2 . In the animal kingdom, killer whales (虎鲸) are social stars: they travel in varied family groups, care for grandchildren, and even imitate human speech. Now, scientists are adding one more behavior to the list: forming fast friendships. A new study shows killer whales can rival animals such as chimpanzees and macaques (a kind of monkey), and even humans when it comes to the kind of “social touch” that indicates strong bonds.

Some ocean animals maintain social structures — including male dolphins that learn the “names” of their close allies (盟友). But there is little data about wild killer whales. That’s where drone (无人机) technology came in. Michael Weiss, a behavioral ecologist, teamed up with his colleagues to launch drones, flying them 30 to 120 meters above a group of killer whales. That was high enough not to trouble the whales, marking the first time drones have been used to study friendly physical contact in whales.

The researchers recorded over 800 instances of physical contact between individuals. Those included hugs, back-to-back and nose-to-nose touches between pairs of whales. Other whales playfully threw young whales into the air, letting them fall into the water. Besides, the drone images revealed clear preferences among individuals, usually for one “best friend” of the same sex and age. Take J49 and J51 — two distantly related young males aged 9 and 6 — for instance. “Every time you see a group of whales, those two are right there interacting with each other,” Weiss says.   

The young led most of these interactions, rather than the older females or males. Older males in particular were less important. “The young individuals really seem to be the glue holding the groups together,” Weiss says. As individuals age, this gradual loss of “centrality” is known in many social mammals, including humans. That finding is “especially appealing” to Stacey Tecot, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Scientists have long observed this social aging trend in animals, but there are still many unanswered questions,” she says. That’s certainly on the researchers’ radar. “We’re already gathering new data, with more advanced equipment,” says Weiss.

6 . I took a job at a vet clinic almost five decades ago. As an animal lover, I accepted the position on the condition that I wouldn’t have to assist with any wounded animals. I couldn’t bear to see any creature in pain.

At the end of my first week, we were closing the office when a young man ran up to us holding severely injured Doberman pinscher puppy (杜宾幼犬) in his arms and begging us to save his life. The four-month-old puppy had been hit by a car.

The doctor and I ran back into the operating room. The only place the skin was still attached to this poor little animal’s body was around one shoulder. The vet worked tirelessly, sewing him back together again. That was the easy part. The puppy had broken multiple bones, including his spine (脊椎). If he survived the next few days, we were quite sure he would never walk again.

That day forever changed my life. I became the vet’s assistant in all things medical. One of my first jobs was to give that puppy daily physical therapy. I remember moving his tiny legs to try to keep his muscles from weakening.

Weeks went by until one day. I felt this little fighter push back ever so slightly. And eventually he could finally use his legs.

Fast-forward about a year, I walked into the clinic’s crowded waiting room and called the name of the next client. Suddenly, a huge Doberman who had been standing quietly with his owner broke loose and dashed toward me. I found myself pinned against the wall with this magnificent dog standing on his hind legs, his front paws on my shoulders, washing my face with abundant and joyful kisses!

I still tear up in amazement at the display of love and gratitude the dog had for me that day all those years ago.

7 . When you think of the Himalayas, you may picture tall, rocky, snow-covered peaks. But that’s not true.

The subnival (亚冰雪的) region is the zone between the treeline and the snowline. It is 5 to 5 times as large as the areas of glaciers and permanent snow, which means studying it is vital to understanding the Himalayas as a whole.

The treeline is the edge of an ecosystem where trees are able to grow, and beyond the treeline environmental conditions become too tough to allow tree growth. Meanwhile, snowlines are the boundaries on mountains that separate areas with permanent snow (where snow is present for the majority of the year) from areas with seasonal or no snow.

Researchers used satellite data from 1993 to 2018 to measure plant cover between 4,150 meters and 6,000 meters above sea level. The scientists discovered that the greatest increase in plant cover was between an altitude of 5,000 meters and 5,500 meters. Subnival plants mostly include small shrubs and grasses.

Even areas once completely occupied by glaciers now hold rocks covered with mosses, lichen, and sometimes even flowers. In addition, the snowline seems to be retreating, while the treeline is expanding. This shows that the region is becoming warmer, causing more melting of snow and allowing vegetation to move up in height.

In the past 40 years, 25% of all Himalayan ice has been lost due to global warming. Himalayan glaciers are reducing by about 0.5 meters each year. The rate of glacier melting has doubled in this decade. The melting of glaciers increases water in the region, making it wetter. Receding snow also forces the snowline to move up, providing a greater amount of area for the warm and moist conditions, which are perfect for vegetation growth.

