Animal friends

領銜人：鄭云（江蘇省特級教師）組稿團隊：江蘇省鄭云網絡名師工作室本期撰稿：

Reading 1

Beavers are small animals but they can do big things.Some beavers made a dam on a river in the Czech Republic！

Years ago， the people living near the river wanted to make a new dam to stop the water. They wanted to spend about 9 million yuan on it but the idea didn't go well.

Luckily，some beavers made the dam for free.They looked for rocks，mud，wood and put them together to make a natural dam.Beavers have sharp teeth，so they can chew through a big tree in only two hours.

The whole family worked together.Some chewed trees，some looked for rocks and mud， and others put everything together.They need wood for the main part of the dam.In fast waters，the dam needs to be strong and tall，while in drier places，it's longer and wider.

However，beavers didn't build the dam to help the people but to make a so-called “beaver pond”.This wet area could help the animals find food and stay safe.

Other Nature Engineer：

? Elephants

When elephants walk through forests，they knock down some trees.This lets sunlight get to the ground and helps new plants and trees to grow.

ysters

When oysters eat， water goes into their gills. The gills filter the water and then let it go. This makes sea water cleaner.

? Tortoises

A kind of tortoise in the US is good at digging holes.The tortoises do this to stay safe. But many other animals，like snakes，also use their holes.

Wordlist

beavern.河貍 dam n.堤壩 the CzechRepublic 捷克共和國 mud n.泥 sharp adj.鋒利的 chew through啃穿 pond n.池塘 engineer n.工程師 knock down撞倒 oyster n.牡蠣 gill n. 鰓 filter v.過濾 tortoise n 龜

Note

In fast waters，the dam needs to be strong and tall，while in drier places，it’s longer andwider.在湍急的水域，大壩需要堅固和高大，而在更干燥的地方，大壩則需更長更寬。“while”，連詞，表示對比，意思是“然而，而”

Reading 2

You’ve already noticed that some people are right-handed while others are lefthanded.But do you know that elephantsare left-trunked or right-trunked？People can tell thisby looking at the wrinkles on their trunks，a study in Science found.

Elephants can use their trunks to do many things，like picking up food，spraying water or sand across their backs to cool off，and sending warnings to other elephants.The muscles and wrinkles of the trunks help them do these things.Wrinkles make the trunk move flexibly.Elephants like to bend their trunks to one side to put food in their mouths.Over time，this side of their trunk gets more wrinkles than the other.This is what makes them either left-trunked orright-trunked.

The chances of elephants being left-trunked or right-trunked are about 5O：50.This is very different from people.For us，the rate of left-handed to right-handed isabout 5 according to CBS News.

More interestingly，Asian elephants have more wrinkles on the top of their trunks than African elephants.African elephants have two finger-like structures at the end of their trunks to grab things，but Asian elephants have only one.So，Asian elephants wrap their trunks around things to grab them more often than African elephants do.This leads to more wrinkles.

Wordlist

trunk n.象鼻 tellv.辨別 wrinkle n 褶皺 sprayv.噴灑 muscle n.肌肉 flexiblyadv.靈活地 bend v.彎曲 chance n.概率 rate n. 比率 finger-like structure 像手指一樣的結構 grab v.抓住 wrapv.纏繞

Notes

1.You've already noticed that some people are right-handed while others are left-handed.你已經注意到，有些人慣用右手，而另一些人慣用左手。副詞\"already\"用于現在完成時的肯定句中，強調動作的完成性，連詞\"that\"引導賓語從句。“some..others.\"”用于列舉兩類不同的人或事物，強調兩者的對比，但不涵蓋全部。

2.This iswhatmakes themeither left-trunked or right-trunked.這就是導致它們形成左鼻或右鼻傾向的原因。“either..r..”表示“要么……要么……”。

Reading 3

Zhao Qingshuai is a trainer for a K9 unit（警犬隊） in Weifang，Shandong Province.

