At Werribee Open Range Zoo in Australia, autumn means giant pumpkins — not for pies, but for the zoo’s hungriest residents. This year, the team grew several oversized pumpkins especially for three female hippos: Primrose, Tulip and Lotus. Watching them crush the huge fruits with their powerful jaws is an unforgettable sight.

“There’s nothing like the crunch of a hippo biting into a giant pumpkin,” says Dominic Moss, a manager at the zoo. Hippos have the largest mouths of any land animal. Their jaws can open to 150 degrees, and their canine teeth (犬齿) can reach 50 centimetres. These sharp teeth easily slice through the thick pumpkin skin. With such powerful equipment, a pumpkin is no challenge. Mr Moss calls the hippos by name, and they waddle over eagerly. In just a few bites, the whole pumpkin disappears, leaving only scattered pieces on the ground. “It’s one of their favourite treats and provides fantastic enrichment — activities that encourage natural behaviour,” he adds. “Visitors are always amazed by the sight.”

The zoo’s nine Asian elephants also enjoy the autumn pumpkins, but in a different way. Instead of biting, they stomp them beneath their feet like grapes, with a loud crack that echoes across the area. Then they use their flexible trunks to skillfully scoop up the smashed pieces. Among the group are three playful three-year-old calves: Aiyara, Roi-Yim and Kati. After their pumpkin snack, the young elephants rush straight to the pool, where they push each other underwater, swim beneath the surface, and play joyfully. “The little ones seem to have endless energy after a treat,” says Mr Moss.

An adult Asian elephant can eat over 100 kilograms of food a day. Their trunks, made up of more than 40,000 muscles, are perfectly designed for smelling, grabbing, and feeding. With such a huge appetite and a powerful tool for eating, the giant pumpkins provide a welcome nutritional boost — especially for the zoo’s three pregnant elephants, who are expecting calves soon.

The annual pumpkin feast is a delicious highlight of the zoo’s enrichment programme, keeping the animals active, engaged, and healthy. It truly marks the arrival of autumn in a memorable way.

1.1.What does the underlined phrase “waddle over” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A Run at high speed.

B Swim with great effort.

C Walk in an unsteady way.

D Jump over obstacles.

解析：选C。C词义猜测题。根据原文“Mr Moss calls the hippos by name, and they waddle over eagerly”，河马听到召唤后“急切地”前来，但结合前文“Hippos have the largest mouths of any land animal”对其庞大体型的描述，以及河马作为笨重陆地动物的常识，“waddle”应指其摇摇晃晃的行走姿态。C项准确传达这一含义。A项“高速奔跑”与河马体型特征矛盾；B项“费力游泳”与文中陆上场景不符；D项“跳过障碍”文中未提及。故选C。

2.2.What is the main difference between how the hippos and the elephants eat pumpkins?

A The way they feed.

B The eating sequence.

C The dining location.

D The consumption amount.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。原文描述河马“crush the huge fruits with their powerful jaws”和“bite into a giant pumpkin”，而大象“stomp them beneath their feet like grapes”后“use their flexible trunks to skillfully scoop up”。河马用嘴巴咬碎南瓜进食；大象先用脚踩碎南瓜，再用象鼻卷食。二者最核心的区别是进食方式。故选A。

3.3.The author mentions the statistics in Paragraph 4 to show the elephants’ ______.

A enormous daily food intake

B special preference for pumpkins

C huge appetite and powerful trunk

D remarkable ability to find food

解析：选C。C推理判断题。第四段指出“An adult Asian elephant can eat over 100 kilograms of food a day”，体现食量巨大（huge appetite）；“Their trunks, made up of more than 40,000 muscles, are perfectly designed for smelling, grabbing, and feeding”，体现象鼻功能强大（trunk function）。两个数据并列出现，目的是同时说明这两点。A项“巨大的每日食物摄入量”仅对应第一个数据，以偏概全；B项“对南瓜的特殊偏好”文中未作为统计数据的目的；D项“出色的觅食能力”将象鼻功能偷换为觅食能力，偏离数据内容。故选C。

4.4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A Pumpkin Pies for Zoo Animals

B A Zoo’s Autumn Pumpkin Tradition

C Enrichment Activities at Werribee Zoo

D Pregnant Elephants at Werribee

解析：选B。B主旨大意题。全文围绕“autumn means giant pumpkins”展开，介绍Werribee动物园秋季用南瓜喂食河马和大象的传统活动，最后点明“The annual pumpkin feast is a delicious highlight of the zoo’s enrichment programme”。B项涵盖时间（autumn）、地点（zoo）、核心事件（pumpkin tradition），全面准确。A项与原文相反；C项范围过大，enrichment programme只是文末提及的背景；D项仅涉及局部细节（怀孕母象），以偏概全。故选B。