A group of wandering wild elephants suddenly left their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, which have become a hit in China and globally.
Since leaving the reserve, the elephants have walked over 310 miles. Along the way, they have got into farms for food and water, walked through urban streets, and even paid a visit to a car shop and a retirement home. However, they have destroyed more than $1 million worth of crops.
Researchers are not sure why the elephants decided to leave or where they are headed. While elephants are known to leave their habitats (栖息地) in search of food, this is the longest moving of wild elephants recorded in China. Because of the extreme distance traveled, some doubt that the elephants ay be lost. However, other scientists think the elephants were forced to move due to deforestation.
Successful protection efforts have almost doubled the elephant population in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve and the surrounding regions. However, their natural habitat has been continuously reduced to make room for agricultural development.
“We’ve seen elephants swelling their range for decades now, as their populations increase, and they search for more food for the growing group,” Becky Shu Chen, a scientist at the Zoological Society of London, told The Washington Post.
The wandering elephants’ search for a suitable home has not gone unnoticed by the millions of locals that eagerly follow their daily movements on social media. Adam Chang, assigned to deliver food to the elephants, says, “Before this meeting, I just felt curious about animals. Now, I think I would volunteer in animal rights groups to preserve those giant creatures.”
8. Where is this passage probably from?
A.A book. | B.A report. | C.A brochure. | D.A review. |
9. What might have caused the elephants wandering out of their habitats?
A.They had no sense of direction. |
B.They didn’t have enough food. |
C.People grew crops to attract the elephants. |
D.The leader of the group led the wrong way. |
10. What does the underlined word “swelling” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.Shrinking. | B.Decreasing. | C.Expanding. | D.Exploding. |
11. What is the main idea of the text?
A.Some wild elephants went northward. |
B.China made great progress in protecting elephants. |
C.Agricultural development is good for animal protection. |
D.China’s wandering elephant group attracts the world’s attention. |