Question

   How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments－mostly for entertainment purposes－is fair and respectful?

   Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats (棲息地). Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

    Zoos claim (聲稱) to educate people and save endangered species(物種), but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range(分布區). The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

    The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

     Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈養繁殖)of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted n their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

     Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

64. How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?

A. Dangerous.        B. Unhappy.          C. Natural.            D. Easy.

65. In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.

A. remain in cages                                     B. behave strangely

C. attack other animals                               D. enjoy moving around

66. What does the author try to argue n the passage?

A. Zoos are not worth the public support.   

B. Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C. Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D. Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

67. The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _____.

A. pointing out the faults in what zoos do           B. using evidence he has collected at zoos

C. questioning the way animals are protected           D. discussing the advantages of natural habitats

68. Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that _______.

A. zoos have to keep animals in small cages       

B. most animals in zoos are endangered species

C. some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos

D. it’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats

Answer 1

64. B   65. B    66. A   67. A   68. C

解析:

64.這是一道細節推斷題。第四段“Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bar， and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth， a sign of unhappiness and pain.” 說明在動物園的動物不幸福。

65.這是一道細節推斷題。根據上文中的unusual和self－destructive可推斷出動物在動物園飼養的情況下行為不正常。

66.這是一道細節推斷題。根據最后一句話“Instead of supporting zoos， we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.”可判斷出作者不贊成公眾支持動物園。

67.這是一道主旨題。作者在這篇短文中主要指出了動物園的各種弊端，來說服讀者接受他的觀點。

68.根據倒數第二段的內容可判斷出作者雖然反對動物園，但他仍然同意動物園不得不把動物保持在很小的空間內。