Have you ever enjoyed a trip to a zoo, but wondered whether it is acceptable for humans to keep so many treasured animals in cages. You are not alone. Many people concerned about the fate of zoo animals and feel conflicted about the very existence of zoos. However, there is no reason to worry.
Most zoos around the world provide the highest level of care and cleanliness for their animal residents. In fact, animals in zoos often experience far healthier lives than they would in the wild due to the access to medical care.
Zoos provide opportunities for people of all ages to view and connect with animal life that they would otherwise not encounter. By interacting with wild life, people can gain a greater appreciation for the animals of the world. Zoos offer educational experiences through which people can learn why it is so important to protect and maintain the diversity of animal life on Earth.
Zoos also function as places where these often rare or endangered animals can be studied. By keeping and raising animals in cages, extensive research can be conducted on the animals to help scientists understand them. This scientific understanding, in turn, contributes to conservation efforts around the world. Because zoos are a safe place for animals to be observed, scientists are able to make important discoveries about their lives.
While it is true that not all zoos are as well maintained and equipped, there is growing international pressure for universal regulations that will ensure the monitoring of all public zoos. This type of legal support will allow the world’s zoos to continue their important research programs, many of which are adjusted toward breeding programs designed to make more endangered species come in. Breeding programs are essential to continue certain species which are nearly wiped out from the wild, and zoos are the ideal place for these programs to promote the increase of the animals. In this manner, zoos contribute to restoring balance in the wilderness by giving endangered species a second-chance at survival.
If you visit a top-ranking zoo, you will enjoy viewing animals in a habitat designed to support their health. You can rest assured that by supporting such zoos as a visitor, you are also supporting valuable science and conservation efforts. Your interactions with the animals and exhibits might educate you further about creatures in parts of the world you haven’t been exposed to.
When people are inspired, they tend to take action more readily, and zoos are an inspiring example of this truth. Zoos provide an unforgettable experience in appreciating animal life and take concrete action towards advocating for their future.
1. According to the passage, most zoos ________.| A．worry about the fate of rare and treasured animals |
| B．create ways for people to observe and learn animals’ life |
| C．provide poor care and unclean environment for the animals |
| D．educate people to try their best to control the diversity of animals |
| A．public zoos around the world are all monitored |
| B．only the endangered animals should be kept in zoos |
| C．visiting zoos contributes to protecting endangered animals |
| D．Top-ranking zoos allow visitors to study animals’ habitats |
| A．critical | B．cautious | C．supportive | D．anxious |
| A．Are Zoo Animals Healthy? | B．Are Zoos Really Bad News? |
| C．Why Should We Study Animals? | D．Should Animals Be Kept in Cages? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The Surprising Benefits (益处) of Pets
Nowadays, more and more people like to keep pets, such as dogs, cats and so on.
Keep you active
Walking your pet for 2. 5 hours a week not only benefits your quality of life but can also cut your chances of developing serious illnesses.
Better your immune system (免疫系统)
Research shows that children who live with pets from birth have lower rates of allergies (过敏反应), and the more animals in the house, the greater the protection. Kids with four or more cats or dogs have half the rate of allergies as non- pet owners.
Lower your risk of heart attack
Researchers tracked 4,000 people for over ten years and found that pet owners had a 30 percent lower risk of dying of heart attack. That’s because keeping a pet lowers a person’ s heart rate.
When Margie, 40, left her job as a teacher in 2019, she was suffering from anxiety. Luckily, Margie and her husband, decided to keep a dog. “We thought having a dog would give us something to do while we’re at home, and she has just changed our lives,” she says. “I feel so happy by her joy, energy and love. I’ve even told my doctor I don t think I need my medical service anymore.”
| A．Improve your mental health. |
| B．Develop your family relationship. |
| C．Keeping pets can help you take more exercise. |
| D．Therefore, pet owners are more likely to have a healthy heart. |
| E．Besides, more exercise during the day also seems to bring better nights. |
| F．The non-human members of your family help you in more ways than you know. |
| G．Even in adulthood, research suggests pets may have a positive effect on our bodies. |
There are thousands of coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in the world; Unfortunately, however, they are now in serious danger. More than one-third are in such bad shape that they could die within ten years.
The first cause is pollution on land. The pollutants run with rainwater into rivers and streams, which carry the poisons into the ocean.
