大熊猫“白云”在加州动物园庆祝其24岁生日

AS IT IS 2015-09-12 Rare Giant Panda Celebrates Her Birthday 大熊猫“白云”在加州动物园庆祝其24岁生日

Giant panda Bai Yun celebrated¹ her 24th birthday this week at the San Diego Zoo in California, where she has lived since 1996. Her caretakers surprised her with treats and gifts.

They said she came out of her bedroom “nice and slow,” went straight to the cinnamon and honey on her swing, and then destroyed a few boxes.

She then walked over to her cake, which took her about 15 minutes to eat. Bai Yun’s cake included ice, apples, carrots and yams.

Caretakers also gave her boxes full of hay² and pieces of pine trees. The curious panda seemed to enjoy all her gifts.

With only about 2,000 giant pandas left in the world, many scientists consider Bai Yun herself a gift. She has had six cubs³ at the San Diego Zoo. And, she is one of the oldest known pandas to have given birth. Bai Yun’s experience has permitted researchers to learn a lot about how pandas act, grow babies, give birth, and care for their cubs.

The information has helped scientists at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where the youngest giant panda in the U.S. lives. He was born on August 22.

Bai Yun will likely not become pregnant⁴ again. But now she is offering researchers a chance to study something else – how pandas grow old.  

Words in This Story

treats – n. things that taste good and are not eaten often

curious – adj. having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone

cubs – n. a young animal that eats meat, including a bear, fox or lion

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 hay   

n.(用作饲料或覆盖的)干草

参考例句：

• Cows feed on hay.奶牛以干草为生。
• They usually keep the hay in the barn.他们通常将干草存放在谷仓中。

3 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。