1 . Last August, I visited Melbourne Zoo and saw a baby Sumatran orangutan (苏门答腊猩猩). His birth was part of an international program to help the Sumatran orangutan survive as a species. At the moment these beautiful animals are in danger of disappearing in the next 10 to 20 years.
Melbourne Zoo is a modern zoo. Like most modern zoos, it cares very much about animals. It is not a cruel place. You could certainly argue that zoos were cruel places in the past, but I don't believe you can argue that they are cruel places today.
In the past, zoos were exhibition parks. Their only purpose was to give humans pleasure, by showing them wonderful animals that they would otherwise never see. Because animals were only there for the good of humans, no one took much care of them. They were transported thousands of miles around the world, then locked up in small, lonely cages (笼子). In those days, zoos were cruel.
These days, things are very different. The whole purpose of zoos has changed. Now zoos have three main purposes: education, conservation (保护) and research. They aim to make animals better off everywhere. Because of this, the way animals are cared for is also different.
Education is a big part of the activity at zoos. At Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo, for example, 130, 000 school children attend special programs every year to learn about how animals behave and what they need to live. The aim is to make children learn more about animals now so that they will care about them when they are adults.
Zoos play a major role in the protection and conservation of endangered species. The Sumatran orangutan is just one example of the many animals that are better off because of special programs.
Zoos carry out many important research programs which help animals in captivity (囚禁) and in the wild. Recent research, for example, has shown that many intelligent animals enjoy playing games while in captivity.
Modern zoos care about animals first, and people second. Zoos are not cruel places.
1. What does the author think of Melbourne Zoo?| A．Old. | B．Cruel. | C．Caring. | D．Big. |
| A．To please human beings. | B．To look after sick animals. |
| C．To bring pleasure to animals. | D．To give visitors a chance to learn. |
| A．It introduces new species. |
| B．It holds animal exhibitions in schools. |
| C．It has special animal programs for adults. |
| D．It educates children about animals' behavior. |
| A．Zoos are not cruel places | B．Zoos need to be changed |
| C．Zoos are popular with kids | D．Zoos should set animals free |