The last factor contributing to the disappearance of coral reefs is people. People sometimes crash into reefs with their boats, breaking off large blocks of coral.
| A．Global warming is another reason. |
| B．Many might not even last that long! |
| C．Divers who walk on reefs can also do serious damage. |
| D．Reefs provide a home for 25% of the fish in the ocean. |
| E．Chemicals from the poisons kill reefs or make them weak. |
| F．Steps must be taken now to stop over-fishing and pollution of the oceans. |
| G．When the algae die, the coral loses its color and it also dies in the end. |
【推荐3】Sulphur-crested cockatoos (葵花凤头鹦鹉) are common in western Australia, where they normally live in wooded areas. But as forests have been cut down, cockatoos have gotten used to living near people. Scientists report that people in Sydney, Australia are in a battle with these birds.
Last year, scientists at the Max Planck Institute reported that the cockatoos had learned how to open the covers of trash bins. That’s not an easy job. The cockatoos must lift the heavy cover with their beaks (喙) and then walk along, pushing the cover up until it falls over.
When scientists first began studying the cockatoos in 2018, only three areas near Sydney had cover-opening cockatoos. A year and a half later, cockatoos in 44 different areas knew the trick. This time the scientists weren’t just studying cockatoos. They were also studying humans.
The scientists spent weeks studying more than 3,200 trash bins in four different areas of Sydney. They wanted to see how many bins were protected and what methods were used.
In one area, over half the bins were protected. The most common way of protecting the bins was to put a brick or some other heavy objects on the cover. Some people put things like rubber snakes on the top of their bins. The scientists discovered that the humans were teaching each other tricks, too. In most neighborhoods, many people used the same cockatoo-stopping methods as their neighbors.
The researchers say it’s like a race between humans and cockatoos to learn new ways of doing things. Now many cockatoos have learned how to push heavy items off the bins. As a result, humans have figured out ways to attach the items to the top of their bins. The scientists describe the situation as a “human-wildlife conflict”. They expect these conflicts will become more common as humans take over more areas that used to be wild.
1. What can we infer about the cockatoos from the text?| A．They like copying humans’ behavior. |
| B．They are newly found in Australia. |
| C．They don’t like living with people. |
| D．They are very clever birds. |
| A．How the cockatoos learned the trick. |
| B．Why the birds in more areas did the trick. |
| C．How humans responded to the birds’ trick. |
| D．Why humans taught the birds to do the trick. |
| A．They wanted their habitat back. |
| B．They intended to make humans angry. |
| C．They could adopt new ways to open bins. |
| D．They disliked looking for food themselves. |
| A．A battle over trash bins between cockatoos and humans |
| B．A human-wildlife conflict all over Australia |
| C．A problem caused by cockatoos to humans |
| D．A big problem of “homeless” cockatoos |
【推荐1】Every year, over 17 trillion pounds of plastic are washed into the oceans, making five huge areas in the world’s oceans “soups” of floating trash. One of these areas, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is three times as large as France.
Over a year ago, a group called Ocean Cleanup began using a huge floating screen (隔板) to try to clean up plastic pollution in the ocean. After several failures, the group is now collecting plastic. But the plastic is spread out over a large area, so it’s impossible to collect it piece by piece. Ocean Cleanup’s plan is to gather up the floating plastic, making it easier to remove.
Boyan Slat, a member of Ocean Cleanup, got the idea for the Ocean Cleanup system: a 2,000-foot-long floating U-shaped tube with a screen hanging below it. As the tube and screen are pushed by the water and the wind, the U tube is meant to collect plastic trash, making it easy for a ship to collect and remove the plastic. The system uses the power of the wind and ocean, so it doesn’t need fuel.
The group began testing the first version, called “System 001”, in September, 2018. But it soon became clear that the screen was just moving with the plastic, not collecting it. But Mr. Slat saw the project as an experiment, which meant a failure is a chance to learn. The team collected and studied lots of information about what worked well and what didn’t. Then they changed the design. In last June, an improved version, called “System 001/B” was born.
The new version has a parachute (降落伞) attached to it. This makes the system move slightly slower than the plastic, allowing plastic to be collected inside, as planned. System 001/B is now collecting plastic of all sizes, from a large fishing net to tiny bits of plastic as small as 1 millimeter.
