Seasons and Living Things
FoundationSpring, summer, autumn and winter come round in turn; plants drop leaves and bloom, animals hibernate and migrate — seasons shape the life of living things.
- The year turns through spring, summer, autumn and winter.
- Autumn leaves are how plants get through winter.
- Hibernating animals live on stored fat.
文體小知識：說明文把知識講得清清楚楚。這一篇講春夏秋冬怎樣輪替，植物落葉開花、動物冬眠遷徙的巧妙本領。
§Text Passage
1Through the year the weather changes in a cycle: spring warm and damp, summer hot and rainy, autumn cool and dry, winter cold with little rain — these are the seasons. Hong Kong's four seasons are not very distinct, but in northern China and other countries the changes are dramatic: cherry blossoms in spring, a white world of snow in winter.
2Plants live by the seasons. When autumn comes and temperature drops with shorter days, maple leaves turn red and ginkgo leaves turn gold; a gust of wind, and leaves flutter down. In winter the bare trees wear their naked winter dress, losing less water and storing nutrients in their trunks, sleeping safely through the cold.
3Spring returns, the weather warms, trees sprout tender buds, cherry and peach blossoms open, grass turns green, and farmers sow busily; summer brings strong sunshine and rich rain, when plants grow fastest and fruit ripens little by little; then autumn turns the fields golden — harvest time. Year after year, the cycle never stops.
4Animals have their own winter tricks too: through the whole autumn a northern bear eats non-stop and grows fat, then sleeps in a cave all winter, living slowly on stored fat — this is hibernation; wild geese, swallows and other migratory birds fly in flocks to the warm south and return in spring to breed — this is migration.
5Animals that stay have their ways too: squirrels hide nuts and seeds in tree holes in autumn, rabbits grow thick furry coats, sparrows huddle together for warmth. Every winter the rare black-faced spoonbill even flies all the way to Hong Kong's Mai Po wetlands to spend the winter. Watch how living things change with the seasons — nature is the most wonderful textbook.
1Summary 重點摘要
Spring, summer, autumn and winter come round in turn; plants drop leaves and bloom, animals hibernate and migrate — seasons shape the life of living things.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The spring, summer, autumn and winter that come round in order each year.
The warm, damp season when plants bud and bloom.
The hot, rainy season when plants grow fastest.
The cool, dry season when leaves turn colour and fruit ripens.
The cold season, when animals hibernate or migrate.
To sleep through winter on stored fat, like bears do.
To travel far for food and warmth, like birds flying south.
Birds that move with the seasons, like swallows and black-faced spoonbills.
Leaves trees drop in autumn to help them through winter.
A bushy-tailed little animal that stores food for winter.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know the four seasonsThrough twelve months the weather turns in a circle: March to April is spring, warm and damp with drizzles; May to August is summer, hot and rainy with the occasional typhoon; September to November is autumn, clear, cool and dry — the most comfortable season; December to February is winter, cold and dry, needing thick clothes. Hong Kong's seasons shift in temperature but are not distinct; northern China is far more dramatic with freezing, snowy winters and hot summers. Remember the order: spring, summer, autumn, winter, round and round.
- Step 2: How plants get through autumn and winterAs autumn and winter come with shorter days and lower temperature, deciduous trees act: a special layer forms at the base of each leaf stalk, and the leaves flutter down in the wind. Why drop them? In winter the frozen soil gives the roots little water, while leaves keep losing moisture; dropping leaves is like turning off a tap, saving water and nutrients. Pines and firs keep their narrow needle-like leaves that lose water slowly, so they stay green all winter. Fallen leaves rot on the ground into nutrients, giving back to the earth.
- Step 3: How plants greet spring and summerIn spring, rising warmth and rain wake the roots, nutrients flow upward, and tender buds and leaves burst out; cherry, peach and azalea blossoms open one after another while bees and butterflies busily carry pollen; farmers seize the moment to sow. Summer brings the fiercest sun and the richest rain, when plants grow with all their might: leaves thicken, flowers fade into little fruits that swell. By autumn the paddy fields turn golden and fruit hangs heavy — harvest time, when animals too share nature's great plenty.
- Step 4: How animals hibernateWinter is cold and food is scarce, so some animals choose a long sleep — hibernation. All autumn a northern bear eats non-stop to store thick fat, then hides in a cave, its heartbeat and breathing slowing right down, living on the fat until spring; snakes and frogs burrow into the ground or mud; snails seal themselves inside their shells. Remember: hibernating animals are not dead, only running on the very lowest setting. Disturbing them burns their precious reserves and is very dangerous — never do it.
- Step 5: How migratory birds travelMigratory birds are master movers: when cold weather thins out the insects, they fly in flocks to warm places full of food, then return home in spring to breed. Wild geese fly in a V formation, taking turns at the front to save strength; swallows travel north and south every year with astonishing precision. Hong Kong is an important stopover: each winter the endangered black-faced spoonbill arrives at the Mai Po wetlands and Nam Sang Wai, sweeping fish and shrimps from the shallows with its spoon-shaped bill, then flying back north in spring — year after year.
- Step 6: Observe the seasons changeBe a season observer: choose a tree in a park or near home and photograph it every season, comparing the colour and number of leaves; count the flowers in spring and collect differently shaped fallen leaves in autumn to make leaf-vein bookmarks; notice whether winter brings extra bird visitors to the streets. Keep a four-season journal, and you will watch nature's cycle with your own eyes: sprout, grow, flower, fruit, drop leaves — then a brand-new year begins.
5Worked example Example
Example: winter arrives in a northern forest — the trees drop their leaves, the bear is gone, and the swallows have flown away. What is happening?
- The falling leaves: in cold, dry winter, trees drop leaves to lose less water and store nutrients in the trunk, waiting for spring's new growth.
- The missing bear: it is hibernating in a cave, fattened through autumn, living on stored body fat all winter.
- The departed swallows: as migratory birds they have flown in flocks to the warm, food-rich south, returning north to breed in spring.
- The connection: seasons change temperature and food supply, and plants and animals survive by dropping leaves, hibernating and migrating.
- Answer: Winter is cold and food is scarce: trees drop leaves to save water, the bear hibernates on stored fat, and swallows migrate to the warm south. These are the survival skills of plants and animals adapting to the seasons.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What are the four seasons of the year?
Q2Why do trees drop leaves in autumn?
Q3What keeps a bear alive through hibernation?
Q4Where do migratory birds fly in winter?
Q5Name one animal that hibernates.
8Recap Recap
- The year turns through spring, summer, autumn and winter.
- Autumn leaves are how plants get through winter.
- Hibernating animals live on stored fat.
- Migratory birds travel for warmth and food.
- Seasonal changes shape the lives of plants and animals.