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         A man lived at the foot of a hill. For a long time, he heard of tales of the other side of the hill—stories of rich land,  1 weather and beautiful scenery.

         One day, he was  2 life in his hometown and thought it was  3 to improve it, so he packed his bags, left his home and started climbing the hill,   4 to live a better life.

         The climb was very 5.The man had to stop to rest many times. At some 6 ， the hill was very steep(陡峭的) indeed, and he almost wanted to  7. But his dream of a better life 8  him going.

         One afternoon, the man came to another steep part of the hill. And at the top stood some thick plants. The same 9 had happened to him many times before.  10  this time it was a little hard to get it over, he surely was able to do it.

         11 ， the man was too tired after all those days of   12 and pushing through high plants. He was 13 that he still had no results to show, no fruit to enjoy. He just didn't want to 14  any more. He said to himself, “Maybe life on the other side of the hill is not like what the   15  told. My old home isn't that  16 anyway.” He finally made his decision,  17  and set off for his home.

         Actually the man didn't know that 18 he climbed over that slope (斜坡), he could see the other side of the hill and all he had heard about that place was  19. The man had already done the hard part, but he  20  to stop trying when things were going to get much better.

          The largest land animal remaining on the earth, the African elephant, is of much importance to the African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a giant planteater,  it  significantly  shapes  the  forest－and－savanna surroundings in which it lives, therefore deciding the conditions of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

         It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it both a disturber of the environment and an important builder of habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and bushes, as well as pulls branches off big trees.   This results in numerous open spaces in not only deep tropical forests but also the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces, there are numerous plants in various stages of growth, which attract a variety of other plant－eaters.

        Take the rain forests for example. In their natural states, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants create open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large－hoofed plant－eaters to move around and for small－sized plant－eaters to obtain their food as well.

         Scientists are worried now that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant dies out, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forests and savannas, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.