Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

The Giant Panda

The giant panda is a beloved animal in China. It is regarded as a national (26) _____________. It is found mostly in southwestern China in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The giant panda is part of the bear family. It has a white coat with black trimmings around its eyes and on its ears, arms, and legs. Adult pandas can be 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and weigh (27) _____________to 330 pounds (150 kilograms). The giant panda leads a (28) _____________life, except during the mating season.

It lives in bamboo forests in the mountains. It can climb trees but lives mainly on the ground. (29) _____________most bears, the panda does not hibernate. It moves to low-lying areas during the winter in search of warmer temperatures. The giant panda has a mainly (30) _____________diet, eating mostly bamboo shoots and leaves. It also eats insects and small rodents. Giant panda breeding groups are small and isolated from one another.