The Red Panda isn’t much bigger than an average size house cat. At first you may think it’s a bear because of its name. They’re actually a member of the raccoon(浣熊) family which you can tell if you look at their appearance. The Red Panda has a long bushy tail that is useful in two ways. It helps them stay balanced when they are high up in the trees and it keeps them warm in cold weather. Their fur is thick and reddish brown, which may be why they’re known as the fire fox.
The Red Panda can be found in forested mountains. They’re originally from the forested mountain in the Himalayas in India, Nepal and Southern China. Bamboo is the most important part of their diet. They only eat the young leaves and shoots (嫩芽) of a bamboo plant. Red Pandas have a very low metabolic(新陈代谢的) rate in order to deal with their low energy diet and cool environmental temperatures.
They’re very shy and gentle and don’t hang around the wild too much during the day. If they feel endangered, they’ll stand on their back legs and make a hissing(嘶嘶) sound. Red Pandas are good climbers and spend most of their time living mainly in trees. Their claws are very strong and help them hold onto the branches. They sleep in an unusual way by curling up tightly and wrapping their tails around their heads while sitting on a branch. Sometimes they’ll sleep with their head beneath their chest and behind their back feet. This is the same position as an American raccoon sleeps.
小题1:You can tell that the Red Panda is a member of the raccoon family from ____.
| A．its name | B．its appearance | C．its diet | D．its living place |
小题2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Red Panda can only be found in India, Nepal and Southern China. |
| B．The Red Panda’s tail can help it stay balanced when it is high up in the trees. |
| C．The Red Panda eats the whole of the bamboo. |
| D．The Red Panda has high metabolic rate when the temperature is low. |
小题3:What will Red Pandas do when they are in trouble?
| A．They will hang around the wild during the day. |
| B．They will climb into the trees. |
| C．They will wrap their tails around their heads. |
| D．They will stand on their back legs and make a hissing sound. |
小题4:The Red Panda holds onto the branches with its ____.
| A．tail | B．fur | C．back legs | D．claws |