But this success is still just the beginning of the work for Ocean Cleanup. Now the group want to use what they’ve learned to design a better and larger system that can collect plastic for up to a year before a ship comes to remove it.
1. What was the problem that Ocean Cleanup faced at first?| A．The plastic was hard to collect. | B．The rubbish was too much. |
| C．They lacked good screens. | D．They had few members. |
| A．It proved to be a success. | B．It was connected to a ship. |
| C．It was environmentally friendly. | D．It collected plastic piece by piece. |
| A．Recycle clear plastic. | B．Work longer on the sea. |
| C．Have wide applications. | D．Collect tinier bits of plastic. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A diary. |
【推荐2】The sighting of a new family of gray wolves in Oregon’s Cascade mountains has given wildlife protectors hope that the recovery of the endangered animal in the state is on the way. The state’s fish and wildlife department (部门) said a group of two adults and two babies was recorded by a track camera in August.
The wolves were found in the area of Warm Springs and officials have named it AKW — a new area of known wolf activity. If the group still has all four members surviving at the end of the year, the animals will be known as the Warm Springs group, the state’s third one in the northern Cascades. “Wolves will move to different places, but when we have resident wolves, like we know they’re sticking in that area, that’s when we create an AKWA to make sure the wolf count rise constantly.” the agency’s worker, Michelle Dennehy, told USA Today.
Many years of hunting of gray wolves almost made them die out across the nearby 48 US states by the middle of the last century. In Oregon at the end of 2009 only 14 wolves were known to exist. With protections from the Endangered Animals Act beginning in 1974, numbers have risen slowly since, to 175 in Oregon by the end of last year, living in more than 35 groups.
“I hope this will be an exciting new chapter in the story of wolf recovery in the state. Having more wolves establish families in western Oregon will be important for the long-term survival of these beautiful animals,” Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf protector at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
1. How did people find the gray wolves?| A．By sighting their families. | B．By taking their pictures. |
| C．By recording their voices. | D．By observing their tracks. |
| A．It is created according to wolves’ species. | B．It aims to prohibit wolves’ moving around. |
| C．It can help the increase of wolf population. | D．It will warn people to watch out for wolves. |
| A．Add some background information. | B．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．Offer solutions to wildlife protectors. | D．Show reasons of gray wolves’ hunting. |
【推荐3】The area of tropical forest destroyed in 2021 was enough to cover the entire island of Cuba, and sent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as India does in an entire year from burning fossil fuels, according to an analysis published on Thursday.
Some 11.1 million hectares (around 43, 000 square miles) of forest was destroyed, mainly by logging (伐木)as well as fires, the analysis by the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch and the University of Maryland found. Some of those fires were deliberately lit to clear land and many were deteriorated by climate change.
The loss was less severe than in 2020, but deforestation (毁林)is still occurring at an alarming rate in the tropics. Of the area lost, 3. 75 million hectares were primary tropical forest at the equivalent of 10 soccer fields every minute, WRI reported.
Primary tropical forests in particular are crucial for the ecological balance of the planet, providing oxygen that supports life and as biodiversity hotspots. They are also rich in stored carbon, and when these forests are logged or burned, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
“What’s important to understand is that forests, especially tropical forests, are part of the global climate system,” WRI senior fellow Frances Seymour told CNN. “So they’re not mechanical carbon storage devices. They actually influence the energy transfer and the moisture content of the atmosphere in ways that affect rainfall and global circulation patterns.”
“When deforestation happens, when forests are lost, it not only contributes carbon to the atmosphere, but also disrupts rainfall patterns and increases local temperatures in some ways. For example, it makes remaining forests more vulnerable to fire, and the warmer, drier conditions that come with climate change,” Seymour said.
1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “deteriorated” in paragraph 2?| A．strengthened |
| B．expanded |
| C．worsened |
| D．extended |
| A．Promoting world economy. |
| B．Balancing the earth’s ecology. |
| C．Predicting severe weather. |
| D．Providing wood resources. |
| A．The consequence of deforestation. |
| B．The cause of forests loss. |
| C．The methods of protecting forests. |
| D．The contributions of forests. |
| A．Logging causes most forests loss |
| B．Analysts are concerned about tropic forests loss |
| C．Primary tropical forests are rich in stored carbon |
| D．Tropical forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate |
【推荐1】When is cleaning walls a crime? When you're doing it to create art, obviously. A number of street artists around the world have started expressing themselves through a practice known as reverse graffiti (反向涂鸦). They find dirty surfaces and paint them with images or messages using cleaning brushes or pressure hoses (高压水管). Either way, it's the same principle: the image is made by cleaning away the dirt. Each artist has their own individual style but all artists share a common aim: to draw attention to the pollution in our cities. The UK’s Paul Curtis, better known as Moose, operates around Leeds and London and has been commissioned by a number of companies to make reverse graffiti advertisements.