Once，he was taking a walk in a park. There，he met a corgi named Fu Zai and his owner.

Zhao called out to the dog，and Fu Zai immediately ran towards him.With the owner's permission， Zhao used his usual dog training methods to interact with Fu Zai.The trainer was pleasantly surprised by the results.Fu Zai's interest inobjects and ability to play were higher than many other dogs'.Zhao asked the owner if she would like to send Fu Zai to the K9 unit. After some discussion， she agreed.

Later，the dog became China's first corgi police dog.

Fu Zai， now about two years old，received training as a police dog for about five months.

Most police dogs are large breeds with long legs.Fu Zai，however，has short legs.He has developed a special skill with his short legs：He can move freely under cars and search narrow spaces.This makes him a top student in low-ground combat. Besides，Fu Zai is good at detecting explosives and tracking smells.

Recently，Fu Zai showed up at a police open day and became popular online for his charming smile，lovely“litle short legs”.“Short legs are not his weakness but his advantage，” said trainer Zhao Qingshuai.

Wordlist

trainer n .訓導員 corgi v.柯基犬 permission n.同意 method n. 方法 interact v. 互動 breed n.品種 narrow adj.狹窄的 combat n.戰斗 detect v. 檢測 explosive n. 炸藥 track v.追蹤 charmingadj.迷人的

Note

Shortlegsarenot hisweaknessbuthisadvantage.短腿不是其弱點，而是其優勢。“not...but.\"*是固定搭配，意思是“不是…而是……”。

Reading 4

Animals from elephants to horses to dogs could be sad about others’death，but less is known about the house cat.If a human or another animal close to them dies，would a cat feel sad？

A team of researchers from Oakland University tried to answer the question.So they interviewed 412 cat owners about their cats’action after another cat or dogin the family passed away.

They found that cats showed actions related to sadness-such as eating and playing less -more often after the death of a fellow pet.Besides，some cats also spent more time alone and slept more after the death.All of these actions mean they may have been in sadness.

Jennifer Vonk，a member of the researchers，said，“ It’s not that I want the cats to be sad，but there is a part of us，Ithink，who want to know if our pets would miss us when something bad happens to us.\"

Researchers didn't see big changes in cats，but their changes were similar to those in dogs. Dogs are more social than cats.

Vonk added that cat owners who felt sadder themselves reported more sadness in their living cats，and this point might make a difference to the result.Therefore，more studies in this area would be necessary before we could draw any conclusions.But Vonk，a cat owner herself，said that cats might experience sad feelings in ways that weren’t known before.

Wordlist

interviewv.采訪 pass away去世 fellowadj.同類的 similar adj.類似的 social adj.好交際的 make adifference對...有影響 conclusion n.結論 experience v. 經歷

Notes

Animals from elephants to horses to dogs could be sad about others’death，but less isknownabout the housecat.大象、馬、狗等動物會因其他個體的死亡而悲傷，但人們對家貓的這種行為知之甚少。“isknown”是被動結構，意思為“被知道”，家貓的情況是“知道”這個動作的承受者，說明人們對家貓了解不多。

Writing

動物不僅是自然界的生靈，更是人類親密的朋友和地球生態系統的重要成員。為培養學生保護動物的意識，增強對自然的責任感，學校英語社團現舉辦以“Myfavouriteanimal”為主題的征文活動，內容需包含：

1.What do they look like？

2.What are they like？

3.What do they like to do？

4.How important are they to you？

原文呈現

My favourite animal

Myfavouriteanimalisthepanda.

Panda is our national animal because theyre of great value. The pandas are from Sichuan， China. Now we can see them in many zoos. Pandas are cute and lovely.They have white and black fur and round faces.They like to eat bamboo shootsandleaves.

They spend most time eating and sleeping. They are gentle and friendly. They are also very lazy.Pandas are very playful and they can climb trees.Watching them play is really interesting.

However，pandas are in great danger. We should work together to protect them and their habitats.

Pandasare not only my favourite animals but also the symbols of peace and friendship.

