Running like the wind, roaring 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 southern China．In the 1950's, there were over 4000 tigers found in mountain forests in the country．But due to the destruction of their natural 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 country 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 recovered some of their instincts（本能）and can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．
" South Africans are very experienced in reintroducing 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 Center．" We tried in Fujian Province, but it was not successful as there was not a complete eco-chain（生物鏈） and there was a lack of space．"
The 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 becoming one of the world's top ten most endangered species?
A．Because it has lost its n
atural instincts． B．Because there is not a complete eco-chain．
C．Because there is no space for it． D．Because uncontrolled hunting has destroyed its 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 to 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．
5．Which one is not the reason for South Africa being chosen as the training place?
A．Because the tigers can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．
B．Because South Africans are skilled at dealing with the tigers．
C．Because there is a complete eco-chain and enough space there．
D．Because the country has good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in．
lls for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations 41 my development? I was never 42 to work on cars or be around 43 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!
book-lover or merely you are there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon become engrossed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realise you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.
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er people do，" said Liz Nickels，the owner of Big Adventures，a US-based company that hosts scuba-diving—a sport of swimming underwater while breathing through a tube connected to a tank on your back for larger people. As a way to keep up with the demand for extralarge accommodation，many hotels in the US have started to offer features such as wide beds and hand-held showers. But the best in plus-size vacation lies at Mexico's Freedom Paradise，a 112-room resort(度假勝地) opening this month，which urges guests to" Live Large，Live Free" . 
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eggs in small bags in their stomachs until they hatch. Even after the babies are born, they stay inside the bag until they are ready to live by themselves.
s (鴕鳥), are so protective of their children that they have even been known to attack small airplanes on the grou
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ter’s long separately ― is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation of the English acronyms must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little trouble but a necessary one because not every audience member can understand the acronyms.” 
eech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”
