Lucy, a nine-year-old little girl, grew up in a small village near a forest. She liked feeding birds bread and knew a lot about them.
One summer morning, she was listening to birds’ joyful singing when she heard a sharp whistle （哨声） not far away. It wasn’t a friendly bird’s whistle but a whistle of a person.
“Hello, little girl,” a young man greeted cheerfully. Lucy looked up into a face of a tall young man carrying a gun. Then the young man explained that he was a scientist, who collected birds.
“Do you put them in a cage?” Lucy asked. “No,” he answered slowly, “I shoot them and keep them with special chemicals （药剂）. I have over 100 different kinds of birds from all over the United States at home.” Lucy felt surprised to hear that. “I have been looking for a heron （苍鹭） not far from here. It’s a tall, white, strange bird with long thin legs. It often lives at the top of a tall tree. Have you seen it? I will give ＄10 to the person who shows me where the white bird is.” said the man.
Lucy’s heart began to beat fast. She knew that strange white bird! She had seen it on the other side of the forest. She remembered how the white bird came flying through the golden air every morning. But Lucy decided not to speak a word. She would not tell the bird’s secret and give its life away. They were good friends. So Lucy shook her head and the young man had to go away disappointedly.
1. Where did Lucy grow up?2. How did the young man keep the birds?
3. What does the heron look like?
4. Why did Lucy’s heart begin to beat fast?
5. What was Lucy’s decision at last?
On March 20, 2016, Molly was born at the Kunming Zoo in Yunnan. Everyone liked her. They called her Little Princess. When she turned 1 year old, the zoo held a big birthday party. The baby elephant got her name and a big cake.
But in 2018, the zoo took Molly away from her mom. They sent Molly to Swan Lake Ecology Park in Xinyang, Henan in exchange （交换） for another elephant. Life got hard for Little Princess. She had to do tricks and carry tourists on her back. Her body was badly hurt.
Seeing that, people took action to save her. They posted pictures and articles of Molly online. They asked to send her back home. And they also asked not to let elephant perform in China. Even some famous people joined in the activities to save Molly.
With their help, Molly finally left the ecology park in Henan. She went back to the Kunming Zoo on May 16. There, her family waited for her. Later, the doctors gave her a check-up. Little Princess will be loved again!
1. When was Molly born?2. Who did the zoo take Molly away from in 2018?
3. What did people post online?
4. Did any famous people join in the activities to save Molly?
5. Where did Molly go back on May 16?
When Chinese movie lovers watched Fantastic Beasts which came out on April 8th, they would see the phoenix(凤凰) and the qilin. These are the familiar mythological creatures(神奇动物) in their childhood.
The qilin is a very rare creature that can hardly be seen in the wizarding(魔法) world, only found in East China. Wizards had long respected this creature for its ability to look into a person’s heart.
The qilin is seen as a gentle creature in Chinese culture. Its head looks like a dragon and its body looks like a deer or horse. It can tell between good and evil and can even bring luck.
In English, the qilin is sometimes called the “Chinese unicorn(独角兽)”. This may be because they are gentle and virtuous(正直的), like unicorns. In the west, this horse-like creature has one horn on its head. It is said that a unicorn’s horn or tears can treat serious injuries.
There are other creatures appearing in both Chinese culture and western culture. In Chinese culture, the phoenix is very important. It stands for luck and is the “king of birds”. In the west, it is a symbol of immortality(不朽) and rebirth. Although they look alike, dragons in China and the west are very different beasts. The dragon is a respected creature in China, symbolizing good luck, while western dragons are always full of bad thoughts and bring dangers to the world.
1. When did the movie Fantastic Beasts come out?2. Can qilin be found very often in the wizarding world?
3. What does the qilin look like?
4. Why is the qilin sometimes called the “Chinese unicorn” in English?
5. How do people like the dragons in western countries?
Round eyes, a round head, round ears and a round body! What is this little animal? He looks like a little bear. But he is not a bear. He’s a koala. Soft gray fur(毛) covers his little fat body. His eyes look like buttons(纽扣). He has small feet and big ears.
Where do koalas live? In Australia. The people of Australia take care of the koalas. They build places for them to live in. Here the little animals are safe. No one can kill them for their beautiful fur. There are many koalas in Australia. The people of Australia love them very much.
When a koala is born, he has no fur. And he is no bigger than your little toe(脚趾).
The mother koala has a pocket in the front of her body. The baby stays in this warm pocket. There he stays for six months.
When the little koala leaves the pocket, he has lots of fur. And he is about as big as your shoe. He climbs to his mother’s back. And she teaches him to find food.
1. What’s this little animal?2. What color is this animal?
3. Where do the koalas live?
4. Where do they stay when the little koalas are born?
5. Who teaches the little koala to find food?
Hi, my name is Xiao Mi. I am a dog and I’m one year old. I’m cool, strong and charming(迷人的). My owner(主人) says I’m the most handsome boy in the street(街). My owner, a beautiful girl—cute, lovely, kind, but untidy. She often asks: “Where’s my schoolbag? Where are my keys? Where’s my jacket? Where are my books?” But I love her very much. We play Hide-and-Seek(捉迷藏) together. I like to hide(躲) on the sofa, on the chair, in the schoolbag or under the bed. I try my best(尽力) to win(赢) the games. But I never(从不) win. Why?--Because I am a foodie(吃货). When my owner can’t find me, she always gives me some food, and I always run to her at once(立刻).
