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    Pandas are very cute animals．In 1972, two pandas named Hsing--Hsing and Ling--Ling were sent from China to the United States as a gift．The National Zoo in Washington．D．C, became the pandas' new home．Americans fell in love with the two pandas right away．On the first day the two pandas came to the zoo，about 20，000 people visited them．The crowds kept coming year after year．

    Hsing—Hsing and Ling—Ling were just cubs(幼崽) when they got to the United States．As the years passed，many hoped the pair would have cubs of their own．Ling-Ling gave birth several times．But none of the babies lived more than a few days．Each time a cub died，people all around the world felt sad．

    Both of the pandas lived to an old age．Ling—Ling was 23 when she died in 1992．Hsing—Hsing died in 1999 at the age of 28．But they were never forgotten.

Following Hsing—Hsing's death，the zoo received(收到)lots of letters from their fans．The letters showed their love for the pandas and told how much they missed them．