英语听力：Wild China 美丽中国 -6

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Those that survive spend a lot of time traveling, yet experienced adults know exactly where to find seasonal¹ foods in different parts of their range. In such steep terrain², travel involves a high level of climbing skill. These monkeys are spectacularly good rock climbers from the time they learn to walk. In langur society, females rule the roost, and take the lead when the family is on the move.

 

One section of a  cliff  oozes a trickle³ of mineral-rich water, which the monkeys seem to find  irresistible. These days there are few predators⁵ in the Mayanghe Reserve which might pose a risk to a baby monkey, but in past centuries, this area of South China, was home to leopards⁶, pythons, and even tigers.

 

To survive dangerous night prowlers, the langurs went underground, using their rock climbing skills to seek shelter in inaccessible⁷ caverns⁸. Filmed in near darkness using a night vision camera, the troop climbs along familiar ledges⁹, worn smooth by generations before them.

 

During cold winter weather, the monkeys venture deeper underground, where the air stays comparatively warm. At last journey's end, a cozy¹⁰ niche¹¹ beyond the reach of even the most enterprising predator⁴.

 

But it’s not just monkeys that find shelter in caves; these children are off to school. In rural China, that may mean a long trek¹² each morning, passing through a cave or two on the way. But not all pupils have to walk to school, these children are boarders. As the day pupils near journey's end, the boarders are still making breakfast.

 

In the schoolyard, someone seemed to have switched the lights off. But this is no ordinary playground, and no ordinary school．It's housed inside a cave, a natural vault¹³ of rock keeps out the rain, so there is no need for a roof on the classroom.

 

Zhongdong Cave School is made up of 6 classes, with a total of 200 children

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