Climate change(气候变化)has brought a serious warning to the living areas of the Siberian crane, increasing the need to better protect the birds and their migratory channels (迁徙路径), an expert said.
The Siberian crane breeds (繁殖) in northeast Siberia in Russia and flies to Poyang Lake for the winter in East China's Jiangxi Province. About 95 percent of the birds spend the season in Poyang.
Qian Fawen, a research professor from the National Bird Banding Center of China, said that Poyang's water levels decide whether it is suitable for the birds to live there. However, climate change has made the levels change often. "In some years, the lake experiences floods; in others, it experiences droughts. Both of these situations create food shortages in the cranes' living area," he said.
The Siberian crane is listed as seriously endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. "We need to protect their living area, which is mainly wetland, so that we can protect them," Qian said.
In the recently announced National Action Plan for the Protection of Bird Migration Channels (2021-35), 1, 140 places in China were considered as important breeding grounds, wintering grounds and staying stops, including Poyang and the Yellow River wetland in Ningxia. The plan said that the government should watch and count the number of migratory birds and pay farmers for losses caused by the birds.
Since China joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1992, it has designated (指定) 202,600 hectares of wetland as Wetlands of International Importance. They store and clean water, keep all kinds of living things, help store floods and prevent droughts. According to a plan announced by the central government in October, by 2025, China will have protected 55 percent of its wetlands.
After the Wetlands Protection Law, the nation's first law to protect wetlands, was introduced on June 1, 2022, complete protection was strengthened. The law clearly explained what the government should do and introduced strict punishment for people who destroy wetland areas. It limits building at important national wetlands and it doesn't allow harmful activities, including using them as farmlands, leaving wastewater everywhere, harvesting and fishing too much.
Key nature reserve management offices in China have reported more birds wintering in the nation's wetlands, including some new rare kinds. ▲
①building houses②making farmlands③limiting fishing
④leaving wastewater⑤watching birds
I am Tom. Last week I went to Corsica with my friends on vacation. It was my first visit to the island! We took the ship to the city Ajaccio. It took us eight hours. We chatted and played card games to kill time.
When we got to Ajaccio, I got a surprise because of the weather. It was already October! But it was so hot that we just needed to wear T-shirts and shorts. We went to the beach to enjoy the sunshine and some of my friends even went swimming in the sea. The Corsican scenery(风景) was so beautiful. We had a picnic, went for a long walk along the coast and took lots of pictures.
One day we took the local train to another beautiful city named Corte. We visited the museum where we learned more about Corsican history and enjoyed the beautiful views of the city.
The food in Corsica was fantastic and we often visited the market to taste something delicious. We also went to some local restaurant for dinner and ate fresh seafood. At the end of the trip, we were very sad to leave and I hope to return to Corsica again some day.
An exhibition（展览）about the Grand Canal（大运河）ended at the National Museum of China in Beijing on March lst.
The Grand Canal is more than 2,500 years old. It is made up of the Beijing—Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, and the Zhedong Canal. At nearly 3,200 kilometers long, it is the world's longest man-made waterway. It has influenced the development of Chinese economics（经济）and culture for hundreds of years.
Before it was built, people in ancient China used horses and oxen（公牛）, or simply traveled on foot, to trade goods（货物）. It was impossible to transport（运输）large-sized goods. After the Grand Canal connected the north and the south, business and cultural exchanges were able to develop further.
In fact, the Grand Canal played an important role in the building of the Forbidden City（紫禁城）. Materials from different parts of the country were sent to Beijing through the canal, including bricks（砖）fired in Shandong and Jiangsu and wood cut in Hunan. People even owe the beginning of Beijing duck to the canal. White lake ducks in the south were shipped to Beijing. They were then kept to make Beijing duck. People from all walks of life preferred to get together along the canal. They shared their experiences, traditions and culture with others.
Recently, China has announced the list of the first five national parks. Each of them is divided into two parts—the core（核心）protection area and the general control area. In the core protection area, only research and surveillance（监视）in science are allowed. And the general control area is open to the public, allowing travel activities such as camping and hiking. In the future, national parks are expected to be natural classrooms. People can learn about different kinds of animals and plants through eco-friendly travel activities.
