1 . As giant panda Tian Bao walked toward the feast placed in his enclosure (围场) on Thursday at Pairi Daiza zoo in Belgium, fans waiting outside began to sing Happy Birthday in Dutch and French.
One of the fans, Nora Verhoeyen, said she traveled there for the birthday party from the city of Oudenaarde, transferring between three trains in the process. Verhoeyen has visited Tian Bao and four other giant pandas at the zoo many times. She also came after Tian Bao was born on June 2, 2016—the first giant panda baby born in Belgium.
“I like pandas. I like Tian Bao very much,” she mentioned. She said she cried a year ago, knowing that Tian Bao would go to China later last year. Under the loan agreement with the Chinese government, giant panda babies born outside China to parents loaned from China belong to China and should go back by the age of four to join the breeding program as part of the conservation of the species.
“Tian Bao’s departure for China has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He is now expected to go to China at the beginning of next year,” according to the zoo’s founder and president, Eric Domb.
Giant panda keeper Robin Bouttefeux said that he prepared bamboo shoots, carrots and a cake made of soybeans, rice and corn for Tian Bao’s birthday. He said that every visitor loves Tian Bao. “He is my best friend,” he added. Bouttefeux, who has held the post for eight years, said that taking care of five giant pandas is a demanding job. “But it’s a nice job working with pandas every day,” he said.
Tian Bao weighed only 171 grams when he was born. He weighed 100 kilograms on Thursday. Domb said that everyone will be sad when Tian Bao leaves next year. But he and his colleagues also know that it is beneficial. Giant pandas are solitary (独立的) animals. Mothers and babies do not stay together for long in the wild. “If they were kept together beyond the point when a child is self-sufficient (自立的), it would eventually cause aggression”, according to a giant panda researcher, Elizabeth Dunn.
1. Why did fans sing a song for Tian Bao on Thursday?| A．To celebrate Tian Bao’s birthday. |
| B．To convey their sympathy for Tian Bao. |
| C．To draw people’s attention to giant pandas' preservation. |
| D．To express the unwillingness to say goodbye to Tian Bao. |
| A．It is cute but aggressive. | B．It has been in Belgium for 6 years. |
| C．It is going back to China this year. | D．It has gained little weight since born. |
| A．Nora Verhoeyen. | B．Eric Domb. |
| C．Robin Bouttefeux. | D．Elizabeth Dunn. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A textbook. |
| C．A science magazine. | D．A newspaper. |
