HSK 3 · Article · 308 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/fun-facts-about-giant-pandas

大熊猫的小秘密

Fun facts about giant pandas

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一个yígè大熊猫dàxióngmāo妈妈māma，差不多chàbuduō有yǒu一百yìbǎi公斤gōngjīn。那么nàme，它tā的de孩子háizi刚gāng出生chūshēng的de时候shíhou，有yǒu多大duōdà呢ne？只有zhíyǒu一百yìbǎi克kè，比bǐ一yí个gè苹果píngguǒ还hái小xiǎo！

还有háiyǒu，熊猫xióngmāo宝宝bǎobao刚gāng出生chūshēng的de时候shíhou，身上shēnshang不是búshì黑色hēisè和hé白色báisè的de，是shì粉红色fěnhóngsè的de，眼睛yǎnjing也yě还hái不能bùnéng看kàn东西dōngxī。差不多chàbuduō一yí个gè星期xīngqī以后yǐhòu，它tā的de身上shēnshang才cái有yǒu了le一点儿yìdiǎnr黑色hēisè和hé白色báisè。

大熊猫dàxióngmāo最zuì喜欢xǐhuān吃chī竹子zhúzi。它tā吃chī的de东西dōngxī，差不多chàbuduō都dōu是shì竹子zhúzi。它tā一天yìtiān要yào吃chī十二shí’èr个gè小时xiǎoshí，吃chī十几shíjǐ公斤gōngjīn。

为什么wèishénme要yào吃chī这么zhème长cháng时间shíjiān？因为yīnwèi大熊猫dàxióngmāo是shì熊xióng，它tā的de身体shēntǐ更gèng像xiàng吃chī肉ròu的de动物dòngwù。竹子zhúzi里有用yǒuyòng的de东西dōngxī很hěn少shǎo，所以suóyǐ它tā只能zhǐnéng一直yìzhí吃chī，一直yìzhí吃chī，一直yìzhí吃chī。

吃chī得de多duō，上厕所shàngcèsuǒ也yě多duō。它们tāmen一天yìtiān要yào去qù几十jǐshí次cì！

它们tāmen的de手shǒu也yě很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi。你nǐ看kàn，它tā好像hǎoxiàng有yǒu六liù个gè手指shóuzhǐ。不过búguò，这个zhège“第dì六liù个gè手指shóuzhǐ”是shì一块yíkuài变biàn大dà了le的de骨头gǔtou。有yǒu了le它tā，拿ná东西dōngxī就jiù很hěn方便fāngbiàn了le。

今天jīntiān，在zài中国zhōngguó的de大山dàshān里，只有zhíyǒu一千八百多yìqiānbābǎiduō只zhī大熊猫dàxióngmāo。这zhè个gè数字shùzì比bǐ以前yǐqián多duō了le，可是kěshì还是háishi不bù多duō。所以suóyǐ在zài中国zhōngguó，大熊猫dàxióngmāo还有háiyǒu一yí个gè名字míngzi，叫jiào“国宝guóbǎo”。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
黑色	hēisè	black
白色	báisè	white
眼睛	yǎnjing	eye
长	cháng	long; length
身体	shēntǐ	body
肉	ròu	meat; flesh
次	cì	next; second (as in 次日)
手	shǒu	hand
有意思	yǒuyìsi	interesting; fun
拿	ná	to take; to hold; to carry
大熊猫	dàxióngmāo	giant panda
差不多	chàbuduō	almost; nearly

English (for the teacher)

A mother giant panda weighs about a hundred kilos. So how big is her baby when it’s born? Only a hundred grams, smaller than an apple!

What’s more, a newborn panda isn’t black and white: it’s pink, and its eyes can’t see anything yet. Only after about a week does a little black and white show on its body.

Giant pandas love bamboo most of all. Almost everything they eat is bamboo. A panda eats for twelve hours a day, over ten kilos.

Why does it take so long? Because giant pandas are bears, and their bodies are more like a meat-eater’s. There is very little in bamboo they can use, so they just have to keep eating, and eating, and eating.

Eat a lot, and you go to the toilet a lot. They go dozens of times a day!

Their hands are interesting too. Look, it seems to have six fingers. But that “sixth finger” is really an enlarged bone. With it, picking things up is easy.

Today, in China’s mountains, there are only a little over 1,800 giant pandas in the wild. That’s more than before, but still not many. So in China the giant panda has another name: “national treasure”.