走进可可西里，走近藏羚羊

四川 蒋建平

可可西里平均海拔在4,800米以上，空气含氧量不足平原地区的一半。就是在这样的地方，赵新录和他的战友们风餐露宿，卧冰尝雪，用生命守护生命、守护生态。

主题语境：人与自然 篇幅：345词 建议用时：7分钟

1Police officer Zhao Xinlu has been working in Hoh Xil (可可西里) since 1997, and two of his main tasks are to catch poachers（偷猎者）and to protect the Tibetan antelopes,especially when they are giving birth.

2The number of poaching cases has dropped to zero for the last 10 years thanks to enhanced laws and improved awareness among the people. As a result, the Tibetan antelope population has grown from 20,000 in the 1990s to around 70,000 now.

3After leaving the army in Tianshui, Gansu Province, Zhao began to work at the Hoh Xil Protection Station.During patrols（巡逻）,snowstorms sometimes trap him and his team in a no man's land for up to 18 days,even though Zhao is familiar with almost every mountain and river in the area. Yaks sometimes crash into their cars, and team members sometimes suffer from severe altitude sickness.When he first arrived,Zhao also experienced altitude sickness, headaches and breathing difficulties. He didn't adapt until his fifth day.“Every patrol was dangerous,”the 47-year-old said.

4Every year in May, tens of thousands of antelopes head for lakes in the heartlands to give birth.For about two months,Zhao and his colleagues remain at the Zonag Lake protection station, in the heart of Hoh Xil, to protect them from poachers. At night, brown bears and wolves scratch outside their tents and leave paw prints.“We light a fire in the tent so that they don't dare hurt us,”Zhao said.

5But it's not possible to protect all the antelopes.Zhao is saddened every time he sees wolves attack babies,throwing them around as the mother antelope makes a long loud high cry.“The weak are the prey of the strong. It's the law of the jungle. We all agree that the animals should solve their problems by themselves.”

6Since 2018, Zhao has begun to talk about his experiences to audiences across the province to promote the protection of Hoh Xil.“This is a pure land. Protecting it is also to protect human beings,”he said.

Reading Check

1.Which word can replace the underlined word“enhanced”in paragraph 2?

A.Worse.

B.Improved.

C.Unspoken.

D.Past.

2.What can be learned about Zhao according to the text?

A.He works in Hoh Xil to protect the local people.

B.He went to Hoh Xil in 1997 to enjoy life there.

C.He has been working in Hoh Xil for more than 20 years.

D.He cares little about the Tibetan antelope population.

3.What does paragraph 3 focus on?

A.The time when antelopes give birth to babies.

B.How antelopes survive in cold weather.

C.Zhao's passion for Hoh Xil.

D.The challenges in Zhao's work.

4.How does Zhao feel when seeing wolves attack antelope babies?

A.Sad.

B.Tolerant.

C.Supportive.

D.Doubtful.

Language Study

Useful expressions

catch poachers 抓捕偷猎者

protect the Tibetan antelopes 保护藏羚羊

give birth(to)生孩子；产崽

during patrols 巡逻期间

trap sb in 把某人困在……

even though 尽管

be familiar with 对……熟悉

suffer from severe altitude sickness 遭受严重的高原反应

head for 前往

make a long loud high cry 哀号；痛哭

The weak are the prey of the strong.弱肉强食。

the law of the jungle 丛林法则