Once there were many thousands of Gourma Desert (沙漠) elephants in Mali, a country in West Africa. Now, there are fewer than four hundred.

Why did the number of the elephants drop so quickly? On the one hand, the elephants’ main lake, their only water source (来源), dried up. On the other hand, the land which the elephants lived on was overused by humans.

To protect the elephants’ living environment, the Mali Elephant Project (MEP) was started in 2007. MEP met with local people and helped them make rules of using land and water. As a result, the situation became better and there was more food, forest and grassland.

However, from 2012 to 2016, poaching (偷猎) and illegal trade in the elephants increased rapidly. Eighty-three elephants were lost in 2015 alone, and another fifty-one elephant were killed in 2016. “If this situation goes on, all the Gourma elephants will be killed by 2020,” said a member of MEP.

Luckily, the voice of MEP was heard. More organizations (组织) have joined together to educate the local people that trading elephants is against the law. Elephant poaching has dropped to a very low level. The local people have learned to live peacefully with the elephants, one of the wildlife treasures in the world.

11. MEP was started to ________.

A．raise more elephants in Mali	B．stop the main lake from drying up
C．discover water source for elephants	D．protect the elephants’ living environment

12. What does the word “illegal” in Paragraph 4 mean in Chinese?

A．公平的

B．亏损的

C．非法的

D．合理的

13. Eighty-three elephants were lost ________.

A．in 2012

B．in 2015

C．in 2016

D．in 2020

14. We can learn from the last paragraph that ________.

A．the number of organizations has dropped	B．there is much less elephant poaching now
C．the local people keep the elephants at home	D．the whole world live peacefully with elephants

15. This passage is mainly about ________.

A．the rules of using land and water	B．the education of the local people
C．the work of Mali Elephant Project	D．the situation of Gourma Desert elephants

In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts（主人）and the worst guests in the world. They’re not really bad guests, but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some western countries, it appears they are not nice guests. And western host sometimes look rude（粗鲁的）in the eyes of Chinese guests.

In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person’s home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host’s way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

My wife’s mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn’t smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least, you could ask. “Is it OK if I smoke?” But, don’t be surprised if they say “No, you can’t smoke.” In our culture, if you smoke in their home, you are a bad guest, but if they do not allow you to smoke in their house, they are not a rude host.

Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese,   so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your house, don’t be too surprised if they don’t bring you a gift.

In China, you probably won’t need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

16. Many foreigners think that Chinese hosts are the ________ in the world

A．best

B．worst

C．most natural

D．most different

17. When a western guest visits a Chinese family, he often ________.

A．buys some fruit	B．feels like a god
C．wants some gifts	D．takes a cup of tea

18. If the writer’s guests want to smoke in his house, what will he probably say?

A．It’s OK if you smoke here.	B．Let’s smoke together.
C．Sorry, you can’t smoke here.	D．Smoking is a bad habit.

19. What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “adapt to” in the passage?

A．think back to

B．get used to

C．look forward to

D．keep close to

20. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Foreigners should learn from Chinese.

B．Hosts must do things in the guests’ way.

C．Western hosts are always nice to guests.

D．People should understand cultural differences.

“Clear your plate. Say no to waste.” “Do not waste a grain of food. In the cafeterias of schools and companies across China, banners (横幅) like these have been put up everywhere. They are part of a nationwide campaign (活动) to cut down on food waste in China.

Food waste has become a big problem these days. According to the United Nations, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year — that’s about a third of the world’s total food. In China alone, the restaurant wasted 17 to 18 million tons of food a year from 2013 to 2015. That could feed 30 to 50 million people for a whole year, according to Chinese Academy of Sciences.

To promote the campaign, restaurants and catering association (餐饮协会) in more than 18 provinces in China have all made guidelines to control food waste.

In Shanxi province, for example, restaurants have been asked to serve hall portions (半份) to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association suggested that restaurants adopt (采用) the “N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people at first. More food is only brought to the table if required. If people can’t finish their meals, they are also encouraged to take the leftovers (剩菜) home.

A related online campaign has been launched on Sina Weibo, Users share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals. Lots of celebrities have joined in and asked their fans to develop the habit of saving food. On WeChat, a mini-program called “Clear Plate” invites people to exchange pictures of their empty plates for credit points (信用分). People can use the credit to buy things or donate food to children in poor areas.

“We hope our efforts can start a new trend among the younger generation, encouraging them to carry out the virtue (美德) of cherishing food and developing the habit of thrift,” said Liu Jichen, developer of the mini-program.

21. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.

A．not many people waste food

B．the wasted food can feed a large number of people

C．about 18 million tons of food was wasted the world a year from 2013 to 2015

D．1.3 billion tons of food is eaten every year

22. In order to cut down on food waste, which of the following in not mentioned in the passage?

A．People are encouraged to share their pictures or videos of empty plates.

B．Some restaurants have been asked to provide half portions for customers.

C．Customers will get some prize if they take the leftovers home.

D．“N-1 mode” is advised to use by restaurants.

23. What does the underlined word “cherishing” mean?

A．珍惜

B．浪费

C．丢弃

D．储存

24. What is the Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．How celebrities encourage their fans to save food.

B．Food saving campaigns on social media (社交媒体).

C．Ways to develop the habit of saving food.

D．Why online campaigns are necessary.

25. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Take the leftovers home	B．Use your credit to buy things
C．Say no to food waste	D．Share videos of empty plates