As the family of 16 Asian elephants started moving north, no one knew where they were heading, or why. At first, no one thought much about it. Elephants sometimes disappear beyond Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province, but they always return.

【小题1】. During 16 months the elephants walked 300 miles north to Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan Province. Along the way, they robbed the crops and blocked the traffic, causing about a half million dollars in damage, and there was the risk of an elephant attacking a curious onlooker. 【小题2】. The simple answer would be to calm the giant mammals and transport them back to the reserve.

But that would be risky for this group, especially for the three baby elephants. Instead, officials mobilized (动员) an emergency task force to keep everyone, elephants and humans alike, safe. Drones tracked the elephants’ every move. Electric fences, road barriers, and new pathways helped them move toward safer routes. Tons of corn, pineapples, and bananas were used to trick them away from towns. 【小题3】.

Some might argue that doing so much to keep a family of elephants safe was wasteful. But conserving our natural and human heritage is about encouraging good in the world. 【小题4】, just as we need health and peace. They’re essential parts of the world where our lives take place, and they help us make sense of our own stories. They provide the context for our existence. 【小题5】.