2．At first glance，why anyone would want to save California condors （秃鹫） is not entirely clear．Unlike the closely related Andean condors with their white neck feathers，California condors are not much to see．Their dull black color，featherless head and neck and oversized feet are hardly signs of beauty or strength．Their appeal begins to become evident when they take flight．California condors can fly almost effortlessly for hours，often covering hundreds of miles a day------far more than other creatures of the air．
When it was discovered that the condor population was becoming dangerously small，scientists and zookeepers sought to increase Condor numbers quickly to preserve as much of the species'genetic （基因的） diversity as possible．From studying wild condors，they already knew that if a pair lost an egg，the birds would often produce another．So the first and sometimes second eggs laid by each female were removed，and artificially hatched．Such techniques quickly proved effective．
Despite these successes，the effort to save California condors continues to have problems．Artificially hatched condors released （释放） to the wild have died at what to some people are alarmingly high rates．Others have had to be brought back again after they acted foolishly．
Some of the odd behavior on the part of these re-released birds is hard to explain．At times they landed on people's houses，walked across roads and airport runways，walked into park visitor centers and fast food restaurants，and took food offered by picnickers and fishermen．None are known to have died by doing so，though．Most recently，some of the first chicks hatched in the wild died after their parents fed them bottle caps，pieces of plastic and other man-made objects．
Mike Wallace，a wildlife specialist at the San Diego Zoo，has suggested that some of the condors'problems represent natural behavior that helps them survive．The real key to successful condor reintroduction lies in properly socializing young condors as members of a group that follow and learn from older，preferably adult birds．That，he argues，was missing from earlier condor releases to the wild．
28．What is the California condor's most impressive feature？B
A．Its beautiful colors．
B．Its remarkable flying ability．
C．The large size of its neck and feet．
D．The similarity it has to the Andean condor．
29．In the initial stage of the conservation programme，A，
A．eggs were taken from the nests of wild condors
B．female condors were caught and studied carefully
C．scientists and zookeepers tried to create genetic diversity
D．condors were encouraged to produce a lot more eggs
30．What did some of the condors released into the wild do？!B
A．They adapted surprisingly quickly to their new surroundings．：：
B．They showed a tendency to seek out human contact．
C．They died from eating too much fast food．
D．They kept changing their eating habits．
31．According to Mike Wallace，there will be fewer problems ifD．
A．young condors are trained not to eat man-made objects
B．the chicks are surrounded by older birds when they hatch
C．the chicks are released into the wild as soon as they hatch
D．young condors are taught appropriate behavior by adult birds．
