進入英語學習論壇下載音頻

Two of China's pandas will head to Scotland on Sunday morning to make their debut at Edinburgh Zoo, a leading panda expert with the Bifengxia base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an, Sichuan province, said on Monday.

Male panda Yang Guang, or "Sunshine", and his mate Tian Tian, or "Sweetie", have been quarantined since mid-October and are healthy, Li Desheng, deputy base chief, told China Daily.

Yang Guang weighs about 120 kg and Tian Tian 110 kg, although the pandas' weight varies from day to day. Both pandas are in the breeding periods of their lives, and they are widely expected to produce cubs during their 10-year stay at the Edinburgh Zoo.

Tian Tian first gave birth two years ago when her twins were born at the Bifengxia base, Li said.

To help the two pandas adapt, their keeper Xie Hao and veterinarian Tang Chunxiang from Bifengxia base will travel with them to the UK.

A send-off ceremony will be held at the base on Sunday, he said. The zoo has said that it would invest 300,000 pounds ($465,000) to build a new panda habitat.

Cameras in the pandas' habitat will allow people to watch the pair in the open enclosure as well as in their separate rooms. But their activities in a cavernous boudoir will be kept private.

The pandas were selected as goodwill ambassadors after Vice-Premier Li Keqiang visited Britain in January and oversaw a panda loan agreement signed between the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns Edinburgh Zoo.

Their arrival will mark the return of the giant panda to the British public's view, 17 years after Ming Ming left the UK in 1994. Prior to Ming Ming, China had sent two pandas, Jia Jia and Jing Jiang, to Britain in 1974. The pair did not give birth to any cubs there, but were widely adored at London Zoo.

Questions:

1. How much does Yang Guang weigh?

2. How much is the zoo investing in a new panda habitat?

3. When did Ming Ming leave the UK?

Answers:

1. 120 kg

2. 300,000 pounds

3. 1994

（中國日報網英語點津 Rosy 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.