JOHANNESBURG—Theysaycatshaveninelives．NowaChinesetoad(蟾...

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JOHANNESBURG—They say cats have nine lives．Now a Chinese toad(蟾蜍)has joined the club of clever survivors．

South Africans are shocked by a toad that got trapped in a ship from China to Cape Town, after jumping into a candlestick(烛台)that was made there．South African officials reportedly planned to put down the creature, fearing it would cause harm as an invasive species if it were let go in the wild.

But the toad got a last-minute pardon. Mango Airlines, a south African airline, transported the toad on Friday to Johannesburg to an animal center, after officials decided to find a way to let the toad live. The two-hour flight was comfortable compared to the trip from China, a long way of many weeks and thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean.

Airline spokesman Hein Kaiser said the toad got "first-class treatment", sitting in a plastic container together with Brett Glasby, an expert looking, after animals. There was even a ceremony, in which the toad's boarding pass was handed to Glasby.

"He was the star of the Show on the flight. He was the unusual passenger, I think every passenger stopped to have a look." Kaiser said.

On landing in Johannesburg, the toad was brought out of its container for a photo shoot. Observers said the brown toad seemed like a cool customer. It belongs to the Asian Toad species. It is believed to have survived the trip from China by hardening its skin to prevent it from drying out, and also by slowing its breathing and heart rate—-methods that help the species survive in times of drought(干旱).

"We've had snakes in imported wood and insects in fruit. We were called because the toad was right inside the candlestick, and we had to break it to get it out." Glasby, the expert, told The Star, a South African newspaper.

8. The underlined phrase "an invasive ~species" in second paragraph may refer to ________.

A. something which is not used to the local conditions

B. something which is probably harmful to the native creatures

C. something which has never appeared in local areas

D. something which is greatly good to the local people

9. The toad was able to arrive in South Africa alive ________.

A. because it slowed its breath on the way

B. because it used methods in times of drought

C. because it formed hard skin to protect itself

D. because many people looked after it carefully

10. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. sometimes animals are transported by accident