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．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Pineapple Awards Celebrate Fruits of Science

　　We live in a world of wonder but not in a world of magic．And understanding that world does not mean learning a few tricks at Hogwarts．Instead, it means understanding how important science is in our daily lives．

　　Just take a moment and look around your home．The electric lamp on your desk, the silicon microchip in your mobile phone, your mother's laundry detergent; they are all the results of science．

　　To get people more aware of these wonders that surround us, guokr．com, a science website, and Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Museum have established the “Pineapple Science Awards．” The awards are to be given annually and recognize recent achievements in chemistry, physics, medicine and biology, mathematics and psychology．There are also two special awards for discoveries that are imaginative, fun and thought-provoking．

　　Zhou Xinyue's research certainly met those criteria．The Sun Yat-Sen University professor was among the first group of Pineapple winners．She conducted an experiment that showed that counting money can ease pain．Professor Zhou had people count money and then dipped their hands into hot water．It turns out that after flipping through a brick of RMB, people can keep their hands in hot water for a longer time．I suppose this proves that although money can't buy you happiness, it can certainly make your life less painful．

　　If that sounds a bit frivolous, it's all in keeping with the spirit of the awards．They are intended to be light-hearted．That is why the pineapple was chosen as the awards’ symbol．Ji Shisan, the founder of guokr．com, said, “This nutritive fruit has a bright color and pleasing taste while shaped in a strange way, which indicates the awards are pleasing, interesting, nourishing, and a bit strange．”

　　Pineapple winner Zhou Xinyue added, “Some research topics seem to be weird but actually have deep meaning, which inspires us in a different way．The topics might be funny, but the research method should be serious and scientific．”

　　Are you interested in science? Then reach for the sky．You might end up with a pineapple in your hands．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Vancouver's Chinatown is the second biggest Chinatown in North America's, after San Francisco's．Mandarin and Cantonese are the mother tongues in 30 percent of Vancouver homes, which makes Chinese the largest“minority”ethnic(人种的)group．There are lots of interesting markets with many varieties of fresh and dried seafood and mushrooms．You'll also find inexpensive house ware(家用器皿)and traditional Chinese medicine．

　　Vancouver's Chinatown is also a popular tourist attraction and wealthy commercial district．Its busy streets are full of color and commerce(商业)；even the tower-topped telephone booths add to the atmosphere．During the summer, on weekend evenings, Keefer and Pender Streets become a busy open-air night market．Shop displays spill onto the pavements．The Sam Kee Building in Pender Street is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records(吉尼斯世界记录)as being the narrowest building in the world, at only six-foot(two metres)wide．Another main attraction in Chinatown is the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which was built in 1986 at a cost of ＄ 5.3 million with the craftsmen(工匠)and materials all imported from China．Next door to the Garden is the Chinese Cultural Centre with gates hand-painted in traditional color．

　　In the past, Chinatown was regarded as nothing more than a ghetto site(贫民窟)．Chinese immigrants first arrived on the province during the 1850s, when the Fraser Gold rush occurred．Many Chinese laborers were imported to build the railway tracks with terrible working conditions and low pay．Many years had passed Chinese Canadians were finally granted citizenship in 1947．

　　Modern Chinatown is filled with many shops that sell various herbs, sweet cakes and other items．Eating in Chinatown is not only unique but also rewarding, as you will be presented with an assortment of tasty dishes．The atmosphere in any restaurant is always busy so be patient when you are eating there．It is considered common polite behavior to pay a tip to the waiters who are serving even though it is not in the Chinese custom to accept tips．

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　　Typhoons usually come to Taiwan in summer．They bring lots of rain．It gives us water to use．But typhoons also bring us floods if it rains too much．After the floods, there may be diseases such as dysentery or dengue fever．Typhoons also come with a lot of wind．The wind damages houses, trees, crops and hurts people．So staying at home, preparing food and water, and watching the news on TV are the safest things to do．

　　The confirmed death toll(伤亡人数)in Taiwan caused by Typhoon Morakot, which first hit the island on August 6^th, causing the worst floods since 1959, is bad enough．By the middle of this week, over 100 people were reported dead and more than 60 were missing．But there had been fears that 500 people had been buried alive in Hsiao Lin, a village in the wooded mountains of Taiwan’s south, and even more in remote neighboring villages．These made people feel a little comforted on August 12^th, when almost 1,600 people were found alive by a 25-helicopter search mission(任务)．Survivors had not eaten for days and helicopters dropped foods and drinks and began a slow evacuation(撤离), blocked by heavy rain．The army says it does not know how many people may have died there．The government faced criticism for not having arranged an evacuation as soon as it heard the typhoon was coming．“We should brace ourselves(振作起来)against typhoons as if they are an invading enemy,” said Chu Wen-sen, one of Taiwan’s leading water-management experts．

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