At eight in the morning on Saturday, two young pandas walked into a special cage in Macao, and a long journey began. Their names are Jianjian and Kangkang. They were born in the city in June 2016, the first twin pandas ever born there, and they have been the joy of local children ever since. This time they were not going to a party. They were flying to Chengdu, the home of their parents, to learn how to live like wild pandas.
The trip looked like a small military operation. Two vans with air conditioning carried them to the airport, and the temperature inside stayed between fifteen and twenty degrees. Police cars drove ahead and behind the vans the whole way. At the airport, a plane was waiting, and keepers from both cities sat with the animals during the flight. The animals were given bamboo and biscuits, which is the closest thing a panda has to a meal on board.
None of that was arranged at the last minute. For a month before the flight, the two pandas had been checked by vets from Chengdu as well as from Macao, and had been trained to accept the shaking and the noise of a moving cage. This step is easy to miss, and it may be the most important one. An animal that panics can hurt itself in minutes, so the quiet practice before a journey does more than any machine on the plane.
The plane landed in Chengdu at twenty-five minutes past two in the afternoon, and doctors said both animals were in good health. They will now spend at least a month in quarantine, kept apart from other animals in case they carry an illness. After that they will move into a new hall built with Macao details, where they will slowly learn the skills of forest life. Kangkang is the smaller of the two. At birth he weighed only 53.8 grams, and keepers worked in shifts around the clock to keep him alive. A panda that almost did not survive is now learning to look after himself.
Words to know:
- twin (双胞胎之一)
- keeper (饲养员)
- quarantine (隔离检疫)
- vet (兽医)
- panic (惊慌，恐慌)
- shift (班次，轮班)
- journey (旅程)
- arrange (安排)
长难句拆解 · 现在完成时的持续含义 + 定语从句
原句：They were born in the city in June 2016, the first twin pandas ever born there, and they have been the joy of local children ever since. 主干：They were born in the city, and they have been the joy of local children.（它们生在这座城市，此后一直是当地孩子的快乐） 同位语：the first twin pandas ever born there 用名词短语补充说明 they 是什么身份，其中 born there 是过去分词短语作后置定语，ever 加强「有史以来第一次」。 语法定点：were born 用一般过去时，指 2016 年那个具体时刻；have been 用现在完成时，配合 ever since 表示从那时一直延续到现在，两种时态并列是这篇报道的时间骨架。 直译：它们于 2016 年 6 月在这座城市出生，是当地有史以来第一对双胞胎大熊猫，从那以后一直是本地孩子们的快乐。
长难句拆解 · 被动语态 + 不定式作目的状语
原句：For a month before the flight, the two pandas had been checked by vets from Chengdu as well as from Macao, and had been trained to accept the shaking and the noise of a moving cage. 主干：the two pandas had been checked, and had been trained.（两只大熊猫接受了检查，也接受了训练） 时态：had been done 是过去完成时的被动语态，表示在「起飞」这个过去动作之前已经完成，时间先后一目了然。 并列与状语：as well as from Macao 表示「以及来自澳门的」，第二个 had been 前省略了主语；to accept the shaking and the noise 是不定式，说明训练的目的与内容。 语法定点：a moving cage 中 moving 是现在分词作定语，意为「会晃动的笼子」；若写成 moved，就变成「被移动的」，语义偏移。 直译：在起飞前的一个月里，两只大熊猫已经接受过成都和澳门两地兽医的检查，也接受过训练，以适应笼子晃动和噪音。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文换个说法再出题，下面每组左边是原文表达，右边是常见替换，先遮住右边自测。
- walked into a special cage → entered a cage built for the trip / stepped into a travel box（描述出发动作，注意 walked into 的拟人化）
- have been the joy of local children → local children have loved them ever since / they have delighted young visitors（现在完成时表持续影响）
- The trip looked like a small military operation → the journey was planned like a mission / the transport was tightly organised（比喻句，考作者态度）
- the temperature inside stayed between fifteen and twenty degrees → the vans were kept at a steady temperature / the air inside remained cool（说明条件的细节句，常被改写为数字题）
- kept apart from other animals → separated from other animals / not allowed near others（keep apart from 的固定搭配）
- keepers worked in shifts around the clock → staff took turns day and night / the team watched them non-stop（around the clock 是同义替换高频词）
- A panda that almost did not survive is now learning to look after himself → an animal that barely lived is learning to be independent / a fragile cub is now fending for itself（结尾观点句，被动进行时表过程）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- True / False / Not Given: Jianjian and Kangkang were born in Chengdu in 2016.
- 简答：How long will the two pandas stay in quarantine after arriving in Chengdu?
- 选词填空（选一个）：Keepers worked in ____ around the clock to keep the small cub alive. (shifts / shelves / sheets)
参考答案与解析
- FALSE。第一段说 They were born in the city in June 2016，指它们生在澳门，是当地首对双胞胎大熊猫；它们飞去成都只是「回父母的老家」。把「出生地」和「目的地」对调，是这类题最常见的地名偷换。
- At least one month。第四段说 They will now spend at least a month in quarantine，注意 at least 不可省略，答 a month 勉强算对，答 two weeks 则漏掉了原文的下限表述。
- shifts。第四段原文为 keepers worked in shifts around the clock，in shifts 意为「轮班」；shelves 是架子，sheets 是被单，只是拼写相近的干扰项。
中文译文
周六早上八点，两只年轻的大熊猫走进澳门的一个特制笼子，一段长途旅程就此开始。它们叫健健和康康，2016 年 6 月生在这座城市，是当地有史以来第一对双胞胎大熊猫，从那以后一直是本地孩子们的快乐。这一次它们不是去参加什么活动，而是飞往父母的老家成都，去学着像野生大熊猫那样生活。
这趟行程安排得像一次小型军事行动。两辆带空调的运输车把它们送到机场，车厢内温度一直保持在十五到二十摄氏度之间。警车一路在车队前后护送。机场上有一架专机在等，两地的饲养员全程陪在它们身边。人们给它们准备了竹子和饼干，这已经是大熊猫在飞机上最接近一顿饭的东西了。
这一切都不是临时安排的。起飞前的一个月里，两只大熊猫已经接受过成都和澳门两地兽医的检查，也接受过训练，去适应笼子的晃动和声响。这一步很容易被忽略，却可能是最关键的一步。动物一旦惊慌，几分钟内就可能伤到自己，所以出发前这些安静的练习，比飞机上的任何设备都管用。
下午两点二十五分，飞机降落在成都，医生说两只大熊猫健康状况良好。接下来它们要接受至少一个月的隔离检疫，暂时与其他动物分开，以防身上带着疾病。之后就搬进一座融入了澳门元素的新场馆，慢慢学习森林生活的本领。康康是两只里小的一只，出生时体重只有 53.8 克，饲养员昼夜轮班守着，才把它救了回来。一只差点没能活下来的大熊猫，如今正在学着照顾自己。