🎧 Listen to today’s story
📚 Key Words
| Word | Meaning | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| paradox | Something that seems impossible but is actually true. | 悖论 |
| cell | The smallest part of a living thing. | 细胞 |
| scientist | A person who studies how things in the world work. | 科学家 |
| mystery | Something that is difficult to understand or explain. | 谜/奥秘 |
| gene | Small parts inside a body that hold instructions. | 基因 |
| protect | To keep someone or something safe. | 保护 |
| nature | All the plants, animals, and the world around us. | 大自然 |
| instruction | Information that tells you how to do or make something. | 指令/说明 |
📖 Read the story
Do you know what a paradox is? It is something that sounds impossible but is true. Let’s look at elephants and mice. Elephants are very big animals. They have millions more cells than small mice. Usually, having more cells means an animal might get sick more easily. But this does not happen to elephants. They do not get sick more often than mice. This is a famous science mystery. For many years, scientists did not know why. They studied these animals and found the answer. Elephants have special genes in their bodies. Genes are tiny instructions. These special genes help to protect the elephant’s body. They stop the animal from getting sick. This mystery helped scientists understand how bodies work. It shows that nature has many surprises. Sometimes, things that look wrong are actually right. Science is exciting because there is always something new to learn!
✏️ Answer the questions
1. What is a paradox?
- A.A large animal like an elephant
- B.A story about small mice
- C.Something that sounds impossible but is true
- D.A type of medicine for sick animals
2. Why were scientists confused about elephants?
- A.Because elephants have very few cells
- B.Because elephants do not get sick more than mice
- C.Because elephants are afraid of small mice
- D.Because elephants live for a long time
3. What are genes?
- A.Tiny instructions in the body
- B.Small parts of the skin
- C.Types of food for big animals
- D.Tools that scientists use
4. What helps to protect the elephant’s body?
- A.Having millions of mice
- B.Special genes
- C.Learning science
- D.Growing very fast
5. Why is science exciting according to the text?
- A.Because elephants are the biggest animals
- B.Because scientists are very famous
- C.Because there is always something new to learn
- D.Because nature is never surprising