中国网民呼吁归还美国动物园的熊猫一家

高齐云

The Smithsonians National Zoo in the US announced2 on Monday that the name of its newborn giant panda is “Xiao Qi Ji”. It is “little miracle3” in English. Chinese netizens once again picked up calls for giving back the panda family living in the zoo.

美国史密森国家动物园于本周一宣布，该园新生大熊猫的名字叫“小奇迹”，用英语说就是“little miracle”。中国网民再次呼吁归还住在这家动物园里的熊猫一家。

The baby panda was born on August 21 at the National Zoo. Its mother is the 22-year-old Mei Xiang， the oldest giant panda to give birth in the US. While the lifespan4 of a giant panda is around 15-20 years in the wild and 25-30 in captivity5. The current6 oldest giant panda in captivity Xinxing is 38.

8月21日，熊猫宝宝在这个国家动物园出生。它妈妈是22岁的美香，是在美国生产过的年龄最大的大熊猫。虽然野外大熊猫的寿命在15到20岁左右，圈养的大熊猫寿命在25到30岁左右，但目前最年长的圈养大熊猫新星有38岁。

Many Chinese netizens thought that the birth of Xiao Qi Ji was also a miracle for its mother at such an old age， while others said it was time for the panda family to go back home.

许多中国网民认为，小奇迹的出生对它母亲这么大的年纪来说也是一个奇迹，也有网友表示，熊猫一家该回家了。

“Please let them come home. Mei Xiang is so old. Please stop violating7 the laws of nature，” one Chinese netizen wrote on Sina Weibo.

“请让它们回家吧。梅香年纪太大了，请停止违反自然规律。”一位中国网民在新浪微博上写道。

Some netizens even called on China to stop the zoos contract8 when it expires9 on December 7.

有些網民甚至呼吁中国在动物园合同12月7日到期时停止续签合同。

The name has won a lot of love from netiznes all over the world.

（小奇迹）这个名字赢得了全世界网友的喜爱。

“So excited to hear the baby pandas new name！ My mom and I voted10 for that name every day！He is truly a little miracle. He has been the bright light during this pandemic11 for the whole world！May he went on growing big and strong，” one netizen written on Twitter.

“听到熊猫宝宝的新名字真是太兴奋了！我妈妈和我每天都投票给那个名字！它真的是个小奇迹。它在这场病毒大流行中为全世界带来了光明！一位网友在推特上写道：“愿它继续茁壮成长。”

The zoo announced the name on the same day that it shut its doors to the public12 for the second time in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However， the indoor panda house was still closed to the public even after the zoo was reopened on July 24.

在动物园宣布了这个名字的同一天，因为新冠病毒的大流行，它在2020年第二次对公众关闭大门。然而，即使在动物园于7月24日重新开放后，室内熊猫馆仍然不对公众开放。

Mei Xiang and the 23-year-old giant panda Tian Tian have lived at the Smithsonians National Zoo since 2000. Mei Xiang has given birth to seven baby pandas and three have grown up， according to reports.

梅香和23岁的大熊猫添添从2000年起就住在史密森国家动物园。据报道，美香已经生下了7只熊猫宝宝，其中的3只已经长大。

（英语原文选自：globaltimes.cn）

Discussion议一议：

1. Have you seen pandas in the zoo？ 你去动物园看过熊猫吗？

2. Do you want the panda family to come back to China？ 你想让熊猫一家回国吗？