A
“Thank you for your email. I'll leave the school to follow my dream of knitting (编织) sweaters for penguins in Antarctica and don't work for the school. I will be back to school after my penguin friends are happy.” Weeks ago, a teacher in the UK sent this email to her Chinese student, and it soon became popular online.
You may find this email surprising, but knitting sweaters for penguins is a real act of kindness. The Penguin Foundation and Phillip Island Nature Parks in Australia came up with the idea.
The activity began because of a serious oil spill near Phillip Island in the 1990s. During that time, the number and health of baby penguins had a serious drop. When little penguins were covered in oil, their lives were put in danger.
To solve this problem, the foundation asked people from all over the world to knit sweaters for penguins. These sweaters could keep them warm during the cleaning and stop them from eating the oil.
Luckily, the idea worked. In 2001, there was another oil spill near Phillip Island. This time, the sweaters helped save 96% of the penguins in the area.
However, some bird protection groups queried, “Might these sweaters put more weight on penguins?” To answer this, the foundation said that the sweaters are only used for a short time. If the penguins are better, they no longer wear them.
(
B
) 1. Why did the teacher leave the school?
A. To study penguins. B. To help penguins.
C. To have a good rest. D. To sell sweaters in Antarctica.
(
C
) 2. What can sweaters do for the penguins?
A. Help baby penguins grow faster.
B. Protect them from falling into the water.
C. Stop them from eating the spilled oil.
D. Clean baby penguins covered in oil.
(
B
) 3. What does the underlined word “queried” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Showed. B. Questioned. C. Introduced. D. Advised.
(
D
) 4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A new way to feed penguins.
B. The problem of oil spills in Antarctica.
C. A teacher's journey to Antarctica.
D. Knitting sweaters to help penguins.
