Running like the wind, roaring (咆哮)like thunder ,tigers have long been feared and respected as a king of the animal world. But last week a report said that there are no more than 30 wild tigers left in South China.

This was the conclusion of a team of scientists from China's State Forestry Administration and the World Nature Fund.

The South China tiger, also known as the Chinese tiger, is native to the .southern China. In the 1950s, there were over 4, 000 tigers found in mountain forests in the country. But due to the destruction of their natu?ral habitat and uncontrolled hunting, it has been pushed on to the list of the world's top ten most endangered species.

Sixty-six of the big cats can be found in the cages of a dozen zoos around China. But they are nothing like their wild cousins. They have lost their natural skills such as hunting and killing. If they were set free they could not look after themselves.

"Breeding has damaged the quality of the species," said Pei Enle, deputy director of the Shanghai Zoo.

To reintroduce the species into the wild, the coun?try started a programme to send five to ten young tigers to South Africa. Four of them have already arrived. Progress has been made as two elder tigers have recov?ered some of their instincts (本能)and can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base.

"South Africans are very experienced in reintrodu?cing big animals to the wild. The country has very good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in," said Lu Jun, office director of the National Wildlife Research and Development Centre. "We tried in Fujian Province, but it was not successful as there was not a complete eco-chain (生物链)and there was a lack of space.,,

These tigers should return to China in 2007 when the reservations in Fujian are ready. 

1. What is the main reason for the South China tiger be?coming one of the world's top ten most endangered species?

A. Because it has lost its natural instincts.

B.    Because there is not a complete eco-chain.

C.    Because there is no space for it.

D.    Because of the uncontrolled hunting and destroyed natural living conditions.

2.    How is the programme of sending several tigers to South Africa getting on?

A.    Its effect still remains to be seen.

B.    Two tigers can already compete with their wild cousins.

C.    Some of the tigers are already on the road to recovering their natural skills.

D.    The tigers should be able to recover their instincts completely by 2007.

3.    By saying "but they are nothing like their wild cousins" ,the writer means that    .

A.    they are no longer feared by other wild animals

B.    they don't know how lo hunt or kill

C.    a complete change has resulted in the species because of breeding

D.    to reintroduce them into the wild has become an urgent task

4.    What is the purpose of sending young tigers to South Africa?

A.    To help the tigers recover their ability to live in the wild.

B.    To provide them with a better environment.

C.    To get the tigers to go on a tour.

D.    To find a complete eco-chain for them.

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like "I was wrong about that."  and it is even harder to say, "I was wrong? and you were right about that.

I had an experience recently with someone admit?ting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighbourhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (箱子).Then he related an incident and I began to remember clearly the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly-grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.

The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting (examining) some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the criminal. He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for all the broken eggs. I protes?ted my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the inci?dent, obviously the manager did not.

1.    The author was       when he wrote this article.

A. about 8      B. about 18

C. about 23     D. about 15

2.    Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of car?tons?

A. The author. B. The manager.

C. The woman.      D. The author's mother.

3.    When the manager scolded him the author   .

A.    was frightened and cried

B.    tried to explain

C.    did not say anything

D.    felt the manager was right

4.    It can be inferred that the author .

A.    regrets arguing with the manager for what he didn't do

B.    would like to tell people never to be fooled by an egg sale

C.    has forgiven the manager for what he did to him fifteen years ago

D.    expects the woman to say sorry to him for the mistake she made

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网