the best ways to help animals is to let your actions speak to the world. You should do the following things first by yourself: Treat all living animals with respect. Care about your pets and look after them well. Avoid (避免)entertainment places that use animals to perform. Support legislation that protects animals. All of these things set an example for others to follow.
Title: Ways of | |
| Think carefully before | ●Don’t eat meat. ● |
| Speak the word out | ●Put up an animal-protection ●Talk to your friends and family members about important animal problems. ● ●Get help from books if necessary. |
| Write letters | ●Let those companies that are harmful to animals know you are about them. ●Let legislators know the |
| Be more loving | ●Get a pet from a homeless-animal house ●Give your money to those who look after poor animals. |
| ●Treat all living animals with respect. ●Take good ●Do not go to places where animals perform . ●legislation which is good for animals. | |
9 . In our class, the teacher asks us which kind of animals we like best. Here are some of the answers.
Lucy: I like dogs best because they can help people to look after their houses. I think the dogs are very friendly too.
Mary: I like to keep cats, because I can play with them after school. The cats are lovely animals.
Mike: Rabbits are my favourite animals. They are very easy to take care of and they are quiet.
Rick: I like pigs. Although many people think pigs are lazy and dirty. But in fact they are clever animals.
根据短文内容，补全表格中所缺的信息。每个空格不超过3个单词。
| Name | pet | Reasons(原因) |
| Lucy | dogs | They can help people to |
| Mary | She can play with them after school. They are lovely animals. | |
| Mike | rabbits | They are |
| Rick | They are |
10 . If you want to watch and know something about birds, you must find a good place near the bird nest (巢).
Birds sit on eggs and take care of their babies from April to June. Because the baby birds are too young to leave the nest, parents often go to look for food and come back in several minutes. So it is good to watch birds. When we watch birds, we’d better hide ourselves in a close place to the nest, and it’s better to use binoculars (双筒望远镜).
But how to make a bird nest? A good bird nest must be very fine, strong, thick and comfortable. If you want to make one, please follow these:
a) Each nest must have six boards (木板). Don’t make the boards too slippery (滑).
b) Dig a small hole in the front of the nest as a “door”. The “door” can’t be too small, so birds can fly in or out easily.
c) Make sure the rainwater can’t go into the nest.
d) One piece of the board should be easy to open.
e) Don’t forget to colour the nest.
| How do birds look after | They sit on eggs and |
| How to watch birds? | We’d better |
| How to make a bird | a) Each nest must have six boards. Don’t make the boards too slippery. b) Dig a small hole in the front of the nest as a “door”. The “door” is big c) Make sure the rainwater d) One piece of the board should be easy to open. e) |