Brazilian artist, Alexandre Orion, turned one of Sao Paulo's transport tunnels into an amazing wall painting in 2006 by getting rid of the dirt. Made up of a series of white skulls (颅骨), the painting reminds drivers of the effect their pollution is having on the planet. “Every motorist sits in the comfort of their car, but they don't give any consideration to the price their comfort has for the environment and consequently for themselves,” says Orion.
The anti-pollution message of the reverse graffiti artists confuses city authorities since the main argument against graffiti is that it spoils the appearance of both types of property: public and private. This was what Leeds City Council said about Moose's work: “Leeds residents want to live in clean and attractive neighborhoods. We view this kind of advertising as environmental damage and will take strong action against it.” Moose was ordered to “clean up his act.” How was he supposed to do this: by making all property he had cleaned dirty again?
As for the Brazilian artist's work, the authorities were annoyed but could find nothing to charge him with. They had no other option but to clean the tunnel-but only the parts Alexandre had already cleaned. The artist merely continued his campaign on the other side. The city officials then decided to take drastic action. They not only cleaned the whole tunnel but every tunnel in Sao Paulo.
1. What can we learn from the passage about reverse graffiti?| A．It uses paint to create anti-pollution images. | B．It creates a lot of trouble for local residents. |
| C．It causes lots of distraction to drivers. | D．It turns dirty walls into artistic works. |
| A．He has a talent for painting white skulls. |
| B．He is enthusiastic about doing creative artworks. |
| C．He wants to raise public awareness of environmental protection. |
| D．He intends to express his dissatisfaction with local governments. |
| A．It is simply ridiculous. | B．It is well-informed. |
| C．It is rather unexpected. | D．It is quite reasonable. |
| A．They made him clean all the tunnels in Sao Paulo. |
| B．They took action to ban all reverse graffiti. |
| C．They charged him with polluting tunnels in the city. |
| D．They made it impossible for him to practice his art. |
【推荐2】Upon reflection of the ideal social moral code, within one sentence, it would be: be constructive, not destructive. Though “be constructive, not destructive” sounds sensible, there are many nuances (slight differences). Sometimes it is difficult to determine if an act is exactly constructive or destructive.
We can decide if something is constructive or destructive based on degree, for instance. Say your preschool son is acting up and broke a glass vase, even after you told him to stop grabbing and playing with it several times. You get a thought in your mind to spank him to give a punishment for his naughty action. However, you start to feel confused about whether this would be constructive or destructive. It might show him that not listening to you and breaking things is not welcome, but on the other hand, spanking him is an act of aggression that will hurt him physically and perhaps teach him to use force in situations later in life. There is no exact wrong or right in these moments. However, through your own reasoning, you can decide to what degree it would be beneficial or harmful to him and the situation at hand. Personally, I would not spank my son, as I think it does more destruction than construction. But, that is just me.
Another nuance to consider is the definition we give to construction and destruction. For example, for some people, construction can never involve violence, while for others, it could even be an essential part. Take the example of going back in time and killing Hitler. Killing someone is definitely termed a destructive act. However, in light of the circumstances, I would assume that the majority of people would agree that killing Hitler at the height of his power if they had the chance would be seen as a constructive, thus positive act. Therefore, our definitions often determine our values and how we behave upon those principles.
Additionally, construction and destruction can be filtered through a sociopolitical lens. Construction can be seen as good to some, and bad to others. Take for instance creating new homes in a forested area. Yes, homes for humans are made, but also the habitat for countless animals is being destroyed, or at least altered to an extreme. Construction, if it is true, it should be beneficial to all parties included. That is a tall order, though. Every step we take kills bacteria and other microorganisms—and perhaps plants, insects, and who knows what else. Destruction can be seen as a part of each moment. Plus, what a majority might regard as a constructive might be seen as destructive to a minority. Is there a way to determine which side is correct? It is almost impossible. Being in the majority in terms of a moral outlook does not mean it is correct, or more appropriate. There have been many instances in history when acts were regarded as constructive, but were later seen as destructive with a modern lens.
