A
Deciduous forests (落叶林) are home to many wild animals.The development and expansion of human presence in the forests has caused many of their native species to become endangered.
Giant Panda
The giant panda, one of the most recognizable endangered species, is a large, docile species of bear native to the deciduous forest of southern and eastern China, Myanmar and Vietnam.Because of its limited diet — the panda's main source of food is bamboo — the species is limited in its habitat to areas where bamboo is available.Now the species only can be found today in 20 small patches of forest at the western edge of its historic range.
Gray and Red Wolves
The gray wolf, which once ranged from the East Coast of the United States to the West, and south to Mexico, now has a population of only 5,000 in the lower 48 states, mostly in the Rocky Mountains.The smaller red wolf, native to the southeastern United States, was declared extinct in the wild in 1980, though conservation efforts have reintroduced small captive populations to the wild in California.
RedCrowned Crane
The redcrowned crane is native to Japan, Korea, Russia and eastern China.Agricultural expansion and deforestation (森林砍伐) in these areas have removed a great number of the marshes and forests that are the crane's primary habitats.For a time, the crane was thought to have completely disappeared from Japan, but the recent discovery of cranes in Japanese marshlands has restarted conservation efforts.Today, around 2,500 cranes live in the wild, including 1,000 in Japan.
European Mink
Native to Europe, the European mink ranges from France in the west to Finland in the north, Russia in the east and the Balkans in the south.Destruction of the mink's aquatic (水的) habitat and use of the species for fur have caused dramatic drops in the species' population, which has been reduced by 85 percent since the mid19th century.
语篇解读：本文是一篇应用文。落叶林是许多野生动物的家园，然而人类在森林中的活动却导致一些本土物种濒临灭绝，文章介绍了其中的四种动物。
21．What has caused the wild animals to become endangered?
A．Global warming.
B．International trade.
C．Environmental pollution.
D．The invasion of mankind.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句The development and expansion of human presence in the forests has caused many of their native species to become endangered.可知，人类的入侵导致落叶林中的一些原生动物濒临灭绝。
22．Which species is native to North America?
A．European minks.
B．Red wolves.
C．Redcrowned cranes.
D．Giant pandas.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据Gray and Red Wolves部分中的The smaller red wolf, native to the southeastern United States可知，红狼原产于美国东南部；再结合美国位于北美洲这一地理知识可知，B项正确。
23．Which is mentioned as the reason for the decline of European minks?
A．The loss of their natural food.
B．The hunting of human beings.
C．Drought and forest fires.
D．Excessive deforestation.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据European Mink部分中的“use of the species for fur have caused dramatic drops in the species' population”，可知，人类为了获取欧洲水貂的毛皮而猎杀水貂，导致其种群数量急剧下降。
