Question

【题目】Why Dogs Chase Their Tails

It might look like a strange activity to humans, but tail-chasing is a way for dogs to burn off some energy. In most cases, they're doing this for one of two reasons: 【1】.

If a dog doesn’t have anything (or anyone) to play with, it might need to entertain itself—in this case, by playing with its tail. On the other hand, the behavior could be a warning sign that your dog is becoming anxious or stressed. 'We call these displacement(替代) behaviors, similar to a human playing with their hair or tapping their foot, ' says Hartstein. '【2】.'

One reason tail-chasing can be a must-do for dogs is that they start playing with their tails as playful puppies learning about their bodies.【3】. 'The dog then learns it can get attention from its owners when it does that, ' says Hartstein.

【4】. But if your pet is doing it every day or it seems to become an obsession(强迫), you'd better watch out. A constantly bored or stressed dog might be feeling neglected. Make sure its basic needs are being met, including exercise and socialization.

【5】. If the tail-chasing started suddenly, your dog might be reacting to a medical issue, like cognitive disorder, or tapeworm(绦虫), says Hartstein. The sooner you get a medical checkup, the better. 'A lot of times, owners think, 'If I just wait, it will get better on its own, ' Hartstein says. 'But (behaviors) get more intense; they get more difficult.' With some treatment and extra training, you and your dog will both be happier.

A. They are happy and content

B. They're bored or they're stressed

C. A visit to the vet is also a good idea

D. They gradually get into the habit of chasing tails

E. Owners often laugh at the activity and talk about it

F. They seek to do things that can comfort themselves

G. It’s normal for dogs to chase their own tails every now and then

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】F

【3】E

【4】G

【5】C

【解析】

这是是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了小狗为什么要追自己尾巴。

【1】前文In most cases, they're doing this for one of two reasons: (大多数情况下，他们这样做是为了两个原因中的一个)与B. They're bored or they're stressed (他们要么无聊，要么压抑)承接自然，选项是对前文两个原因的具体说明，故选B项。

【2】前文'We call these displacement(替代) behaviors, similar to a human playing with their hair or tapping their foot, ' says Hartstein. (我们把这种行为叫做替代行为，如同人玩自己的头发或者敲脚)与F. They seek to do things that can comfort themselves (他们做一些动作来安慰自己)承接自然，狗的替代行为是追自己的尾巴，人的替代行为是玩头发或敲脚，故选F项。

【3】后文'The dog then learns it can get attention from its owners when it does that, ' says Hartstein. (Hartstein说：“然后狗知道了当他们这样做时，可以吸引主人的注意力”) 与E. Owners often laugh at the activity and talk about it(主人常常笑并且谈论它们的这种行为)承接自然，小狗知道他们追自己尾巴的行为会逗乐主人，所以经常这样做，故选E项。

【4】下文But if your pet is doing it every day or it seems to become an obsession(强迫), you'd better watch out. (但是如果你的宠物每天都这样做，或者似乎变成了一种强迫行为，你最好小心点)与G. It's normal for dogs to chase their own tails every now and then (小狗偶尔追自己的尾巴是正常的)承接自然，前后文构成明显的转折关系，故选G项。

【5】下文If the tail-chasing started suddenly, your dog might be reacting to a medical issue, like cognitive disorder, or tapeworm(绦虫), says Hartstein. (Hartstein说，如果追尾巴的情况突然发生，那么你的狗可能在反应一个医学问题，例如认知障碍或者绦虫)与C. A visit to the vet is also a good idea (去看兽医也是个不错的主意)承接自然，vet和medical是关键词，故选C项。