Henderson Island is a coral island raised above the South Pacific Ocean. No people live on it. The island is
9. 6 kilometers long and 5. 1 kilometers wide. It has an area of 37. 3 km2. Henderson Island became a World
Heritage Site in 1988 because of its bird life.
All the four kinds of special land birds ( Henderson Crake, Henderson Fruit Dove, Henderson Lorikeet and
Henderson Reed-warbler) can only be seen on Henderson Island. There are also fifteen nonlocal seabirds. Other
local things include nine kinds of plants ( of the sixty-three kinds on the island),four kinds of land snails (蜗牛) ( of the sixteen kinds),and one butterfly ( the only kind on the island).
Although no people live on Henderson Island, archaeological (考古的) evidence suggests that a small
Polynesian group lived here between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries until it disappeared. The reasons for its
disappearance are unknown, but are probably related to the similar disappearance of the Polynesians on Pitcaim
Island. The Hendersonians would have depended on them for many of the basics of life.
On January 29,1606, Henderson Island was discovered by Portuguese sailor Pedro Femandes de Queiros,
who named it San Joao Baptista. On January 17, 1819, the island was rediscovered by British Captain
Henderson of the British East India Company ship Hercules, and named Henderson Island. On March 2,1819,
Captain Henry King, sailing on the Elizabeth, landed on the island to find the Union flag already flying. His crew
scratched (刻) the name of their ship on a tree, and for some years the name of the island was Elizabeth or
Henderson.
In the early 1980s, American businessman Arthur M. Ratliff expressed interest in buying Henderson Island,
and establishing a small settlement with an airstrip (飞机跑道), farm, and large houses. But the British Foreign
and Commonwealth Office refused it at last, after environmentalist groups persuaded them to protect the natural ecology and environment(生态环境) of the island which became a World Heritage Site later.
America"s first zoo opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859. Today about fifty million people visit
zoos in this country each year."Let"s go to the zoo!" is an expression people know very well.
What visitors find when they arrive has changed over the years. At one time, zoo animals lived in small,
box-like cages. There was nothing except the animal, its food and its waste. The Bronx Zoo in New York
City led the way to better conditions. It designed places to provide more freedom (自由) for its animals.
The idea to create settings more like nature has spread to other zoos in America. For example, some-like
the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri-allow birds to fly freely, although inside buildings.
Out West, one of the leading American zoos is the one in San Diego, in Southern California. Three giant
pandas live there, including Hua Mei-one of the few born at a zoo in the United States.
The San Diego Zoo is also known for its koalas. These brown, furry animals from Australia are much
smaller than the pandas but also highly popular.
Yet, back home, some Australian states fear that koalas may die out. Several years ago, the San Diego
Zoo started a program to protect endangered animals and their natural areas. Other parks and wildlife groups
also took part in this project. More than 2,000 animals share about 730 hectares (公顷) of land at the San
Diego Wild Animal Park. Experts have praised the park as a center for protection of rare animals.
For example, the Wild Animal Park has helped save the California condor (加州兀鹫). With its wings
spread, this huge bird measures three meters across. In 1987, researchers caught the last known California
condors in the wild and took them to the Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
Today, more than 150 California condors are alive. Some have been freed into the wild.
Rock music in one form or another is the most popular type of music all over the world. But where did it
come from?
Rock began in the USA in the early 1950s. At that time, rhythm and blue music was very popular with
black Americans. "R&B" was a mixture of black religious (宗教) music and jazz. It had strong rhythms (节奏)
that you could dance to and simple, fast words.
Noticing the success of R&B music, white musicians started to copy the same style. By the mid 1950s, this
new white R&B music, called rock "n" roll, had become very popular. Singers like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley
attracted millions of teenage fans (爱好者). Their music was fast and loud. Many older people thought that
rock " n" roll was very dangerous.
By the early 1960s, even rock " n" roll had become old fashioned. Many of the songs had begun to sound
the same. It was at that time that a new group from England became popular-The Beatles.
The Beatles first started by singing American style songs, but they soon developed their own style, with
more complicated (复杂的 ) tunes (曲调 ). They also introduced different instruments. Groups like The
Beatles had a very important influence on the style of popular music.
By the early 1970s,rock " n" roll had developed into a new form of music. Electronics (电子) had replaced
the amplified (增大的) guitars and drums of rock "n" roll."Rock" had arrived.
Rock music has continued to change and develop. It has combined with music from different parts of the
world. Today, there are hundreds of different types of rock music, and almost every country has its own form
of rock.