English Quiz 138

(English Quiz 138)

1. Pity poor Xiang Xiang. Pampered from birth, his every need anticipated by a loyal band of caregivers at Sichuan's Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center, the baffled bear received the shock of his young life soon after his fourth birthday. Last April 28, he was driven into the middle of thick bamboo forest and abandoned, making him the first giant panda bred in captivity to be released by Chinese scientists into the wild.

Q: 試翻 "Pampered from birth, ... after his fourth birthday."

2. Chinese scientists have spent millions of dollars and gone to extraordinary (some might say absurd) lengths to perfect a captive breeding program for the notoriously shy bears. After several decades of frustration, 2006 was a banner year. Using methods ranging from electric rectal probes and Viagra (the drug didn't work) to movies of pandas mating, China produced 34 panda cubs last year. That compares with only nine births in 2000. The program was initially spurred by a desire to save the species from extinction. But in 1975 China set aside 10 nature reserves for the bears, covering almost 1 million hectares in Sichuan province. That move, bolstered by years of worldwide publicity for the panda's plight, has reduced the threat. China's population of about 1,600 wild pandas has been stable for several years, says Fan Zhiyong of the WWF.

Q: 試翻 "Chinese scientists have spent ... the notoriously shy bears."

3. The fact that China's pandas are no longer in jeopardy makes it harder to justify the more questionable aspects of its breeding programs. The 200,000-hectare Wolong Nature Reserve, for example, faces pressure from human development and is barely large enough to support its wild bear population, let alone additional pen-reared animals like Xiang Xiang. Then there's the problem that, with the exception of ungulates like deer, animals raised in captivity are rarely able to adjust to the rigors of the wild. So why go to such lengths to breed pandas if the threat of extinction has eased? Harkness says national pride in the program's success and bureaucratic self-preservation are factors. There also may be an economic motive. Zoos are eager to donate money to China in exchange for the right to display pandas.

Q: 試翻 "The 200,000-hectare ... animals like Xiang Xiang."