初中英语牛津译林版八年级上册Unit 6 Bird watching 单元练习

—Be careful not to get a sore throat and       your voice.

—Well, I saw you ________that when I went past.

Canada is a huge place, and it's about 4,600 km from north to 1 and 5,500 km from east to west. It's the 2 largest country in size in the world (Russia being the largest), 3 only 0.5% of the world's population live there.

In some ways Canada is many 4 in one. About half of Canadians have their roots (根) in Britain and France. Although it is cold and   5, some of them still live on their traditional lands, where they hunt (打猎) and fish for 6. Many others have moved to cities across Canada.

Canada is home to lots of wonderful 7 animals, from bears, wolves and mountain lions to smaller animals like rabbits. The country's lakes and rivers are full 8 fish.

Canadians work hard to 9 wild animals, and the country has 41 national (国家的) parks. However, some species (物种) like wolves and Atlantic fish are 10 because of overhunting and overfishing by humans.

A desert is very dry land. It is really amazing. There is little rain. At the day time, it is so hot. You can boil an egg on the ground. Sometimes it does not rain for a year in the desert.

One amazing plant is the cactus(仙人掌). It has long roots(根). The roots can go very deep to find water. The cactus then puts the water in its body.

One amazing animal is camel. The camels can have more water in its body, too. Their fur (毛) can protect them. The fur keeps them warm at night, and make them cool at the day. Some animals in deserts have big eyes and ears. They are very good at seeing and hearing because they have to come out at night. Also, the animals will go out at night. Because the temperature is not too high.

One amazing thing is a mirage (海市蜃楼). Because of the hot and cool air in the desert, it makes a mirage. So a mirage often takes place in the afternoon when the temperature is high. What an interesting desert!

What will the weather be like tomorrow? Some people say they can forecast (预测) the weather from animals.

Some of them look at seabirds. When they see seabirds fly high, they say it will be a nice day. When the weather is bad, the seabirds stay on the shore(岸). They don't like to fly in strong winds and they sit in trees when rain is on the way.

Other people look at different animals on the farm. For example, chickens may make a lot of noise and run here and there when rain is on the way. Frogs(青蛙) can tell the weather, too. When rain is on the way, they stay in water and make a lot of noise too. But when it is a nice day, they will be quiet and jump out of the water.

National parks are large areas of public land. They give a safe home for local plants and animals. They help keep the air and water clean. They also give us the best trips. Today, there are nearly 7,000 national parks around the world. Forbes has listed 12 of the most beautiful ones in the world that will surprise you with their amazing landscapes, geographic wonders and colorful plants and animals.

The Grand Canyon(大峡谷) National Park of the US is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is best known for its size and depth. It is 446 kilometers long, up to 29 kilometers wide, and 1.6 kilometers deep. The immensity of the canyon makes people think big. Every year, about 5 million people visit here. Taking a tour in the South Rim offers visitors the park's full views, while the North Rim shows beautiful wild flowers.

If you love animals, you'll like the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The "Big Five"live here. They are the lion, African elephant, African leopard, black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The name "Big Five" came from the five animals that were the hardest to catch. Now they are what people most want to see in the wild. If you visit the park, you should never miss the migration(迁徙) of over 1.5 million wildebeests(角马) and 250, 000 zebras every year. This is the most famous site of the park.

Frogs are animals that can live both in water and on land. There are more than 5,000 kinds of frogs on the earth. The earliest known frogs lived about 190 million years ago and the frogs today still look the same. Here are some fun things that you might not know about frogs. Enjoy！

The Biggest and the Smallest Frogs

Some frogs can be very big. The biggest kind of frogs is the Goliath Frog in West Africa. Its body can be nearly 30 cm long, about the size of a large cat. The Gold Frog and the Poison Frog are the smallest frogs in the world. They are less than 1 cm long. Though the Poison Frog is very small, it is not weak at all. It is dangerous. Any animal that eats it will die very soon.

The Best Jumpers

Frogs are very good at jumping. They developed jumping legs so that they would not be eaten by other large animals. Using their big strong legs, more frogs can jump over 20 times their own length. The Australian Rocket Frog can even jump over 2 m, which is 50 times its body length (5.5 cm). That might be the reason why frogs are called the best jumpers on the earth.

The Cryogenic Animal

Some frogs like the Common Wood Frog have a special ability to live in very cold places. When the temperature goes down, they become ice frogs. Two thirds of their body water freezes. Their hearts stop, and their breathing stops, too. You may think they are dead, but in fact they are not. Maybe we humans can learn the way that the frogs do for medical purpose.