Ⅶ. 阅读与回答问题
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。
When you think of winter, which word comes to your mind? Cold? Dark? Snow? Ice? When the weather turns terrible, we can stay in warm houses and enjoy nice food, but wild animals may not have this fun. So how do animals spend the long cold winter months?
Some animals make journeys to warmer places once a year. We call this migration. They sometimes travel thousands of miles by land, air, or sea to reach their winter home. Small monarch butterflies travel from all over the country to spend their winter in Mexico. Caribou (北美驯鹿) have one of the longest land migrations, travelling over 2,000 miles! But not all migrations are as long as the examples. Some birds make shorter migrations from high mountains to lower lands to find better places with less snow and more food. This type of migration is about changes in height.
If winter makes you want to sleep, you're not alone. Some animals hibernate for part or all of the winter. This is a special, very deep sleep. There are a few different types of hibernation. For example, a bear will eat a lot of food to build up fat reserves. During hibernation, its body temperature drops, and its heart beats more slowly. A bear's heartbeat may drop from around 55 beats per minute to just 9 beats. The bear can sleep for months without eating or drinking, using its fat for energy.
Instead of going to warmer places or sleeping through the winter, some animals spend the winter by changing bodies with
seasons. Some animals may grow a thicker and warmer winter coat. Some other animals change the colour of their fur. For example, the snowshoe rabbits are usually brown in summer, but they change the colour of their fur into the colour of snow in winter for better hiding.
What about you? Will your mind, body or action change in the wintertime? Do you go to a warmer place for holiday or just stay at your comfortable home? Or maybe you really enjoy taking part in some outdoor activities in winter. No matter how you like to spend the winter, spring is just around the corner.
1. How far do caribou travel to spend the winter?
Over 2,000 miles.
2. Why do some birds migrate to lower lands?
For better places with less snow and more food.
3. When a bear hibernates, what changes happen to its body?
Its body temperature drops and heartbeat slows.
4. What colours are snowshoe rabbits in different seasons?
Brown in summer and white in winter.
5. Will you spend winter staying at home or going outside to have fun? Why?
I will stay at home because it's warm and comfortable.（答案不唯一，言之有理即可）
