On China’s border with Vietnam, a group of about 500 geese stand guard, ready to honk at or bite whoever tries to enter 【小题1】(illegal).

Since October 2021, the Chinese government 【小题2】(use)this so-called “geese army” across 300 miles of China’s Chongzuo in an effort 【小题3】(stop)COVID-19 entering China via illegal immigration. Chinese domestic geese need no training; once they establish their territory, the five-pound birds will 【小题4】(defence)it fiercely.

Reinforcing(增援)this feathered team 【小题5】(be)about 400 mixed-breed guard dogs, 【小题6】 accompany border police on duty while the birds keep a stationary watch. However, geese may have the edge over dogs, particularly because the birds are more selective about raising 【小题7】 alarm, says Petr Glazov, chair of the Goose Specialist Group. Dogs can sound the alarm sometimes just 【小题8】 fun or to talk together from dog to dog. But geese will only do so if there’s an intruder(闯入者)that goes into their special area.

What’s more, guard geese are cheaper: They basically take care of 【小题9】(they), feeding on grass and not requiring veterinary care. When sleeping, geese can also leave one side of the brain awake and the eye 【小题10】(connect)to it open to detect threats. They are always in control of the situation.

A century ago, a bird called the passenger pigeon (旅鸽) lived in North America. There were so many passenger pigeons 【小题1】 people often saw thousands, even millions of birds flying overhead. However, there is not a single one 【小题2】 (leave) today. What happened on earth? How did all passenger pigeons 【小题3】 (appear) from the earth entirely at an 【小题4】(alarm) rate?

The passenger pigeon became extinct 【小题5】 two reasons. First, their habitats—the forests 【小题6】 they lived were cut down to make way for farms and cities. Second, many pigeons were 【小题7】 (illegal) shot and eaten because they were good to eat. At that time, the authorities didn’t make hunting laws to protect 【小题8】 (endanger) species, so the extinction was happening 【小题9】 (fast) than ever before.

Later, people realized the problem. Up to now, many measures 【小题10】 (take) by government to protect wildlife from extinction.

With the Chinese New Year less than a month away, people are getting ready to welcome the Year of the Tiger.

Do you know anyone born in the Year of the Tiger? Are they always independent and【小题1】 (energy)? Do they have a keen sense of justice? If so, then they are typical “tiger”. They like to act alone and always seem to have endless energy. When【小题2】 (face) with justices, 【小题3】 against themselves or others, you can be sure Tigers will not stand aside.

In Chinese culture, tigers are regarded as fearless creatures, so that's 【小题4】 in China you can see images of tigers on the walls of temples and houses to ward off disasters and danger.

Tigers have 【小题5】 important cultural significance not just in China, but across Asia. In the book Life of Pie, Canadian writer Yann Martel chose a tiger as the partner for Indian boy Pi on his 【小题6】 (survive) adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

Tigers are also one of my favorite animals. I first 【小题7】 (learn) about the beauty of tigers as a child, while 【小题8】 (watch) animal documents. My most precious toy while growing up was my toy tiger, 【小题9】 I still treasure dearly to this day. I love it that China has its animal zodiac system as it shows the connection, understanding and respect that humans can have 【小题10】 animals.