英文課外閱讀短文精選
英語作為一門國際通用語,在21世紀已經向著多元化、多功能化的方向發展。本文是英文課外閱讀短文，希望對大家有幫助!
There are thousands of pigeons in any big city in the world. But did you know that this common bird is able to find its way home from even a hundreds of kilometers away? Just how pigeons find their way home is a bit of mystery. Some people think that they use landmarks. That is the pigeon knows what the land is like from the air and it uses this like a map. A landmark in Sydeny for example, is the Opera House, which can easily be seen from a long way off. Other possibilities are that pigeons use the position of the sun to work out directions or that they have some kind of built in compass. For quite a few years now, scientists have been caring out experiements on homing pigeons, but they still aren't sure how pigeons find their way home. It seems likely, however, that pigeons like airline pilots use a number of different message to guide them on their long distance journeys. Perhaps, one day we'll learn their secret.
英文課外閱讀短文：Tropical forests in the world
The world's forests are disappearing.As much as one third of the total tree cover has been lost, since agriculture began some ten thousand years ago.The remaining forests are home to half of the world's species,thus becoming the chief resource for their survival.Tropical rain forests once covered 12% of the land of the planet,as well as supporting at least half of the world's species of plants and animals. These rainforests are home to millions of people.
But there are other demands on them,as well.For example，much wood has been cut for timber.An increasing amount of forest land has been used for industrial purposes or for agriculture development such as crop growing.By the 1990s less than half of the earth's original rainforests remained，and they continued to disappear at an alarming rate every year.As a result，the world's forests are now facing gradual extinction.
英文課外閱讀短文：Cool weather and Warm weather
If you are like most people, your intelligence varies from season to season. You are probably a lot sharper in the spring than you are any other time of year. A noted scientist, Ellsworth Huntington 1876 - 1947 concluded from other mans’ work and his own among peoples in different climates that climate and temperature have a definite effect on our mental abilities.
He found that cool weather is much more favorable for creative thinking than summer heat. This does not mean that all people are less intelligent in summer than they are during the rest of the year. It does mean, however, that the mental abilities of large numbers of people tend to be lowest in the summer.
Spring appears to be the best time of the year for thinking. Fall is the next-best season than winter. As for summer, it seems to be a good time to take a long vacation from thinking.
英文課外閱讀短文：Can Animals Be Made to Work for Us?
Can animals be made to work for us? Some scientists think that one day animals may be taught to do a number or simple jobs. They say that in a film or on TV, we may see elephants or monkeys, dogs, bears or other animals doing a lot of things. If you watch carefully, you may find that those animals are always given something to eat in return for doing them. The scientists said that many different animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs if they know they will get something to eat in return. Of course, as we know, dogs can be used to guard a house. And elephants can be used to do some heavy jobs. And we can also teach animals to work in factories. Apes, for example, have been used in America to help make cars. And scientists believe that these large monkeys may one day get in crops and even drive trains.
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