s="" survival="" that="" is="" at="" stake,="" conservationists="" say.="" unlike="" the="" endangered="" tiger,="" even="" great="" whales,="" african="" elephant="" in="" measure="" architect="" of="" its="" environment.="" as="" a="" voracious="" eater="" vegetation,="" it="" largely="" shapes="" forest-and-savanna="" surroundings="" which="" lives,="" thereby="" setting="" terms="" existence="" for="" millions="" other="" storied="" animals-from="" zebras="" to="" gazelles="" giraffes="" and="" wildebeests—that="" share="" habitat="" disappears,="" scientists="" say,="" many="" species="" will="" also="" disappear="" from="" vast="" stretches="" forest="" savanna,="" drastically="" altering="" impoverishing="" whole="" ecosystems.It is the elephant's metabolism and appetite that make it a disturber of the environment and therefore an important creator of habitat. In a constant search for the 300 pounds of vegetation it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbrush and pulls branches off big trees as high as its trunk will reach. This creates innumerable open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. The resulting patchwork, a mosaic of vegetation in various stages of regeneration, in turn creates a greater variety of forage that attracts a greater variety of other vegetation-eaters than would otherwise be the case.In studies over the last 20 years in southern Kenya near Mount Kilimanjaro, Dr.Western has found that when elephants are allowed to roam die savannas naturally and normally, they spread out at "intermediate densities." Their foraging creates a mixture of savanna woodlands (what the Africans call bush) and grassland. The result is a highly diverse array of other plant-eating species: those like the zebra, wildebeest and gazelle, that graze: those like the giraffe, bushbuck and lesser kudu, that browse on tender shoots, buds, twigs and leaves; and plant-eating primates like the baboon and vervet monkey. These herbivores attract carnivores like the lion and cheetah.When the elephant population thins out. Dr. Western said, the woodlands become denser and the grazers are squeezed out. When pressure from poachers forces elephants to crowd more densely onto reservations, the woodlands there are knocked out and the browsers and primates disappear.Something similar appears to happen in dense tropical rain forests. In their natural state, because the overhead forest canopy shuts out sunlight and prevents growth on the forest floor, rain forests provide slim pickings for large, hoofed plant-eaters. By pulling down trees and eating new growth, elephants enlarge natural openings in the canopy, allowing plants to regenerate on the forest floor and bringing down vegetation from the canopy so that smaller species can get at it.In such situations, the rain forest becomes hospitable to large plant-eating mammals such as bongos, bush pigs, duikers, forest hogs, swamp antelopes, forest buffaloes, okapis, sometimes gorillas and always a host of smaller animals that thrive on secondary growth. When elephants disappear and the forest reverts, the larger mammals give way to smaller, nimbler animals like monkeys, squirrels and rodents.1.The passage is primarily concerned with（ ）.2.In the opening paragraph, the author mentions tigers and whales in order to emphasize which point about the elephant?3.A necessary component of the elephant's ability to transform the landscape is its （ ）.4.It can be inferred from the passage that（ ）.5.Which of the following statements best expresses the authors attitude toward the damage to vegetation caused by foraging elephants?'>

The African elephant—mythic symbol of a continent, keystone of its ecology and the largest land animal remaining on earth—has become the object of one of the biggest, broadest international efforts yet mounted to turn a threatened species off the road to extinction. But it is not only the elephant's survival that is at stake, conservationists say. Unlike the endangered tiger, unlike even the gr

In arguing against assertions that environmental catastrophe is imminent, her book does not ridicule all predictions of doom but rather claims that the risks of harm have in many cases been （ ）.

A.exaggerated B.ignored C.scrutinized D.derided

The Santa Ana appeals court upheld an earlier jury verdict awarding $ 3. 2 million in damages to Alexis Sarti who suffered serious nerve damage after a food poisoning episode at a restaurant. （1）In April 2005, Sarti ate raw tuna at the Salt Creek Grille restaurant. Afterwards, she suffered from sudden paralysis and double vision. She spent the next 49 days in the hospital, and had to drop out of college for more than a year and a half after the food poisoning incident, for medical care and therapy.（2）Muscles and spasms bother her on a daily basis, although she says she’s used to these now. She has recovered somewhat since then. But strenuous activity is out of the question, and what’s worse, she expects her situation to deteriorate as she gets older.Sarti filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, and claimed cross contamination of the tuna with a form of bacteria that exists in raw poultry. （3）The verdict was set aside by Superior Court Judge Derek W. Hunt. The 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana has now overturned Judge Hunt’s ruling.In delivering his decision, Judge Hunt said he was constrained by a 35-year-old appellate decision that prohibits juries from assuming that cross contamination in the restaurants was the result of faulty practices of handling.The Santa Ana appeals court seems to have disregarded that older appellate decision. （4）It has been cited for in roper food storage, cross contamination and incorrect handling on three separate instances.It was clear that the negligent food handling practices at this restaurant were responsible for a deadly cross contamination that resulted in Sard’s food poisoning. （5）Still, she has incurred more than a million dollars worth of medical bills, and expects to need more medical care in the future.

A.At the trial , Sard’s attorneys argued that Salt Creek Grille has a record of poor handling practices in its kitchens. B.Sarti said medical bills totaled about $ 1 million and she wants to put aside another $ 1 million for future expenses. C.Sarti insists that the victory is a moral, rather than monetary one. D.Once a high school cross country runner, Sarti today is unable to take part in sports like running, or other forms of extreme physical activity. E.It’s a milestone decision that can now be cited across other food poisoning lawsuits. F.A jury handed down a verdict for $ 3. 2 million, and Salt Creek Grille, which also has branches inNew York and New Jersey, appealed.
問題2：
A.At the trial , Sard’s attorneys argued that Salt Creek Grille has a record of poor handling practices in its kitchens. B.Sarti said medical bills totaled about $ 1 million and she wants to put aside another $ 1 million for future expenses. C.Sarti insists that the victory is a moral, rather than monetary one. D.Once a high school cross country runner, Sarti today is unable to take part in sports like running, or other forms of extreme physical activity. E.It’s a milestone decision that can now be cited across other food poisoning lawsuits. F.A jury handed down a verdict for $ 3. 2 million, and Salt Creek Grille, which also has branches inNew York and New Jersey, appealed.
問題3：
A.At the trial , Sard’s attorneys argued that Salt Creek Grille has a record of poor handling practices in its kitchens. B.Sarti said medical bills totaled about $ 1 million and she wants to put aside another $ 1 million for future expenses. C.Sarti insists that the victory is a moral, rather than monetary one. D.Once a high school cross country runner, Sarti today is unable to take part in sports like running, or other forms of extreme physical activity. E.It’s a milestone decision that can now be cited across other food poisoning lawsuits. F.A jury handed down a verdict for $ 3. 2 million, and Salt Creek Grille, which also has branches inNew York and New Jersey, appealed.
問題4：
A.At the trial , Sard’s attorneys argued that Salt Creek Grille has a record of poor handling practices in its kitchens. B.Sarti said medical bills totaled about $ 1 million and she wants to put aside another $ 1 million for future expens

s="" most="" difficult="" times.'>

You can improve the quality of your everyday life by building （ ）,which will help you adapt to stress and bounce back from life's most difficult times.

A.consistence B.competence C.resistance D.resilience

Some men believe that if they expressed their emotions openly they might______.