Though I consider “Be constructive, not destructive” the most solid one-sentence social moral code, it is not without its nuances and problems. For instance, the degree to which we consider something constructive or destructive, definitions of being constructive and destructive, and construction and destruction seen through a sociopolitical lens are all nuances. These differences consist of the confusion that this ideal social moral code causes. However, I cannot imagine a better code than the one stated in this essay in terms of living one’s life in a social context.
1. From the author’s view whether to punish a kid’s wrong doing or not depends on what extent .| A．A. it would bring him benefits or harms |
| B．he would modify his destructive behavior |
| C．his act is constructive or destructive |
| D．his destructive result might bring about |
| A．A. killing someone is definitely termed a destructive act |
| B．the majority of people would agree to kill Hitler |
| C．killing Hitler is seen as a constructive and positive act |
| D．definitions of social code decide our values and principles |
| A．Construction and destruction can advance social developments. |
| B．Construction can be seen as good to some, and bad to others. |
| C．What a majority might regard as a constructive might be seen as destructive. |
| D．Being in the majority in terms of a moral outlook does not mean it is correct. |
| A．A. Wrong or Right of Social Moral Code |
| B．Judgment of Construction or Destruction |
| C．Ideal Social Moral Code |
| D．How to Live One’s Life in a Social Context |
【推荐3】I was watching a kid doing tricks on his skateboard. He was doing pretty well until he tried to skate down a set of steps and lost his balance. The skateboard went one way and he went the other. But, lying on the concrete, he still managed to keep his sense of humor. He looked at me, smiled and said, “Epic fail!”
The term “epic fail” isn’t proper grammatical English (we should use the noun form “failure”), but it is commonly used and perfectly acceptable. People use it to describe small embarrassments as well as serious mistakes. The kid on the skateboard suffered a small embarrassment. An example of a serious epic fail would be Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. The only difference between the two was how they responded to their epic fails. The kid laughed at his embarrassment and got back on his skateboard. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, could not accept her epic fail but, instead, wrote a bitter book about it in which she blamed everyone but herself for the loss.
All of us can expect to have epic fails in our life. We might fail an exam or not win a prize in some competition. Later in life, we may not get the job we want or be as successful as we hoped we would be. But if we manage to keep our sense of humor and a positive attitude, we can overcome our epic fails. One embarrassing mistake or even a serious disappointment does not mean the end of the world.
Here’s a historical example of what I mean. Alfred the Great (849-899) was an English king in ancient Britain. At the time, his kingdom was being invaded by Vikings and Alfred suffered an epic fail when his army was defeated in a big battle. He managed to escape from the battlefield and found safety many miles away in the hut of a poor peasant woman. The woman didn’t know who he was and when she had to leave the hut to do some chores, she told Alfred to watch some wheat cakes that were cooking on the fire. Alfred, still thinking about his big epic fail, forgot about the cakes and they were burned. When the woman returned, she scolded Alfred, but he didn’t get angry. Her criticism, instead, seemed to help him put his situation into perspective.
Soon after, Alfred left the hut, gathered his scattered army and defeated the Vikings. Epic fails, big and small, can always be overcome with the right attitude.
1. According to the article, which of the following is NOT an epic fail?| A．Be defeated in a basketball match. |
| B．Slip when dancing in front of your friends. |
| C．Fail to win a prize in a competition. |
| D．Get blamed for your friend’s mistake. |
| A．She wrote a book analyzing her failure. |
| B．She laughed at her failure with a sense of humor. |
| C．She failed to recognize her responsibility in the failure. |
| D．She thought about how she could perform better in the next election. |
| A．All of us can encounter epic fail in our life. |
| B．We use the term “epic fail” to describe big mistakes only. |
| C．If we change our attitude, we may not suffer from epic fail |
| D．A serious embarrassment can be compared with the end of the world |
| A．even kings may encounter epic fails |
| B．it is easier for forgetful people to overcome epic fails |
| C．all epic fails can be overcome with the right attitude |
| D．criticism plays an important role in overcoming epic fails |
