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?
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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People always say the sloth（树懒）is lazy. Is it true? Well, the sloth really doesn’t like moving. The sloth can only walk about 1.8 to 2.4 meters a minute. It’s the slowest animal in the world.
Sloths live in the rainforest (热带雨林) and trees are their homes. They like eating leaves and fruit on trees. They sleep in trees, too. They like sleeping and they usually sleep for about 20 hours a day. The mother sloth even gives birth to a baby in trees! They only come down from trees for one thing — pooping (排便).
They poop every 4 to 8 days. That’s because sloths move slowly and some scary animals will kill them under the trees. But sloths are good swimmers. They move fast in water.
Usually sloths have brown fur (皮毛), but you can always see them in green. That’s because there are some green algae (藻类) on their fur. With the green algae, it’s not easy for those scary animals to find them. But some people cut down many trees in the rainforest so sloths are losing their homes and they are in danger. We must do something to save them.
1. What do people think of the sloth?2. What do the sloths like eating?
3. How long do sloths usually sleep every day?
4. Are the sloths good at swimming?
5. Why do sloths look green?
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?
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）?
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?
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 |
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?
