2019外研版高一英语必修一unit5课文

必修一 unit5

Understanding ideas

The Monarch's Journey

1. Many animals move from one place to another at certain times

of the year. This annual movement is called migration. They

migrate to find food, seek a partner, or in search of warmer

weather. One of the most wonderful migrations in nature is that

of the North American monarch butterfly.

2. Every autumn millions of these beautiful insects with a fine

black and orange wings begin a long and difficult journey.

Somehow they manage to travel around 4,000 kilometers south and

find their way to California or Mexico. However, until recently

no one knew how they did this.

3. A team of scientists led by Professor Eli Shlizerman at the

University of Washington has now found the answer. They have

found out that the monarch is able to tell the time of day. It

uses its eyes to measure the position of the sun. These two

pieces of I information-the time of day and the point where the

sun is in the sky- allowed the butterfly to determine the way

to go. Eventually, it manages to reach the places where it will spend the winter.

4. The solution to the mystery of the monarch's amazing ability

comes at a time when it is in serious trouble. Its population

has crashed by as much as 90 percent in the last few years.

Sadly, human activity is the main reason why the number of

monarch butterflies is falling. In many of the places where the

butterfly can be found, people are destroying the natural

environment. They cut down trees and use chemicals that killed

plants that monarch caterpillars eat.

5. The research on the monarch's behavior has however led to a

greater awareness of this creature. People have been working

together to record its migration and make sure that there are

enough plans for it to feed on. If this works, there may come a

time when the number of monach butterflies increases once

again. The more we know about this lovely creature, the greater

the chance it will survive and keep its place in the natural

world for a long time to come.

Developing ideas An Encounter with Nature

1. As a nature photographer, I have to brave the elements. But

despite the wind and the rain I still enjoy working outside in

the wild. One of the best things about this job is that you can

observe animals in their natural

environment.

2. My favorite place to take photos is Yellowstone National

Park. As the world's first national park, Yellowstone is famous

for the variety of its wildlife, but it is probably best known

for its bears. These huge, strong animals can live for 30

years. Despite a weight of up to 300 kilograms, they can run at

a speed of around 64 kilometers per hour and are also excellent

swimmers.

3. Last spring in Yellowstone, I followed a path that took me

through a dark forest. When I finally stepped out of the trees,

the view was breathtaking. An eagle flew over the snow capped

mountains which were reflected in the still lake below. Well, I

was concentrating on photographing this amazing scene, I

suddenly had a feeling that I was being watched. Slowly, and

with the camera still held to my eye, I turned... and froze. Only meters away from me was a bear. With water falling off its

thick, brown hair, the bear stared back at me. Time stood still

as the bear and I both waited to see who would move first. My

legs started shaking. Somehow, I forced my finger to press the

button. A second later, the bear turned and ran back into the

forest. When I recovered from the shock, I looked at my camera.

My most frightening but magical experience was now captured

forever in a single image.

4. From time to time I looked at the photo as a reminder to

show respect to all animals. It is after all we who are the

visitors to their world.

Writing an animal fact of file

The red -crowned crane is one of the largest cranes in the

world, standing at about 150 cm tall. Its feathers are as white

as snow, except for some black ones on its face, neck and

wings. It's unique feather, from which it gets its name is the

bright red skin on the top of its head. The red- crowned crane

is found in China, Russia, Mongolia, Japan and the Korean

Peninsula. In China, it spends the warmer months in the rivers and wetlands in the north-east. When the weather gets cold, it

migrates to east- central China. It's food includes fish,

snails and water plants. The red -crowned crane is a symbol of

long life and good luck in Chinese culture.