As of now, we do not know whether vegetation will accelerate or slow down the rate of glacier melting.

8 . Some of the greatest problems we face today are concerned with the gradual destruction(破坏) of our environment through over-use of our ________. So my family do what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don't have to ________.

But when I'm the only one with a cloth bag in line at the grocery store, I ask myself: Does it do any good?

I recently found the answer from flamingos(火烈鸟). These beautiful birds gather in ________ groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time comes for migration(迁徙), a few flamingos start the process by ________ from the lake. But ________ of the others seem to notice, so the tiny group returns.

However, the next day they ________ again. This time a few more struggle along with them, but the vast majority ________ no attention, so these pioneers come back.

The trend continues for several more days. Every time a few more birds join in but, since the thousands of others ________ take no notice, the great migration plan is once again ________.

Then one day, things ________. The same small group of birds takes wing and a tiny number more join in, just as before. This time their total number is enough to tip the balance(扭转局势). As one, the whole group takes flight and the migration________.

A few can make a ________. It's true that all of the great problems of the world have been solved because of the ________ efforts of few.

If you believe in a cause don't ________ Others will someday notice and ________ we will solve even our greatest problems.

9 . More than £5,500 has been raised after a plea last Monday by a vet Dr. Scott Miller. Scott said, “I would like to say a massive thank-you to express readers from myself, from Australia and from the koalas. It's amazing that people from across the world can see how significant the catastrophe has been. I do appreciate that people are being very supportive and reaching into their pockets.” An area, a third of the size of Britain is estimated to have been destroyed since the fire began in September.

On Friday a state of emergency was declared in the capital Canberra, with residents told to prepare to leave the area as fires on the suburb threatened to spread. And so far, a billion animals are feared to have died, including 25,000 koalas.

Last week Scott told how he had visited his homeland, helping to save wildlife on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide. While there he rescued a mother and a baby koala who were stuck in a tree. The pair were rushed to a field hospital on the island to be treated.The mum had severe burns to her paws and was badly dehydrated, while her baby son had an eye injury and was underweight.

According to Scott, who has appeared on ITV's This Morning and BBC's Blue Peter, the mother is showing "great signs of improvement" and her wounds are starting to heal. The baby has undergone surgery on his eye and is "recovering from the anesthetic and doing well". But the mother remains dehydrated so isn't producing enough milk to feed the baby. At the moment they're being housed severally but there is the hope that when the baby is a little stronger he will be able to be returned to his mother.

Even after they recover, the pair will probably spend their lives in an enclosure while the bush takes years to recover. Even more sadly, patients are still coming in thick and fast. Each of these animals is requiring to be housed and fed, and regular medical treatment to their injuries.

10 . Lizard (蜥蜴) species may already have declined past the point of no return in the world. What is the reason? Rising temperatures. Researchers estimate that as much as 40 percent of lizard species worldwide will die out by 2080. The problem is that temperatures in many regions where lizards live have changed too fast for the animals to keep pace.

Barry Sinervo from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, along with colleagues from across the globe, reached that conclusion by taking current data on Mexican lizards. They also estimated that 4 percent of local species have already disappeared worldwide. That number could jump to 20 percent by 2080 if carbon dioxide levels aren’t lowered to reduce warming.

The team looked 48 species of Sceloporus lizard at 200 sites around Mexico. The sites were first sampled from 1975 to 1995. By 2010, research could not find lizards at 12 percent of those sites.

Lizards that bear live young are especially at risk of dying out, the researchers point out, compared to that lay eggs. “Live-bearers have lower body temperatures that heighten the risk of dying,” Sinervo said in a statement. We are watching these species disappear before our eyes.”

Although current evidence shows that climate change is affecting the habitat ranges of many species, there is still a lot of uncertainty about how much climate change will affect species, researchers say.

Many Mexican lizard species live in high altitude “islands”, where climate change happens the fastest. The lizards cannot adjust fast enough to survive. The scientists say they do not think the animals are likely to save themselves just by moving somewhere else   either.

“How quickly can Earth’s lizards adapt to the rising global temperatures? That’s the important question,” Sinervo said in a press release. "We are actually seeing lowland species moving upward, slowly driving upland species out of their habitats. If the upland species can’t evolve fast enough, they will die out.”