1. What’s the name of this dog?2. Is the owner tidy?
3. What game do they play together?
4. Where does Xiao Mi like to hide?
5. Why does Xiao Mi never win the game?
Great Ants (蚂蚁)
Ants are everywhere! We usually feel angry about them. However, these little ones also teach us something.
Never give up
Have you noticed (注意) that when something is in front of ants, they do not sit down or become sad? They just keep (保持) going.
One day, I watched a small ant taking a bug back to its nest (巢穴). A leaf in the way was a big problem, but the ant was not giving up. It tried very hard to work out a way. Finally, the ant got that bug over the leaf and into the nest.
Ask for help
Think about it, have you ever seen an ant move something too big by itself? That never happens. When a load (负荷) is too big, the ant signals (发信号) to the others for help.
Why don't we do more of this? Sometimes, we are just too afraid to ask someone to share the load. Sharing can make our life much easier.
Think winter in summer
Ants know there are seasons. They collect food and build the nest all through the summer even when they still have enough to eat. So when the cold days of winter come, the ants can stay in their warm nest and never worry about being hungry. They plan for their life!
How great the ants are!
1. How do people usually feel about ants according to the writer?2. What do ants do when something is in front of them?
3. What does the ant do when a load is too big?
4. What can ants teach us?
Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can’t talk with words, but they talk with sounds. 1. They show their feelings with sounds.
Dolphins travel(旅行) in a group. We call a group of fish a “school”. 2. 它们不学习， 但是它们一起旅行。 Dolphins are not fish, but they swim together(一起) in a school. Dolphins are mammals(哺乳动物), that is to say, they give birth to live babies, not eggs.
Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in the school. They give information(信息). 3. They tell when they are happy or sad or afraid. They say “Welcome” when a dolphin comes back to the school. They talk when they play.
Some people catch(捉) dolphins for a large aquarium. (An aquarium is a zoo for fish.) People can watch the dolphins in a show.4. Dolphins don’t want to leave their family or friends. They don’t like living in the aquarium. They are unhappy.
5. 我喜欢阅读关于海豚的故事。 They help people. They are our friends. Many people say that dolphins bring good luck to us. Do you like dolphins?
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This year’s Dongting Lake Bird Watching Festival was held from February 18th to February 20th around Dongting Lake, China’s second largest freshwater lake. It was the 12th annual festival and attracted more than 200 teams from 30 countries to take part in. It also provided a visual feast (视觉盛宴) for bird lovers on the Internet. The goal of this event was to bring humans closer to nature and protect birds and the environment.
As a wetland(湿地) of global(全球的) importance, Dongting Lake is home to about 500 kinds of birds, accounting for one-third of the country’s total. In order to protect the diversity(多样性) of migratory birds(候鸟), China has set up wetland nature reserves totaling 3,076 square km around the lake. Each year, millions of birds can make stop-overs at Dongting Lake for winter migration(冬季迁徙). Between 2017 and 2023, the number of migratory birds of the lake area has increased from 184,000 to 298,000. Birds choose places with a pleasant environment for winter, the continued increases shows Dongting Lake is their best and safest home.
1. When was Dongting Lake Bird Watching Festival held this year?
2. How many teams took part in the Bird Watching Festival?
3. What is the goal of this event?
4. Has the number of migratory birds increased a lot?
5. According to the passage, where is the home to different kinds of birds?
Sidney is a swan (天鹅) who lives in England. His best friend is Rob, a 39-year-old builder. In May, when Rob was working along the river, he found Sidney. The baby swan had two large wounds (伤) on his neck.
Rob took the bird home and gave him food to eat. He named him Sidney and took care of him until he was feeling better.
In July, Rob took him to a wild life center. This way, Sidney could live in a more natural (自然) environment. But three months later, workers at the center asked Rob to take the swan back. They found that Sidney was not happy at the center.
In October, Rob and Sidney met each other again. When Sidney heard Rob’s voice (声音), he ran over to him right away. “I felt like a proud (自豪的) father seeing him come home.” Rob said.
1. How old is Rob?2. Where did Rob find the swan?
3. When did Rob take Sidney to a wildlife center?
4. Why did workers ask Rob to take the swan back?
5. Was Rob happy when he saw Sidney again?
Our town has a big zoo. It has lots of animals in it. Jane’s class is going to visit the zoo tomorrow. There are some beautiful tigers and two old lions. Lions and tigers are scary animals. So when they are in the zoos, they live in strong cages（笼子）. They eat a lot of meat every day.
There are also two big elephants and a baby one. Jane wants to ride on one of them. The elephants are friendly and kind. They eat a lot of grass every day. They like children because they sometimes give them bread and bananas. Elephants like bananas very much.
In our zoo there are also brown bears, black bears and white bears. They can stand on their back legs, hold up their arms and ask for food. They like cakes very much.
There is also a Children’s Amusement Zone（儿童乐园区）in the zoo. There children ride horses and watch the monkeys. The monkeys are very funny. They jump like small children. They love nuts（坚果）, bananas and bread.
1. Where is Jane’s class going?2. Why do the lions and tigers live in strong cages?
3. Does Jane want to ride the elephant?
4. What can the bears do?
5. How many elephants are there in the zoo?
