Animal friends

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领衔人：郑云（江苏省特级教师）组稿团队：江苏省郑云网络名师工作室本期撰稿：

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.河狸 dam n.堤坝 the CzechRepublic 捷克共和国 mud n.泥 sharp adj.锋利的 chew through啃穿 pond n.池塘 engineer n.工程师 knock down撞倒 oyster n.牡蛎 gill n. 鳃 filter v.过滤 tortoise n 龟

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，大坝需要坚固和高大，而在更干燥的地方，大坝则需更长更宽。（剩余8486字）