Reading Further
Getting Ready
1)T 2)T 3)T 4)T 5)T 6)F
Comprehending
1.Sperm whales:1)emperors 2)biggest 3)beyond； active； take care of
Elephants: entire； helping its mother
Octopuses: starve； to death
How surprising！
2.1)The word “surprising” in the title is quite a proper word to summarise the theme of the texts because these animals do surprising things in taking care of their young.
2)（for reference) I think the octopuses impress me most, because it’s really hard to imagine that they would even starve to death in order to squeeze time keeping the eggs alive.
3)（for reference) There are some similarities and differences between human beings and animals in taking care of their children. Both animals and human beings sacrifice a lot in raising their kids, but in some degree animals face greater danger in the natural environment.
3.（for reference)
4.（for reference)
Dear Dad,
As I’m growing up, I realise just how much you have done for me. And, for that, I need to truly thank you—something I don’t think I’ve appropriately done to date.
Dad, thank you for telling me what I’m capable of. For giving me the support that I need to build a dream to chase after. And for believing that I have the talent to reach my goals.(https://www.daowen.com)
Dad, thank you for spending countless hours after you got home from work each night to teach me math that I would learn in school a few years later. It kept me challenged and ahead of the class.
Dad, thank you for coaching me from the sidelines before, during, and after every soccer game. I never had a truly good game until you told me I did.
Dad, thank you for getting mad at me when my report card didn’t have high enough grades, which made me realise that I should put more time into my work and improve my performance as a result.
At this point in my life, I’m considered an adult. Yes, maybe sometimes I don’t completely act like it,but that’s part of life, right? Anyway, thanks, dad！
Yours sincerely,
Stanley
Dear Mum,
As I’m growing up, I realise just how much you have done for me. And, for that, I need to truly thank you—something I don’t think I’ve appropriately done to date.
Mum, thank you for making me realise that I’m worth everything in this world, that I should be treated like a queen, and that I should never settle for less than what I deserve.
Mum, thank you for giving me a shoulder to cry on when boys broke my heart, and to let me know that my world wasn’t crashing down around me—as much as I believed it was at the time.
Mum, thank you for getting to know my friends—all of them—to make sure that I was choosing them wisely. That I was continually surrounding myself with respectable and responsible people through each and every phase of my life.
Mum, thank you for passing on your belief in greater things that are entirely out of my control. That everything happens for a reason, and we’ll one day figure out why. That there are moments we experience which provide comfort and a sense of self that we can’t explain.
Mum, thank you for showing me true love in its rarest form, what it feels like, and how it can extend beyond life’s obstacles and challenges.
Without you, I’d be nowhere near the person I am—and the person I’m still working on becoming.There aren’t enough words in the world to express my appreciation, but I think this is a good start. I owe you one.
Your loving daughter,
Anna