How much do you know about spider webs? Spiders are not insects, as many people think. All spiders spin webs. That’s because webs help spiders do three things.

Webs help spiders hold eggs. Many spiders like to lay their eggs in their webs. The webs help keep the eggs together. Webs help spiders keep their eggs safe.

Webs help spiders hide. Most spiders are dark. They are brown, gray, or black. But spider webs are light. They are harder to see.

Webs help spiders catch food. Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing insects. Spider webs are sticky (粘的). When an insect flies into the web, it gets stuck. It moves around. It tries to get out. But it can’t. It is trapped! Spiders can tell that the insect is trapped because they feel the web move.

Without webs, spiders would not be able to live like they do. Spiders need their webs to survive!

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!

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.

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.

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).