此句建議放第一段，作為表達“我”最喜歡熊貓的理由。

本文標題是“Myfavouriteanimal”，建議豐富語言表達，強化情感傳遞，字里行間進一步表達出為什么喜愛熊貓。另外建議適當使用連接詞，增強文章的連貫性，使內容更加流暢、飽滿、有層次感。

在內容方面，對“Howimportantaretheytoyou”這一要點僅提及熊貓是和平友誼的象征，闡述過于簡略，未具體表達熊貓對自己的獨特意義。

升格展示

My favourite animal

My favourite animals are pandas.As our national treasures，they're of great value.

Originating from Sichuan， China，pandas can now be found in many zoos.They are cute with their white-and-black fur and round faces.Moreover，their chubby bodies make them look lovelier. They enjoy eating bamboo shoots and leaves，and often spend hours eating and sleeping.Gentle and friendly，they are also a bit lazy at times.Besides，pandas are playful and skilled at climbing trees-watching the funny way they climb trees brings me endless joy.

Pandas are not only my favourite animals but also symbols of peace and friendship. WheneverIfeel down or stressed，looking at pictures of them or watching videos of them can always lift my spirits，as if they were my dearest friends.

However， pandas are now facing great danger because the bamboo forests are geting smaller.Humans sometimes cut down trees or build houses in their living areas，making it hard for them to find food and live safely.We need to work together to protect them and their habitats，making sure they can live a healthy and happy life in the world.

（ 錢俊宇）

綜合點評

升格文通過合理運用連接詞，使段落與內容過渡更順暢，文章結構更緊湊，讀起來一氣呵成。全文語言表達也更生動，讓熊貓形象更鮮活立體，增強了畫面感與感染力。小作者通過表達熊貓對自已的重要性，將其與和平、友誼關聯，且融入自身情感體驗，凸顯了動物是人類的朋友這一主題。最后一段小作者呼吁人類保護環境，愛護動物，進一步體現出保護大自然的責任感。

書面表達升格小技巧

一、明確體裁特征，搭建基礎框架

記敘文：按時間順序（First，Then，Finally）展開，重點描述事件經過與情感變化。例如，寫作“Myunforgettable trip\"時，可分三段：開頭點明旅行地點（時間、人物），中間用“On the first day.\"“The next morning..\"詳述行程，結尾總結收獲（如：\"Ilearned theimportance of teamwork.\"）。

說明文：采用總分總結構，用分類法（Firstly，Secondly）或對比法（“Onone hand..\"“On theother hand...\"）展開。例如，介紹動物習性時，首段總述物種特點，中間分飲食、棲息地、繁殖三部分說明，末段強調保護意義。

議論文：遵循“論點——論據——結論”邏輯。例如，論述“Should students usemobile phones？\"時，首段亮明觀點，中間用\"For one thing..\"\"＼`For another..\"列舉理由（如學習便利/沉迷風險），尾段重申立場并呼吁行動。

二、強化段落銜接，提升連貫性

開頭段：用提問（“Have you ever wondered ...\"）、數據（“According to a survey..\"）或名言（“As the saying goes...\"）吸引讀者，自然引出主題。

中間段：每段聚焦一個核心觀點，用主題句（Topicsentence）概括，如“Firstly，mobile phones help us study efficiently.”，段落內用連接詞串聯細節（如\"For example.\"“Moreover ..\"）。

結尾段：總結要點（“Inconclusion..\"），呼應開頭，可提出建議（\"It'sadvisableto ...\"）或展望未來（“Ibelieve that..\"）。

三、善用邏輯紐帶，增強邏輯性

時間邏輯：用“\"At first...\"\"Afterwards...\"\"Inthe end...\"呈現事件發展。

因果邏輯：通過“Because..\"\"＼`Therefore..\"或“Thanks to..\"解釋原因與結果。

對比邏輯：使用“However...\"\"While...\"突出差異，如對比城市與鄉村生活。