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!
1. How many things can webs help spiders do?2. Where do spiders like to lay their eggs?
3. Are all spiders dark?
4. What happens when an insect flies into the web?
5. Why are spiders able to tell that the insect is trapped?
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?
3 . Many kinds of birds live in the United States, but the number of the birds is becoming smaller every year. One of the leading reasons is the growing number of pet cats. By keeping your pet cats in your home, you can help give birds a better possible chance to live.
Of the 90 million pet cats in this country, about two-thirds are allowed to go outside. It is said that these cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, as well as billions of small animals such as rabbits and field mice.
They can also bring illness to the animals that live in people’s yard(院子), further weakening the health of the natural populations.
Allowing pet cats to go outside is not just bad for birds and wildlife, it’s also bad for the cats themselves. Outdoor cats can get sick very easily. They are in danger from traffic and attacks(攻击) from other animals. In fact, outdoor cats usually don’t live past the age of five, while indoor cats often live to be 17 or older.
Keep your pet cat inside! If you raise a young cat, it’s your duty to let it play inside.
| Problem | The number of birds is becoming |
| Reason for the problem | Pet cats are |
| What to do | People who |
