Question

Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild, according to a study sure to cause debate about keeping the giant animals on display. Researchers compared the life spans of elephants in European zoos with those living in Amboseli National Park in Kenya and others working on a timber enterprise in Buma. Animals in the wild or in natural working conditions had life expectancies twice than or more of their relatives in zoos.

Animal care activists have urged in recent years to discourage keeping elephants in zoos, largely because of the lack of space and small numbers of animals that can be kept in a group.

The researchers found that the median life span for African elephants in European zoos was 16.9 years, compared with 56 years for elephants who died of natural causes in Kenya’s Amboseli Park. Adding in those elephants killed by people in Africa lowered the median life expectancy there to 35.9 years. For the more endangered Asian elephants, the median life span in European zoos was 18.9 years, compared with 41.7 years for those working in the Burma Timber Enterprise. Median means half died younger than that age and half lived longer.

There is some good news, though. The life expectancies of zoo elephants have improved in recent years, suggesting an improvement in their care and raising, but “Protecting elephants in Africa and Asia is far more successful than protecting them in Western zoos.”

There are about 1,200 elephants in zoos, half in Europe, researchers concentrated on female elephants, which make up 80 percent of the zoo population. One amazing thing was that Asian elephants born in zoos had shorter life spans that those brought to the zoos from the wild.

Zoos usually lack large areas that elephants are used to in the wild, and that zoo animals often are alone or with one or two other unrelated animals, while in the wild they tend to live in related groups of 8 to 12 animals. In Asian elephants, baby death rates are two to three times higher in zoos than in the Burmese logging camps, and then, in adulthood, zoo-born animals die young. People are not sure why.

1.What is argued about in this passage?

A．Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild.

B．Elephants should not be on display.

C．Asian elephants are in danger.

D．Asia is far more successful in protecting elephants in zoos.

2.What does the underlined word “median” mean according to the passage?

A．Average          B．Longest.           C．Shortest.          D．Ordinary.

3.Which of the following is Not the disadvantage of keeping elephants in zoos?

A．Limited number of relatives.               B．Lack of space.

C．Shorter life expectancy.                  D．Less attention.

4.Who are expected to pay more attention to the issue addressed?

A．Zoologists.                             B．Animal care activists.

C．Zoo visitors.                            D．The public.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：文章通過將野生大象和動物園飼養的大象對比，告訴讀者：不應該將大象放在動物園中飼養，因為這樣會影響它們的健康，縮短它們的壽命。

1.這是細節理解題。根據文章內容及第一段的第一句話（Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild, according to a study sure to cause debate about keeping the giant animals on display.）可知，人們對是否應該將大象關在動物園里展覽產生了爭論，故選B。

2.這是細節理解題。根據畫線單詞所在這一段的內容，尤其是該段的最后一句可知答案，故選A。

3.這是細節理解題。根據文章第二段提到了AB兩項內容；由第三段內容可得出C項內容，故選D。

4.這是細節理解題。根據People are not sure why.故選D。

考點：這是一篇議論文。

點評：英語議論文有其獨特的框架結構，讓讀者迅速捕捉作者的觀點和思路，值得考生模仿，在文章開頭，1.通過主題句鮮明地提出觀點或引出將要論述的內容，防止在論述的過程中跑題。常用的句式有：引出話題/過渡，提出觀點，表達立場。2.多種形式展示論據。議論文在寫作手法上以議論為主，如通過對比觀點、闡明原因、列舉例子等，但有時也要運用說明、敘述、描寫等手法。議論中的說明常以議論的開展創造條件或是議論的補充；敘述和描寫應是為論點提供依據的，因此，敘述應該是概括的，描寫應該是簡要的。常用的句式有：總述原因，分層論述，列舉例子，引出經歷，分析原因，討論后果.3.總結升華，沖申觀點。在段或文章的結尾，考生可以用不同的語言表達，重申主題或提出解決問題的建議，從而使文章結構嚴謹、主題鮮明。常用的句式有：