A
The alarm went off about half an hour ago, the second time tonight. It's somewhat difficult to figure out the rules for sure. Here, one bell means “elephant”, two, “rhino”(犀牛), and three and four, I really can't remember for what, because when you're awoken by bells in the middle of the night, your first thought won't be “Animal!”. But as soon as I realized it was the rhino alarm, I was running for the stairs.
A baby African buffalo and a baby rhino stood a couple feet apart, staring at each other. Behind them, their mothers were looking on with the kind of indifference of mothers everywhere who see their kids playing a harmless game. Of course, I'm the only one watching the animals stare-down. Either everyone else died of a heart attack when the bells went off, or I was the only one in the entire hotel who didn't turn the alarm switch to off before going to bed.
The Ark, a hotel shaped like the biblical ark(圣经的方舟), lies in the highlands of Kenya's Aberdare National Park, about 100 kilometers north of Nairobi. At the Ark's prow(船首) are huge windows overlooking a waterhole. Earlier tonight, I'd watched a pack of wolves, buffaloes and elephants. And now, at three or so in the morning, I'm down for rhino bells. The first time, 2.5 hours ago, it was a single black rhino, which came down, got a drink, and left.
I'd have been sorry for the lost sleep. I've already arranged with a guide to take me out at sunrise for the so-called “should-never-miss” bird-watching, where we'll get to see 30 species, but really, how many times in your life will you get to wake up and say, “Wow! Rhino!” Isn't that the definition of a pretty good night? Last week we went from Uganda into Kenya. Before I left home, I thought I'd be happy with ten elephants and five or six giraffes on the whole trip. I didn't dare to dream the rhino.
21. The message that the hotel's bells sent was _______________.
A. significant for visitors to avoid danger
B. a matter that all visitors had got used to
C. hard for the author to remember in detail
D. a wise alarm the author had never heard of
22. What did the author see at about 3:00 a.m.?
A. Rhinos and buffaloes were fighting for water.
B. A rhino and a buffalo were staring at each other.
C. A buffalo was watching its baby play with rhinos.
D. A boat-shaped hotel was overlooking a waterhole.
23. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The author likes all the animals.
B. The author has only interest in rhinos.
C. There are various wild animals near the Ark.
D. The author didn’t sleep well during the whole trip.
24. What's probably the author's attitude towards the bell?
A. It should be turned off when it rings.
B. It’s bothering but rewarding.
C. It is a bad way to wake the guests up.
D. It brings visitors a chance to see buffaloes.
