China feeds a fifth of the world’s population from only less than one tenth of the arable (可耕作的) land across the globe.

【小题1】 As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, there is documentary evidence of well-watered rice fields that were carved in a step-like fashion. 【小题2】 Even more remarkable than the early terracing (阶梯状坡地) of forested hillsides into productive paddies (稻田) is the fact that the terraces remain productive today.

While the Ziquejie Terraces still yield high-quality rice and are recognized as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, they are under serious threat. Given the modern time minimum living standard, the success of China’s economic development has lifted the bar to the point where it exceeds what can be generated from traditional rice farming. 【小题3】 Local residents of the area also hope that the spectacular natural scenery will attract tourists, which eventually repays the region.

【小题4】 There is strong evidence that rice cultivation has not only fed the population but has also cultivated Chinese culture and the form of democracy. In 2014, Scientific American magazine posed the question, “Does rice farming lead to collectivist thinking?” The answer, based on pioneering work by Chinese and American researchers, suggested that it did.

Those living in rice growing areas in south China were more interdependent in their thinking than those in the wheat growing north. The latter expressed attitudes that were individualistic rather than embracing. 【小题5】

The Canada goose is the largest species of true goose. Its scientific name, Branta canadensis, means “black or burnt goose from Canada”. While Canada goose is the bird’s official and preferred name, it is also known colloquially (通俗地) as the Canadian goose.

The Canada goose has a black head and neck and a white “chinstrap (下巴)” that distinguish it from other geese. Its body is brown. The average Canada goose ranges from 75 to 110 cm in length and has a wingspan of 1.27 to 1.85 m. Adult females are slightly smaller and lighter than males, but they are visually indistinguishable. An average male weighs from 2.6 to 6.5 kg, while an average female weighs from 2.4 to 5.5 kg.

Canada geese are mostly herbivores (食草动物). They eat grass, beans, corn, and aquatic plants. They sometimes also eat small insects and fish. In urban areas, Canada geese will pick food from garbage bins or accept it from humans.

Fresh water is a primary need for these geese, and they seek it nearby wherever they happen to be. They will flock to lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and even swimming pools! This is the perfect habitat for Canada geese, and they take advantage of these areas commonly.

Originally, the Canada goose was native to North America, breeding in Canada and the northern U.S. and migrating further south in the winter. Some geese still follow the usual migration pattern, but large flocks have established permanent residences as far south as Florida.

Where you can find Canada geese varies based on what time of year it is. In some areas, the geese are becoming permanent residents, when they used to migrate south for the winter. The southern United States is their home during the winter, the northern United States has a year-round population, and Canada has a summer population.

What do you get when you paint a pair of eyes on a cow’s rump (臀部)? The answer is that you’ll get an approach to scaring predators (捕食者) away. This simple trick is called the “i-cow” solution. The eyes painted on cows’ rumps can trick certain predators, such as lions and leopards.

An experiment by Australia and Botswana compared how predators reacted to herds (畜群) that had eye paintings on their rumps, ones that had “xs”, and some without any markings at all. Over a four-year period, researchers found that 15 out of the 835 unpainted cows were killed by predators, 4 of the 543 cows with “xs” died, but every single one of the 683 animals with eyes painted on their backsides were still alive.

Neil Jordan, a biologist in Australia, first came up with the method. While watching a lion hunting a deer, he noticed something interesting. “Lions usually move slowly and quietly to their prey (猎物), get close and jump on them. But when the deer noticed the lion and the lion realized it had been seen, it gave up on the hunt,” he said. Later, he worked with a local farmer to test his idea over a period of 10 weeks, and like the most recent results, all of the cows with painted eyes survived.

Despite the positive results, Dr. Jordan says the method isn’t a sure solution. He says if farmers painted eyes on the backsides of all their cows, predators might eventually figure out that the eyes aren’t real. Therefore, further research should be done to prove whether it is effective.

In spite of this, he’s still hoping that the “i-cow” will become a widely used technique to at least reduce predator’s attacks. “I think the farmers are just happy with this,” Dr. Jordan says. “After all, all they need is a paint pot, paint brush and a little bit of artistic talent.”