The African Bush Elephant can weigh up to 5.5 tons, making it one of the largest mammals (哺乳动物) alive. It is only second to the giraffe in terms of height!

Previously thought to exist as one species, both the African Bush Elephant and African Forest Elephant were discovered to be two different subspecies. Basically, they both have very big ears. But, the Bush Elephant is larger and has a lighter color and outward curving (弯曲) long teeth, whereas the Forest Elephant is smaller, very dark and has downward facing straight teeth.

The African Bush Elephant’s habitat is given away by its name — in the African Bush! This includes grasslands and primary forest within Central and Southern Africa. These locations are perfect areas for the African Bush Elephant to find food. An ideal meal for the African Bush Elephant consists of plenty of grass, fruits, and roots. Their teeth can be used for digging.

All elephants are social and live in societies. This means that they are led by an older, more experienced female, and females stick together. As migrant animals, they are constantly travelling together to search for food and keep their young safe.

Although population levels are recovering, African Bush Elephants face many threats. Similar to other species, loss of land reduces the availability of food and water, meaning they have to travel further. What’s worse, some won’t survive the journey if they cross paths with poachers (偷猎者). African Bush Elephants aren’t just killed for the illegal trade, but they are often the sufferers of conflicts with local people too.

To help them, we need to give them room to travel! A possible solution would be to provide wildlife roads that allow the African Bush Elephant to travel without coming into conflict with people. The African Wildlife Foundation combines governments and communities in Africa and works to set land aside for this purpose. Similarly, education that encourages people to understand the African Bush Elephant can change awareness and reduce local hunting pressure.

【小题1】Which is the picture of an African Forest Elephant?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【小题2】Where can you find an African Bush Elephant?

A．Mountains in Africa.

B．Forests in Western Africa.

C．Grasslands in Central Africa.

D．Desert areas in Southern Africa.

【小题3】What’s the main threat to the African Bush Elephants?

A．Lack of leading female elephants.

B．Development of the trade.

C．Low level of socialization.

D．Worse living conditions.

【小题4】What do the underlined words “this purpose” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Providing passageways.	B．Travelling further.
C．Fighting with others.	D．Educating people.