A thousand years ago Hong Kong was covered by a thick forest. As more and more people came to 　31　 in Hong Kong, these trees were cut down and burnt. Now there is　32　 forest left, though there are still some small areas covered with trees. We call these woods.
　　Elephants, tigers and many　33　 animals were living in the thick forest. When people came to live in Hong Kong, the　34　 began to die out. Early farmers grew rice and　35　 pigs and chickens in the valleys. They cut down the trees and burnt them. They needed　36　 to keep themselves warm in winter, to cook their food and to keep away the dangerous animals. Elephants quickly disappeared because there was not enough food for them. 　37　 did most of the wolves and tigers. Monkeys and many other animals soon　38　 in the same way.
　　You might think that there are no longer any animals in Hong Kong　39　 in the zoos. But there are still about 36 different animals　40　 there. One of the most interesting of Hong Kong's animals is the barking deer. These are beautiful little animals　41　 a rich brown coat and a white patch (补丁) under the tail. They look like deer but they are much smaller. They are less than two feet　42　. They make a noise rather like a dog　43　. In Hong Kong the barking deer has only a real enemy--　44　. People hunt these little animals though it is illegal (违法的). There are now not many barking deer left. So it is important　45　 people to protect wild animals.

A lot of teenagers are good at art at school, but how would you feel if people called you “the new Picasso(毕加索)” or if presidents and other famous people collected your paintings?
Alexandra Nechita was ten when her paintings became famous all over the world. She visited Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and her family’s native place (祖籍) Romania where 5,000 fans came to see her at the airport. Alexandra said, “When it all started, I was moved. It was very exciting and I loved the traveling, but I got very tired. And I missed home.”
Alexandra is a good student. Her studies always come first. She only starts painting after she’s done her homework. She works on two or three paintings at a time. The paintings sell for thousands and Alexandra’s parents have given up their jobs to work for their daughter. Life for the Nechita family is very different from what it was like a few years ago.
Alexandra’s father Niki left Romania for political reasons in 1985. At first he tried his best to learn English and had different kinds of low-paid jobs. In 1987, he brought his wife and Alexandra, who was then 18 months old, to America. The family was very poor. Alexandra began to draw at the age of three.
She was drawing for four or five hours a day. Soon people offered to buy her paintings and she had her first art show at the age of eight. Stories about this child appeared in the newspapers and television. They now live in a large house with a swimming pool. Her mother said, “We started without anything, but thanks to Alexandra, we have everything we ever dreamed of.”
【小题1】Alexandra became well-known all over the world for her paintings at the age of _______.