A bee weighs 0.1 grams, while an Asian elephant can reach 5 tons. However, despite their small size, these tiny insects are aiding in the recovery of elephant populations and easing  human-elephant conflicts.

With China’s intensified ecological conservation efforts, the population and activity range of elephants have gradually swelled. In Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, the population of wild elephants has grown from 120 in the 1980s to over 300 today. As conservation efforts grow stronger and villager awareness improves, the number of elephants in China continues to rise, while the range of activities is also increasing. The overlap (重叠部份) of elephant activity with human living and production areas has put constraints (限制) on some villagers, making the alleviation of this conflict a current conservation goal.

Zhang Jiangmei, a villager from Daotangqing village, is involved in a project aimed at promoting Asian elephant conservation through community livelihood development. The project provides each participating village household with 10 boxes of Chinese honey bees, along with full support. The project empowers residents to engage in beekeeping and eco-friendly farming, enhancing skills and income, reducing losses caused by elephant activities, and reducing human-elephant conflicts. Now, Zhang has a deeper understanding of the relationship between people and elephants, and she recognizes the significance of her beekeeping. “I tell everyone, ‘You taste the sweetness of my honey, and I benefit, as do the elephants,’” Zhang said. “Additionally, beekeeping also protects the forest. In Xishuangbanna, we have elephants, and we have primitive forests; our beekeeping aims not to disturb the elephants.” Beekeeping has increased her annual income by more than 7,000 yuan.

“When we began the project, it was to promote development and push forward the protection of Asian elephants,” Cao Dafan, project lead of the Asian Elephant Protection project, said. “We started from an economic perspective by increasing villager income and reducing their hostile (敌对的) attitudes toward the elephants. The villagers’ attitudes toward elephants depended on the losses caused by the elephants. By promoting economic development and changing production methods, we can transform the relationship between villagers and elephants.”

1.The author makes a comparison in Paragraph 1 mainly to __________.

A present an assumption

B evaluate an argument

C highlight an experiment

D bring up the topic

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第一段中的“these tiny insects are aiding in the recovery of elephant populations and easing human-elephant conflicts”可知，这些微小的昆虫有助于大象种群的恢复，并缓解人象冲突以及后面提到的用养蜜蜂来减少人和大象的冲突可知，第一段将两种动物体型放在一起对比是为了引出本文要讨论的话题。故选D。

2.What does the underlined word “swelled” mean in Paragraph 2?

A Remained.

B Expanded.

C Doubled.

D Changed.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据第二段中划线词所在句的后文“the population of wild elephants has grown from 120 in the 1980s to over 300 today. As conservation efforts grow stronger and villager awareness improves, the number of elephants in China continues to rise, while the range of activities is also increasing.”可知，野象的数量和活动范围都扩大了。故选B。

3.The author explains the connection between beekeeping and the protection of Asian elephants by __________.

A using an example

B presenting research findings

C making a comparison

D setting down general rules

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。作者举例说明为缓解人象冲突，西双版纳一些村民转行当了蜂农。故选A。

4.How would Cao Dafan feel about the outcome of the project?

A It’s unexpected.

B It’s promising.

C It’s humorous.

D It’s discouraging.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“We started from an economic perspective by increasing villager income and reducing their hostile attitudes toward the elephants. The villagers’ attitudes toward elephants depended on the losses caused by the elephants. By promoting economic development and changing production methods, we can transform the relationship between villagers and elephants.”可知，曹大藩认为，从经济角度出发，增加村民收入，减少村民对大象的敌对态度，通过促进经济发展和改变生产方式，可以改变村民与大象的关系，因此他很看好这一项目。故选B。