Beluga whales, also known as white whales, are one of the smallest kinds of whales. Their special color makes them easy to tell apart from other whales. But do you know that beluga whales are not born white? In fact, beluga whales are gray or brown when they are born. It takes up to eight years for them to become completely white.

Beluga whales are highly social animals. They usually live in small groups and hunt (捕猎) together. They can use different sounds like mews and bell-like tones to communicate. They can also copy other sounds like human speech. They have a musical voice and are known as the “canaries of the sea (海中金丝雀)”.

Beluga whales are stocky (粗壮的). They can grow up to 5 m in length and weigh as much as 1,600 kg. Even though they are very big, they are friendly animals. They always appear to have a smile on their face. They often think of humans as interesting friends in their watery world. However, it is important to remember this: When you get close to them, you should be careful and show your friendliness, as they can be aggressive (富于攻击性的) when they feel in danger.

It is sad to tell you that our cute friends are facing dangers, including changes in the environment, hunting, noise, and pollution from cities. It is very important to take action to protect them.

4 .

Capybaras (水豚) are the largest living rodents (啮齿动物) in the world. They mostly live in Central America and South America. They have short hair. It can be yellow, red, or brown. They have a big nose, short legs, small ears, and almost no tail. There are two species, or kinds, of capybaras. The larger species may be 1.3m long and weigh (重) up to 79 kg. The smaller copybaras grow to about 1m in length and weigh about 27 kg.

Capybaras live near water. They are good swimmers and can stay underwater for up to five minutes. Capybaras usually live in small groups of about 10 to 20 animals. They are plant eaters and usually eat in the morning and evening. They eat water plants, melons, and so on.

Capybaras are friendly animals and are famous for quickly making friends. Capybaras like to stay alone, but if people or other animals try to get close to them, they will not run away and will spend time with them. They will even stay with large and dangerous animals such as crocodiles (鳄鱼).

People find capybaras free and quiet. And they are often relaxed and calm. Many people say they love these animals a lot.

5 . Asian elephants are getting more and more. In 2021, there were 300 of them. They need more food and they go to villages to find food. Their favorite food is corn and sugarcane. These are the villagers’ plants to sell. The elephants are happy to eat their favorite food, but this brings losses for the villagers. The elephants eat the villagers’ plants so the villagers can’t sell them for money. Sometimes, when the elephants meet people, they are afraid and then hurt (伤害) people. But we still need to be friends with elephants. They are important to the health of the environment (环境).

How can we get on with these Asian elephants? Our country is thinking of some smart ways.

※If the elephants eat the villagers’ plants, villagers can get some money from our country.

※People put fences (栅栏) outside villages and schools. Then the elephants can’t get in.

※_________

7 . ①Can exercise during childhood protect you against memory loss many years later? Exercise early in life seems to have lifelong benefits (好处) for the brain, in rats at least.

②“This is an animal study, but it shows that physical activity at a young age is very important—not just good for your body, but for the mind during ageing,” says Martin of the University of Toronto, Canada. “In humans, it may put off the appearance of Alzheimer’s (阿兹海默症) symptoms, possibly to the point of stopping them.”

③Martin’s team divided 80 young male rats into two groups, and placed running wheels in the cages of one group for six weeks. Around four months later—when the rats had reached middle age—the team taught all the rats to connect an electric shock with being in a specific box. When placed in the box, they froze with fear.

④Two weeks later, the team tested the rats in three situations: exactly the same box in the same room, the same box in a different room , and a completely different box in a different room.

⑤The rats without a running wheel when they were young now froze the same period of time in each of these situations, suggesting they couldn’t remember which one was dangerous. But those that had been able to run when they were young froze 40 to 50 percent less in both changed box settings.

⑥“The results suggest the amount of exercise when we’re young, at least for rats, has influence on brain and health—in the form of better memories—when we’re older,” says Arthur Kramer of Northeastern University in Boston, who has found that, in humans, exercise improves the growth of new brain cells (细胞).

⑦_____.

I have a friend. Her name is Beibei. She comes from America and she is five years old. Beibei is in China now. Her hair is blond, but her ears are white. Her eyes are small, round and black. She has a small nose and a small mouth. Her legs are short. She has four feet, and they are small and white. I want to buy a red coat and a pair of white shoes for her. Guess, who’s my friend? Yes, you’re right. She is a dog (狗).

Now she has two babies (幼崽). They are Huxiao and Langhao. Beibei and they are not the same. They have blond and black hair. Huxiao and Langhao are very nice. They look happy every day. I like them very much.