Question

【题目】Why do we go to zoos? Millions of people around the world visit zoos each year, but the reason is hard to explain .【1】 But the animals they see in zoos are little like the toys, cartoons, and decorations that fill their homes. For such children, meeting with real animals can be confusing, even upsetting.

The great interest that children have in animals today might lead one to suppose that this has always been the case. 【2】That was also when zoos became an important part of middle-class life.

【3】They lived together with our ancestors in a shared natural environment. In the Industrial Era, the human domination (支配)of animals could be seen in the popularity of real-looking animal toys. Children rode rocking-horses that had realistic features, and they slept with bears, tigers, and rabbits that looked and felt almost real. The Twentieth Century marked a further development--the change of animals into people.

This was the age of Babar the Elephant, Hello Kitty, and the Lion King. Parents and children had previously wanted animals that looked like animals.【4】.

In a zoo they hope to see the living breathing versions of their character friends. They find instead unfamiliar creatures who cannot speak, smile, or interact with them. For this reason, a visit to the zoo can be disappointing for children today.【5】 Meeting real animals reminds us forcefully of the boundary between imagination and reality.

When we visit animals in a zoo, perhaps we will recall our true relationship not only to animals but to the entire world.

A. Animals are the best friends of the human beings.

B. Most of children are looking forward to visiting zoos.

C. Perhaps that disappointment is the best gift a zoo can offer.

D. But now they want animals that look and act like humans

E. Yet, it was not until the Industrial Era that animals became part of childhood.

F. In prehistoric times, there had been no zoos, as animals were a real part of the human world.

G. Many of those visitors are children, whose lives are already surrounded by animals’ images.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】G

【2】E

【3】F

【4】D

【5】C

【解析】每年世界上有数百万人参观动物园，但原因很难解释。多数游客是孩子，他们的生活早已被动物的形象所包围。动物园里看到的动物与他们的动物玩具完全不同，不会与他们互动，这让孩子们困惑，甚至是失望。可是这种失望是有好处的。可以提醒人类回想起远古时代与动物的真实关系，还有和整个世界的关系。

【1】G

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下一句的“the animals … fill their homes”可知孩子家中充满了动物玩具，可知对动物感兴趣的是这些孩子，所以许多孩子去动物园参观。分析选项可知G项（许多游客都是孩子，他们的生活早已被动物的形象所包围），故选G项。

【2】E

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下一句“That was also when zoos became an important part of middle-class life.” 动物园也成了中产阶级生活的重要组成部分。分析选项可知E项（然而，直到工业时代，动物才成为童年的一部分。）符合题意，故选E项。

【3】F

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下一句“They lived together with our ancestors in a shared natural environment.” 他们（动物）与我们的祖先生活在共同的自然环境中。以及下文中说人与动物真实相处，可知动物是人类生活的一部分，没有动物园。分析选项可知F项（史前是没有动物园的，因为动物是人类世界的一部分）符合题意。

【4】D

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据本段内容可知，在远古时代，人与动物真正相处。“This was the age …Parents and children had previously wanted animals that looked like animals._”那个时候他们以前想让动物像动物，而现在，与过去相反，故D 项（但是现在他们想要看起来和行为像人类一样的动物）与之相对的，符合题意。故选D项。

【5】C

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据上文说现实中的孩子的动物玩具行为与样子像人，能与孩子互动。而动物园中的动物是一群他们不熟悉的，不会与他们互动的动物，这让孩子们失望。根据本小题的下一句“Meeting real animals reminds us forcefully of the boundary between imagination and reality.”可知这种失望是有益的，分析选项可知C项（也许失望是动物园能提供的最好的礼物）符合题意，故选C项。