A
In 2012 Valentin Gruener rescued a young lion cub(幼狮) and raised it himself at a wildlife park in Botswana. It was the start of an extraordinary relationship.
Gruener has devoted himself to Sirga—a female cub he rescued from a holding pen established by a farmer who was fed up with shooting animals that preyed on(捕食) his cattle. “The lions had killed the other two cubs inside the cage, and the mother abandoned the remaining cub in the cage. She was maybe 10 days old，” Gruener says.
The farmer, Willy de Graaf, asked Gruener to try to save her and so he took her to a wildlife park financed by Willy de Graaf and became her adoptive mother, feeding her and taking care of her.
She's much bigger now, but when Gruener opens her cage she still rushes to greet him—throwing her paws around his neck. “That happens every time I open the door. It is such a passionate thing for this animal to jump and give me a hug，” says Gruener. “But I guess it makes sense. At the moment she has no other lions with her in the cage and I guess for her I'm like her species. So I'm the only friend she's got. Lions are social cats so she's always happy to see me.”
The companions spend their time hanging out in the Botswana bush, doing the kind of things that cats enjoy, such as lying around under trees, playfighting, and hunting.
“I don't believe we have to teach the lion to hunt. They are born to do so. Any cat will catch a bird or a mouse. The lion will catch an antelope when it gets big enough，” Gruener says. “I'm definitely giving her that opportunity to hunt, about three times a week at the moment.”
Willy de Graaf has handed Gruener 500 hectares(about two square miles) to create a “miniature park” in which Sirga can roam(徜徉) freely, but she will not be released into the wild. “Not because she could not survive, but because she has lost her fear of humans. Under those circumstances she may get too close to humans, and if there is an accident she will end up getting shot. In the park Sirga can live like a wild lion, but remain safe，” he says.
本文为记叙文，讲述了Gruener收养了一只被遗弃的幼狮，后来他们之间产生了深厚的感情。
21．Each time the young lion meets Gruener, she leaps on him to _______.
A．frighten him B．express her delight
C．say goodbye to him D．ask him for some food
解析 B 细节理解题。根据第四段中的…when Gruener opens her cage she still rushes to greet him和Lions are social cats so she's always happy to see me可知，Sirga每次见到Gruener时，冲向他是为了表达她的喜悦，故选B项。
22．According to Gruener, the lion hunts animals for food out of ________.
A．fun B．imagination
C．pure curiosity D．natural ability
解析 D 细节理解题。根据第六段中的I don't believe we have to teach the lion to hunt. They are born to do so可知，动物捕食的能力是天生的，故选D项。
23．Why won't the lion be set free into the wild?
A．Because she would probably attack humans.
B．Because she hasn't got a partner to go with her and protect her.
C．Because she has lost her ability to hunt and could not survive in the wild.
D．Because she is more likely to get into conflict with humans and get killed.
解析 D 推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句可知，Sirga对人类已经不再恐惧，如果被放回大自然，她很可能和人类发生冲突并被杀死，故选D项。
