A day in the clouds行在云端

涂麗平

主題語境：藏羚羊的保護(hù) 篇幅：377詞 建議用時(shí)：7分鐘

1 The air is thin and we have to rest several timeson the short hike from camp. To our left， snowcoveredmountains disappear into clouds that seem almostclose enough to touch. On the plain in front of us， wecan just make out a herd of graceful animals. This iswhy we’re here—to observe Tibetan antelopes.

2 Tibetan antelopes live on the plains of Tibet，Xinjiang， and Qinghai. Watching them move slowlyacross the green grass， I’m struck by their beauty. I’malso reminded of the danger they are in. They are being hunted illegally for their valuablefur.

3 My guide is Zhaxi， a villager from Changtang. He works at the Changtang NationalNature Reserve. The reserve is a shelter for the animals and plants of northwesternTibet.To Zhaxi， the land is sacred and protecting wildlife is a way of life.“We’re not trying tosave the animals，”he says.“Actually， we’re trying to save ourselves.”

4 The 1980s and 1990s were bad times for the Tibetan antelope. The population of theTibetan antelope dropped by more than 50 percent. Hunters were shooting antelopes tomake profits. Their habitats were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.

5 In order to save this species from extinction， the Chinese government placed it undernational protection. Zhaxi and other volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night tokeep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easilyand keep them safe from cars and trains. The measures were effective. The antelope populationhas recovered and in June 2015， the Tibetan antelope was removed from the endangeredspecies list. The government， however， does not intend to stop the protection programs，since the threats to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared.

6 In the evening， I drink a cup of tea and watch the stars. I think about the antelopesand what Zhaxi told me. Much is being done to protect wildlife， but if we really want tosave the planet， we must change our way of life. Only when we learn to exist in harmonywith nature can we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.

Reading Check

Detail

1. Why does the author go to Tibet？

A. To change our way of life and protect wildlife.

B. To observe Tibetan antelopes.

C. To save the antelope from extinction.

D. To go for a short hike from camp.

Inference

2. What does Zhaxi think of protecting wildlife？

A. It’s useless.

B. It’s easy.

C. It’s necessary.

D. It’s costly.

Gist

3. What’s paragraph 5 mainly about？

A. The population of the Tibetan antelope.

B. The danger faced by the Tibetan antelope.

C. The beauty of the moving Tibetan antelope.

D. The measures taken to protect the Tibetan antelope.

Inference

4. Which statement may the author agree with according to paragraph 6？

A. The wildlife programs can be stopped gradually.

B. Changing our way of life is important to save the planet.

C. New roads and railways should be built for people on the plains.

D. We can hardly get along well with the Tibetan antelope.

Language Study

Ⅰ. 日積月累

reserve n. 保護(hù)區(qū)

shelter n. 避難所

extinction n. 滅絕

save v. 拯救

endangered adj. 瀕危的

disappear into 消失在……

a herd of 一群（牲畜）

be struck by 被……打動(dòng)

be reminded of 意識(shí)到；想起

make profits 獲取利潤(rùn)

be removed from 被從……移除

Ⅱ. 單句填空

1. You remind me________ your father when you say that.

2. The mountain gorilla is on the verge of________（extinct）.

3. I was struck________her youth and enthusiasm.

4. She pushed her way through a herd________lunchtime drinkers.

5. She saved a little girl________falling into the water.