3107期高中进阶音频 Can Animal Influencers Be Ambassadors for Conservation? Recently, the internet found a new darling: Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo (侏儒河马) who’s as round as a wet rock. Videos and memes of this grey, roly-poly (胖乎乎的) creature have melted people’s hearts, making her the latest in a long line of cute animals that have become internet sensations. But while we all enjoy a good “aww” moment, there is more to Moo Deng’s story than meets the eye. And it’s not all sunshine and viral fame. Pygmy hippos like Moo Deng are endangered, with fewer than 2,500 individuals still remaining in the wild. Habitat loss, human overpopulation, and hunting have led to a rapid decline in their numbers. Thus, while Moo Deng may appear to be a chubby, waddling (摇摇晃晃的) internet star, she represents a much larger issue: the ongoing struggle to protect species on the edge of extinction. On a positive note, Moo Deng’s internet fame could help raise awareness of endangered animals. Conservationists hope that as more people fall in love with her, they will be inspired to support efforts to protect her species and preserve their habitat. Just imagine a world where internet fame translates into real-world conservation action. Now, wouldn’t that be something? However, Moo Deng’s newfound fame has also brought unwanted attention. Some zoo visitors, in their eagerness to interact with her, have gone too far by throwing food into her enclosure (围场) and even pouring water on her while she was peacefully napping. In response, the zoo has increased security to make sure that Moo Deng stays safe and undisturbed. This reminds us that even internet-famous animals need protection from the pressures of fame. Moo Deng’s story also raises a question: What about the less “cute” species? While animals like pygmy hippos, pandas and koalas consistently trend on social media, countless other endangered species often go unnoticed. Asian elephants, for example, are disappearing due to habitat loss and fragmentation (破碎化) but rarely receive the same attention. Though they may not tug at our heartstrings in the same way, less cute animals are equally vital to their ecosystems and deserve just as much care and protection. Moo Deng’s fame will fade as she grows, but her story highlights the importance of protecting all of Earth’s amazing creatures. That adorable little hippo, like China’s beloved pandas, has the potential to bring about real change. Her popularity can encourage people to think beyond clicking “like” and take meaningful steps to protect endangered species. After all, isn’t that what real fame should be about? Inside the International Space Station Leak Problem Assembled largely by the U.S. and Russia, the International Space Station (ISS) has been operating in low Earth orbit for over ten years. Now, there are signs that the station may face an early retirement. The ISS must remain pressurized and filled with breathable gases to host its crew of astronauts. This process has been managed in separate but connected Russian and U.S. sections. In 2019, however, problematic leaks were first identified in a passage that connects a Russian module, called Zvezda, to a docking port for spacecraft carrying goods and supplies. The pressure leak has peaked this year. U.S. officials now consider this the most serious problem facing the aging space station, believing it could threaten the safety of the crew aboard. Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has directed its astronauts to search for and fix the leaks, which has eased the situation. The agency disagrees with NASA about the severity of the problem and considers the Americans’ warning of a disastrous failure “unrealistic.” The two parties do not see eye to eye on the exact cause of the leaks. Russian experts believe that micro-vibrations have worn and cracked the metal walls over the years. NASA, on the other hand, believes the picture to be more complicated, involving several factors. The U.S. is now pushing for independent experts from both sides to evaluate the situation and help the two space agencies to reach agreement. Roscosmos and NASA remain in close communication about the issue. Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the ISS have been required to adopt precautionary measures. The leaking module must be sealed off at all times. When astronauts have to open it to unpack goods from spacecraft that arrive at the nearby docking port, they should close the hatch that separates the U.S. and Russian sections of the station. In addition, NASA is putting an extra “pallet seat” aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to ensure its astronauts’ safety. The “seat” is a foam cushion (泡沫橡胶垫) located in the spacecraft’s cargo area that would allow astronauts to strap (用带子绑) in for an emergency ride home. While NASA hopes that the ISS will endure through at least 2030, it is planning an alternative space station to be created and operated by the private sector. The space agency intends to roll out lucrative (利润丰厚的) contracts for the job in 2026. Still, it’s not clear whether commercial destinations will be ready before the ISS is forced to retire. Why I’m Teaching My Daughter My Mother Tongue At a coffee shop, my child shouted, “Tata, please bring maca and capall to folcadan.” “Oh honey,” the woman standing behind us laughed. “That’s a mouthful (冗长拗口的词).” My husband explained that our daughter was asking him to bring her toys to the bathtub. “What language is she speaking?” the stranger wondered.We explained the linguistic arrangement of our family: My husband is from Dublin and speaks Irish; I was born in the former Yugoslavia and speak Serbian (塞尔维亚语); we met in New York and communicate in English. Now living in the U.S. state of Wyoming, we are trying our best to raise our daughter with all three languages. I am still surprised by how many people laugh when they hear this. What they mean, I assume, is that neither Serbian nor Irish is a widely used language. If a language’s usefulness is measured by its global reach, I suppose both languages rank low on the list. However, I grew up measuring linguistic utility (效用) by a different set of rules. My mother, born in Sarajevo and raised in Serbia, was a “chameleon (变色龙)”: She could, and still can, easily switch between two different languages. After we moved to America, I also managed to maintain fluency largely thanks to her insistence that one must never lose one’s native language. Her reasons for this had to do with the role of native language in the preservation of family heritage. Translation has eroded (侵蚀) some aspects of our traditions, and thus eroded the parts of my mother that made her whole, complex and fully rounded. But most crucially for her, Serbian is a kind of escape from dangerous situations. “Make a scene,” she might say in the language, when she realized that strange men were following us. Our shared language also serves as a fulcrum of our relationship, a kind of space where my mother and I can both retreat (躲避). When I want to share something difficult or emotionally charged with her, I tend to say, “I don’t know how to express this.” Her response is, “probaj maternjim” — try your mother tongue. Every so often, some long-forgotten word or phrase comes out of my old memory. I ask my mother about its origins, and then look for ways to use it in conversation with her. All this strengthens the bond between us, and I want this bond for myself and my daughter, my daughter and her father, his people and mine. At the heart of this desire is the life each of us can allow ourselves to imagine for our children. My mother did not imagine that her homeland would tear itself apart, and that the life, for which she sought to prepare me, would no longer be useful. I, too, have no idea what camouflage (伪装) my daughter will need to survive the things I cannot imagine. I want her to speak my language, and her father’s, too, because I want her to be a chameleon, like my mother is.