Three River-Source National Park on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the largest national park in China. Because it is home to the sources of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, people call it "China's water tower".
Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park is in Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces. It covers an area of 14,100 square kilometres. It is our country's biggest and only place for wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards to live in.
Wuyi Mountain National Park in Fujian Province is a UNESCO natural and cultural heritage site（遗址）. The forest makes up over 96 percent of the park. The park is the paradise of birds, kingdom of snakes and world of insects. You can also see the Danxia landform（地貌）there.
Giant Panda National Park connects panda habitats（栖息地）in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. Inside the park are more than 1,600 wild giant pandas. They make up over 70 percent of the pandas in China.
Hainan Tropical Rain forest National Park is the largest tropical forest in China. There are more than 400 kinds of plants that can only be found in Hainan.
There are three famous towers to the south of the Yangtze River—the Tengwang Pavilion the Yellow Crane Tower and the Yueyang Tower.
The Tengwang Pavilion is in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. A Tribute to the Tengwang Pavilion (《滕王阁序》) written by Wang Bo in the early Tang Dynasty made the pavilion well-known at that time. On the fifth floor, you can have an amazing bird view of the city. The best time to visit the pavilion falls in March to May and September to early November.
The Yellow Crane Tower sits in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. You can read some poems written in different dynasties on the third floor, which won fame for the tower. Its cultural importance made it the symbol of Wuhan. On the top of the tower, you will enjoy a beautiful view of the Yangtze River, its bridge and the buildings around the tower in Wuhan.
The Yueyang Tower lies in Yueyang City, Hunan Province. It's a 19-meter-high building which is made of wood. From the top, you will see the white sails of passing boats under the blue sky. The tower was made very famous by the works of Fan Zhongyan who was a great politician and writer during the Northern Song Dynasty.
Many people enjoy traveling. However, sometimes traveling to another place in person isn't possible. If you're stuck at home, you can enjoy wonderful sights through virtual （虚拟的） travel.
Everest VR：Journey to the Top of the World Climb Mount Everest in Nepal with this VR documentary. Viewer（观众）follow real climbers on their journey to the top of the world. At Mount Everest's top, they can see amazing sights that they might never see in real life. |
Lights Over Lapland's virtual trips This virtual trip starts on a regular day in Lapland, Sweden. Viewers then go on a 360﹣degree journey through a national park, a forest, and a lake to the foot of Mount Nuolja . After a long day of exploring （探索）the Arctic wilderness, travelers finish the trip with a beautiful view of the Northern Lights. |
Virtual Yosemite Yosemite National Park in California, US, has waterfalls, rivers, forests, lakes, mountains, and many animals. The virtual tours show 360﹣degree views of Yosemite's natural sights. Viewers can even hear the sounds of nature like the sounds of rushing waterfalls singing birds. |
Name | Introduction |
The Tishan Bridge
| It was an ancient single arch stone bridge, which got its name because of the famous calligrapher, Wang Xizhi, in the eastern Jin Dynasty. According to the legend, Wang Xizhioffered to write words on the fans for an elder lady, who was trying to sell fans on the bridge, and immediately, all the townspeople queued up to buy one. Once it was for villages to pass across, but later for tourists for recreational purposes. |
The Pujin Bridge
| It was a pontoon bridge made of bamboo rope and was constantly repaired. As it was built on the Yellow River by the Qin Kingdom, it was once called "River Bridge". It was not until Hundreds of years later, when Emperor Xuanzongof Tang Dynasty gave orders to replace the bamboo ropes with iron chains, that its name was changed into what it is now. Though with strong iron chains, it was still a traditional plank bridges for daily passing. |
The Travellers'Bridge
| It was built in about 282 by Emperor Wudiof the western Jin Dynasty. As the first stone single-arch bridge in China's history, it was built near the capital city Luoyang, and it was called the "Travellers' Bridge". Unlike traditional rope or plank bridges, the arch was high enough to allow large boats to pass under. |
The Guangji Bridge
| It was built in 1171 with countless large stones and was located outside the ancient city of Chaozhouin Guangdong province. Its name means "helping the people". The bridge was the gateway from Guangdong to Fujian and Zhejiang in ancient times. It is now regarded by many as the first swing bridge in the world. The swing was for navigation and flood relief. |
It was a school trip. All of us were hungry for it for long. I went to Changbai Mountain with my classmates at the beginning of 2023. The trip was really wonderful.
