刘嘉琦

本文主要介绍了洞庭湖自然保护区以李、宋为代表的工作人员，悉心照料麋鹿“点点”的故事。同时，唤醒人们要热爱自然，保护环境。

Eight years ago， 1-week-old Diandian was left behind. When people found her in the reeds （蘆苇） of a lake， she looked too weak to survive. Now she is the mother of three milu， thanks to the workers’ attention and care at the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve.

Li is the president of a milu conservation association in Yueyang and head of a local milu and bird rescue center， where 11 deer， including Diandian， have their families. Li and his workmates need to work extra hours to take care of the animals from March until mid-May. He remembers March 18 this year. He fed Diandian some fresh shoots and leaves for breakfast as usual， and moments later when he returned， a newborn milu was right beside her. Since it is her third baby and born in the third month of the year， people named it Sansan， referring to “three-three”. Li has developed a deep affection for milu and made up his mind to protect them. “As our country is paying more attention to environmental and wildlife protection， people are increasingly aware that milu are state-protected animals，” Li said.

Milu habitats （栖息地） are usually centered around water， and fishing equipment that used to be a threat to the animals is no longer seen in nature reserves. On May 27， a team of experts went to watch milu near Dongting Lake. It takes time and luck to meet one and count them especially when they live in the thick reeds that are 4 to 5 meters tall. The team leader Song， saw a milu for the first time when he was studying for his doctorate in zoology early in 2009. Since then， he has helped protect the habitats at Dongting Lake. As the flood season is coming， Song and his workmates will go around the lake area day and night to save deer in trouble， and provide feed for the animals when needed.

As the environment improves in and around Dongting Lake， China’s second-largest freshwater lake， the wetland has become cover once again for wildlife. “We will continue to protect these rare animals and their living environment，” Song said.

巩固提高：请根据短文内容回答问题。

1. How was Diandian when she was found in the reeds eight years ago？

2. Why do people call Diandian’s new baby Sansan？

3. Why does Li think more people realize milu are state-protected animals？

4. When did Song start to devote himself to protecting the habitats at Dongting Lake？

5. What can you learn from Li， Song and their workmates？ （请用一句话作答）

Keys：

1. She looked too weak to survive.

2. Because it was her third baby and born in the third month.

3. Because our country is paying more attention to environmental and wildlife protection.

4. In 2009.

5. I（We） should try my（our） best to protect the wildlife. / I（We） will tell people about the importance of protecting the wildlife. / We need to help the wildlife a lot.