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?
Chinese dragons aren’t real animals, but they are very important in Chinese culture.
●Ruler (统治者) of water
Long long ago, Chinese people built temples (庙宇) for the “Dragon King”. When there was drought or flood (旱灾或水灾), people went to the temples to worship (敬奉) the “Dragon King”.
●A symbol of strength (实力)
For Chinese people, the dragon is a symbol of strength. If a person is excellent, they usually compare him to a dragon.
● A symbol of emperors
In China, emperors usually used the dragon as a symbol of their power (权力). They called their beds “Dragon Beds”
●Chinese dragons VS Western dragons
In Chinese culture, dragons are kind and friendly. However, in Western culture, dragons are bad. So dragons are always killed by brave people in Western stories.
Chinese dragons | |
| Ruler of water | ★In old times, Chinese people ★They worshiped the “Dragon King” when there was drought or flood. |
| A symbol of | Chinese people usually compare a(n) |
| A symbol of emperors | They called their beds “Dragon Beds”. |
| Chinese dragons are | |
| Hi, I’m Buzz. I’m from South Africa. I’m good at running and I can play sports. Many people are afraid of me because I look scary. |
| Hello, I’m Peter. I’m from Thailand. I’m friendly. Do you want to make friends with me? I can play soccer with you. I’m good at it. |
| I’m Toby. I’m from China. Do you like Chinese kung fu? I can show you. Many people like me. They think I’m cute and beautiful. Do you think so? |
2. Why are many people afraid of Buzz?
3. What is Peter good at?
4. What can Toby do?
5. Are Buzz, Peter and Toby from the same country（国家）?
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?
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?
There are many stories about bats (蝙蝠). People in Europe once feared bats. They feared them maybe because they looked scary. Or maybe it was because they only came out at night. But people in Persia and China weren’t afraid of bats. To them, bats meant good luck, long life and happiness.
People used to think that bats were birds. Today we know that bats are mammals (哺乳动物). They are the only mammals that fly. Like all mammals, bats are warm-blooded. They feed their babies milk. Bats live all over the world, except where it is very cold. Most bats live near the equator (赤道).
There are over 900 kinds of bats. Both the largest and the smallest bats live in Asia. The largest bat is the flying fox. It weighs about two pounds. The smallest bat weighs less than 2g. Most bats are just big enough to fit into your hand.
Most bats eat insects. In fact, they eat millions of insects a year. This makes them very helpful to humans. Some bats eat fish, birds, frogs and small mammals. Some eat fruit and drink nectar (花蜜). These bats often carry their food to their homes. Along the way they drop seeds. This helps spread plants to new areas.
The vampire bat (吸血蝠) is perhaps the most famous bat, but it doesn’t attack (攻击) people. It drinks the blood of some animals. This bat is found only in Mexico and Central and South America.
1. What did bats mean to people in Persia?2. Where do most bats live?
3. How much does the largest bat weigh?
4. Why are bats helpful to humans?
5. What does the vampire bat feed on?
A crow (乌鸦) is in the forest (森林), and he is happy every day. But one day, he sees a swan (天鹅). He is not happy.
“You are so white, but I am so black. You must be very happy,” says the crow.
The swan says, “I’m not happy. I just have one color. Peacocks (孔雀) have many colors. They look beautiful. I think they are happy."
Then the crow goes to the zoo (动物园) to see a peacock. “You are so beautiful. I think you are very happy,” says the crow.
“No, I’m not happy. I have no friends,” says the peacock. “You can play with your friends everywhere. But it’s difficult for me.”
1. What color is the swan?2. Who has lots of colors?
3. Where is the peacock?
4. Why is the peacock not happy?
5. Is it difficult for the crow to play with friends everywhere?
My name is Mary and I have a cat. She’s two years old. She’s from my friend Ann. She’s yellow and white and she likes fish best. She’s cute.
My name is Tony. I have a three-year-old pig. He’s from my uncle. He’s black and vegetables are his favorite food. He’s lazy—he sleeps all day!
I’m Tom. My pet is a brown dog. He’s from my cousin. He’s one year old. His favorite food is meat. He’s very smart.
| Pet | Mary’s cat | Tony’ s pig | Tom’s dog |
| Age | Two years old | One year old | |
| From | Mary’s | Tony’s uncle | Tom’s cousin |
| Color | Black | Brown | |
| Favorite food | Fish | Meat | |
| Description Word | Cute | Lazy |
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?
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?