Jilin Province, in the northeast of China, is famous for Changbai Mountain. It is one of the "Top 10 Mountains in China". The name of it means "a mountain which remains white all year round" in Chinese. The name Changbai Mountain was first used in the Liao Dynasty. The mountain was recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas under the name Buxian Mountain. It was called Taibai Mountain in the Tang Dynasty.
In the early morning, we climbed the mountain from the western side. Along the way, we saw several wild animals and we were totally shocked at the beauty of the mountain. The whole mountain area is under thick snow cover for two months every year. The higher points from 1,500 meters to 2,400 meters above the sea level are covered with snow for more than six months. Changbai Mountain is one of the most popular places for winter sports and amusements. We even tried many thrilling rides on the snow. It was so much fun. Besides, wed enjoyed different kinds of foods.
What excited us most is undoubtedly the Tianchi Lake. It is the deepest alpine (高山的) lake in China. The Tianchi Lake is the place where the Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers begin and it has been regarded as a mysterious lake. Not all visitors are lucky enough to see the Tianchi Lake clearly the first time they go there, but we were.
One more thing we remembered was taking baths in the hot springs. All our tiredness and pressure were gone there. As visitors, we can't stop being in love with everything we experienced in Changbai Mountain.
When you are tired of buildings, you can visit one of London's many beautiful parks, Hyde Park first opened to the people of London in the seventeenth century. It is not far from the shops of busy Oxford Street, but it is nice and quiet. In the center is the lake called the Serpentine, and you can take a boat out on the water.
There are usually a lot of people at Speakers' Corner. Some people come here because they want to tell the world important or interesting things - about the government, or science, or the church, or 'the end of the world'. They stand at the Corner, and call out to all the people around them. Other people stand and listen, and sometimes laugh too.
Kensington Gardens is next to Hyde Park. Here you can see a statue （雕像） of Peter Pan, the famous boy in the book Peter Pan by J. M. Baie There is also a playground here, called the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. And the playground has lots of exciting things for children.
Regent's Park is the home of London zoo. The zoo opened in 1828, and it has animals and birds from all over the world. There is also a theatre in the park. On a summer's evening, you can sit out and watch a play by Shakespeare. Or you can see the park from the water - take a boat along the canal（运河） from Camden Lock to Little Venice. In the summer, you can listen to music in the park.
St James's Park is next to the Mall. It is a small park, but very beautiful, and it is the oldest of the royal （皇家） parks. Lots of birds live on and around the lake in the centre of the park.
Going green makes a big difference in our life. I'm Jessica Wong. Today I'll tell you what my family does every day to save the earth. It's reported that a common family produces more than one ton of rubbish a year. Some of this waste takes hundreds of years to decay. Also, it costs much money to buy new things to take the place of the things we throw away.
In order to protect the environment and save money, my family has recycled everything. On the one hand, we collect used things every day, such as paper, bottles and boxes, and put them into different bins. Then they are sent to a recycling center. Finally, they are treated and can be used again. Recycling will help reduce a lot of waste. On the other hand, we use old clothes to make different kinds of bags. I especially like to use old jeans to make bags. These cute and useful bags are popular with young people. As a result, I open a small shop and set up a website to sell them online.
What's more, my parents and my brother often go to work by bike. If it rains, they'll take the bus. We're also going to grow our own vegetables, raise cows, keep hens and ducks. Soon, we'll be able to have eggs and milk for meals.
What a difference we make for our earth.
