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Reader's Bank_Level 6_Unit 07                                    Reading Text

People say that magpies are smart animals. But is it true? An experiment was conducted to test their memory. A man climbed up to a magpie’s nest and took its baby while the magpie was watching. The next day, the man walked past the nest. As soon as the magpie saw him, it cried violently and even followed him, continuing to call out. It seemed as if it was “yelling” at him. A few minutes later, another man wearing the same clothes passed by the nest. This was meant to trick the magpie. Surprisingly, the magpie did not react at all. This experiment shows that the magpie could remember the face of the person who took its baby. Clearly, this amazing bird knows more than we might think.

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Jet streams are very strong winds that blow high in the sky. They can move as fast as 320 kilometers per hour! These winds flow like rivers in the air, but we can’t see them. Jet streams move clouds and storms around the Earth. In winter, they bring cold air. In summer, they bring warm air. Therefore, weather stations use jet streams to help predict the weather. Airplanes take advantage of jet streams, too. If a plane flies with a jet stream, it can go much faster and save fuel. Jet streams are like an airplane a giant push from behind. Whoever flies against the jet stream will be in difficulty — like trying to run against a powerful river. That’s why pilots pay attention to them. Jet streams are like invisible highways in the sky — fast, strong, and always moving!

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Several years ago, there was sad news about whales. A baby whale was found dead just ten days after birth. The mother whale was very sad, so she carried her baby on her head and tried to keep it above the water for 17 days. How sad must the mother have been to carry her baby for so many days? In recent years, baby whale deaths have happened more often. What could be causing this problem? Whales need to eat 18 to 25 salmon every day. But now, the salmon are polluted because of dirty water. Whales that eat this polluted salmon can get sick. Toxins, or harmful substances, in mother whales’ bodies can pass to their babies, which can make the babies sick or even die early. If the ocean stays polluted, more whales may not survive. The world is changing— but not in a way that helps the animals that have lived here long before humans.