小藍(lán)企鵝，萌寵上線

周晨曲

小藍(lán)企鵝也稱作小企鵝、藍(lán)企鵝，它們是世界上最小的企鵝，藍(lán)色的羽毛是它們的天然保護(hù)色，能很好地與天空和海水融合在一起。

1 In July， a group of the worlds smallest penguins waddled （搖搖晃晃地走） 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.

2 Little blue penguins are native to Southern Australia， Tasmania， and New Zealand， 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 penguins population.

3 Because of their tiny size， the penguins have many predators （掠奪者） 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 （饑餓） of the penguins.

4 Megan 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）? migrations and feeding migrations are changing a little bit. The prey theyre used to eating， and some of their habitats， are starting to look a little bit different，” Megan said.

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

6 Riley 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.”

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

A. Their pace.

B. Their diving habits.

C. Their weight.

D. Their playful behavior.

2. Whats 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. Theyre quiet when moving through the water.

C. They migrate often in their lives.

D. Theyre brave when facing dangers.

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

A. Turtles.

B. Penguins.

C. Hunters.

D. Protectors.

Difficult sentence

Little blue penguins are native to Southern Australia， Tasmania， and New Zealand， where I first saw them. 小藍(lán)企鵝分布于澳大利亞南部、塔斯馬尼亞島和新西蘭，我第一次看到它們就是在新西蘭。

【點(diǎn)石成金】該句中，where引導(dǎo)非限制性定語從句，對先行詞New Zealand進(jìn)行補(bǔ)充說明；be native to意為“原產(chǎn)于……”。