I knew they were out there somewhere, and I was determined to find them.
Like most tourists who visit Ranthambore National Park in India, I went with just one goal in mind:to see tigers in the wild.
Twice a day, all year round, 10 open-topped trucks are allowed to rumble along the park’s dirt roads for a few hours.It costs 360 rupees(about $8, U.S.)to buy a seat on one of the trucks.Glimpses of tigers are free.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed.Forty tigers wander Ranthambore’s 388 square miles.But tigers hear and smell us long before we can see them.Some tourists I met near the park were lucky enough to see a handful of tigers up close during just one trip.Other people saw none, even after going out six or more times.
Still, I couldn’t pass up(miss)the excursion(short journey).It was an opportunity that might someday disappear.Tigers are among the most endangered animals on Earth.In India, where about half of the planet’s remaining 7000 wild tigers live, tigers face a number of threats, especially from a growing human population.More than a billion people live in India today, and development is rapidly expanding into what was once largely tiger territory.
Conservationists nonetheless(in spite of that)remain optimistic.“The tiger will not disappear,”said P.K.Sen, director of the Tiger and Wildlife Program for World Wildlife Fund-India(WWF-India).He was kind enough to meet with me in his New Delhi office on a Sunday, the only day I spent in the city during a recent 3-week trip to India.
There’s no way, Sen said, that people will ever let the majestic cats die out.“The tiger has been a symbol of strength and might for thousands of years,”he said.
(1)
The main purpose of my trip to India is to ________.
[ ]
A.
meet the P.K Sen the director of the Tiger and Wildlife Program for World Wildlife Fund India
B.
see the majestic cats in the wild
C.
to find out why the number of tigers in India is less and less
D.
to make sure I am luck enough to meet tigers
(2)
It is very ________ to meet a lot of tigers up close during your trip in the park.
[ ]
A.
easy
B.
dangerous
C.
not so often
D.
convenient
(3)
Among the threats to the tiger, the biggest one is ________.
[ ]
A.
the more terrible environment
B.
a larger and larger population
C.
the climate change
D.
the Indian Government doesn’t care it
(4)
From this passage, we can infer ________.
[ ]
A.
development is rapidly expanding into what was once largely tiger territory, so some day the tigers will not find any place to live and disappear
B.
the Indian Government will take some measures to protect the tigers
C.
the tiger has been a symbol of strength and might for many years
D.
I met director P.K.Sen on a Sunday
(5)
Which of the following statements is true?
[ ]
A.
During this trip to India, I stayed there for three weeks.
B.
I spent the only day I stayed in India to meet the director P.K.Sen.
C.
Nearly a billion people live in India today.
D.
Every tourist can be lucky enough to see a handful of tigers up close if he goes to the park several times.