With his unique black mane (鬃毛)and impressive stature(身材), 13-year-old Cecil was a popular tourist attraction at the 3.6 million-square-acre Hwange National Park(万基国家公园) in Zimbabwe (津巴布韦).

Cecil was head of a pride of lions that includes 12 cubs(幼崽), but the well-known lion was shot and killed in early July by American dentist Walter J. Palmer.

Cecil’s death has already sparked an international outcry (强烈抗议) with many calling for an end to hunting endangered animals and for Palmer to be extradited(引渡) to Zimbabwe to stand trial.

Professor David Macdonald, the head of the Oxford University research program that monitored the daily movements of Cecil and dozens of other lions, is deeply saddened by Cecil’s death. Macdonald hopes the death can inspire the public to take an interest in lion conservation.

Macdonald says many of the lions tracked by the program have been shot and killed. “The background to this story is that there is a crisis for lions throughout much of Africa.” He says.

African lion populations have fallen almost 60 percent over the past thirty decades, and as few as 32,000 of them remain in the wild, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare(国际爱护动物基金会).

“And as troubling as it is, the rarer these hunted animals become, the more hunter s are willing to pay to kill them,” said Jeff Flockedn, the fund’s North American regional director.

In addition to excessive hunting, lions throughout Africa also continue to face threats that include conflicts with local farmers, loss of habitat and risk of traffic and railway collisions(碰撞).

【1】 Internationally, people’s attitude towards Walter J. Palmer’s behavior is ________.

A. Understandable B. Unpardonable

C. Unpredictable D. Uncontrollable

【2】According to the text, how many African lions lived in the wild thirty years ago?

A. 80,000 B. 48,000 C. 53,000 D. 60,000

【3】African lions are facing the following threats except ________.

A. their conflicts with local farmers.

B. the loss of their habitats

C. people’s excessive hunting

D. the increase in the number of their natural enemies

【4】The best title of the text might be ________.

A. The Death of Cecil-an African Lion

B. The Current state of All African Lions

C. The Threats Facing African Lions

D. The Appeal for an End to Hunting Endangered Animals

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】

【1】B. 推理判断题。根据文章第三段的内容可知，从国际上来看，人们对于Walter J. Palmer射杀了狮子Cecil的做法很是愤怒。即人们认为他的做法是不可饶恕的。故正确答案应为B项。

【2】A. 数字计算题。根据第六段中的信息“African lion populations have fallen almost 60 percent over the past thirty decades,…”，可知，在刚刚过去的30年里，非洲狮的数量减少了60%，现在仅有32,000头非洲狮生活在野外，由此可以推断，三十年前生活在野外的非洲狮的数量为：32,000 / (1-0.6)= 80,000。故正确答案为A项。

【3】D. 细节理解题。根据文章最后一段内容可知，答案应为D项。即文中没有提到非洲狮面临的威胁中没有提到非洲狮天敌数量的增加。

【4】A. 标题判断题。全文主要介绍了美国牙医华特帕尔默(Walter Palmer)7月底在津巴布韦射杀了狮子塞西尔，当时引起了全世界的愤怒， 同时介绍了目前非洲狮的生活状况。所以，A项作为标题最佳。