小蓝企鹅，萌宠上线

浙江 周晨曲

主题语境：人与自然 篇幅：310词 建议用时：7分钟

1In July, a group of the world's smallest pen⁃guins waddled (摇摇晃晃地走) into the California spotlight. The group of 15 flightless birds, known as little blue penguins, weigh about 3 pounds and are 12 inches tall. These fast divers are named for their blue feathers and known for their playful behavior.

2Little blue penguins are native to Southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zea⁃land,where I first saw them.In 2019,my family and I visited Akaroa,a town on the South Island of New Zealand. While there, we observed the birds alongside field researchers who were restoring the little penguin's population.

3Because of their tiny size, the penguins have many predators (掠夺者) in the wild.This summer,penguins on the New Zealand coastline have been struggling,and many have died. Scientists believe that rising ocean temperatures, due to climate change, are leading to the starvation(饥饿)of the penguins.

4Megan Hanna is a marine resource specialist for birds and green sea turtles in San Diego.“Due to rising ocean temperatures, some of the penguins' breeding (繁殖) mi⁃grations and feeding migrations are changing a little bit. The prey they're used to eating,and some of their habitats,are starting to look a little bit different,”Megan said.

5Local young people are inspired to learn more about marine biology. Riley Crescenzo, 13, enjoys swimming and surfing.“I love the green sea turtles because they're so calm and peaceful when they glide (滑行)through the water,”the teen said.“It's so cool to see them returning to California, especially San Diego. I look forward to seeing more in the future.”

6Riley enjoys observing the work that Megan and other scientists are doing.“I want to be a marine biologist because I want to help save the planet,”Riley said.“Those people who devote their lives to saving animals are my heroes.”

Reading Check

1.What are little blue penguins famous for according to the text?

霉菌饲料的使用同样是引发疾病的重要因素之一。高温高湿的环境下，会促进各种霉菌的生长繁殖，导致各种饲料以及制作饲料的原料霉变，产生霉菌毒素（如玉米、鱼粉等蛋白质饲料更容易发霉变质）。霉菌和霉菌毒素造成的损害不仅存在于胃中，也存在于肠、肝、肠系膜等部位，但会根据霉菌的摄入量、持续时间、种类以及毒素的不同有所区别。要有效控制霉菌造成的危害，首先要做好鸡舍或鸡场的清洁工作，保持鸡舍干燥，定时清理水线料槽，保证其干净卫生，在腺病毒高发季节，适当使用脱霉剂等产品抑制霉菌的滋生，有效降低霉菌诱发疫病的概率。

A.Their pace.

B.Their diving habits.

C.Their weight.

D.Their playful behavior.

2.What's the third paragraph mainly about?

A.Effects of climate change.

B.The appearance of little blue penguins.

C.The challenges little blue penguins face.

D.Ways to increase little penguins'population.

3.Why does Riley love the green sea turtles?

A.They dive fast through the water.

B.They're quiet when moving through the water.

C.They migrate often in their lives.

D.They're brave when facing dangers.

4.What does the underlined word“their”in paragraph 6 refer to?

A.Turtles'.

B.Penguins'.

C.Hunters'.

D.Protectors'.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Little blue penguins are native to Southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand,where I first saw them.小蓝企鹅分布于澳大利亚南部、塔斯马尼亚岛和新西兰，我第一次看到它们就是在新西兰。

【点石成金】该句中，where引导非限制性定语从句，对先行词New Zealand 进行补充说明；be native to意为“原产于……”。