【英语时差8，16】地震灾区熊猫奥运前北京展出

 Eight pandas that survived China's deadly earthquake went on display at the Beijing Zoo earlier this month, with officials expecting the bears to attract millions of Olympic visitors.

After a special welcoming ceremony, a steady stream of mainly Chinese tourists crowded around the 2-year-old cubs¹' enclosure and took photos with their phone cameras, as the pandas munched² on bamboo.

The endangered animals arrived on May 24 from their famed breeding ground in Wolong, a town in China's southwest Sichuan province, 30 kilometers from the epicenter of last month's devastating³ earthquake.

"We always pat them gently, talk with them in the Sichuan dialect and maintain eye contact so it will be easier for them to adapt to their new home," panda keeper Wu Daifu said.

"Having got over the minor⁴ anxiety (of the quake), they are living healthily in the zoo and growing heavier."The pandas were scheduled before the quake to come to the Chinese capital as star attractions for visitors during the Beijing Olympics in August.

"The cubs ... are expected to attract six million domestic and foreign tourists during their six-month show in the capital," Xinhua News Agency said.

The panda is one of the world's most endangered animals, with an estimated 1,600 in nature parks in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, plus more than 200 others in captivity⁵.

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 munched   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She munched on an apple. 她在大口啃苹果。
• The rabbit munched on the fresh carrots. 兔子咯吱咯吱地嚼着新鲜胡萝卜。 来自辞典例句

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。