题目内容
Most people regard zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators(捕食性动物) don't exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age. But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often develop diseases, joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become unable to have babies.
To learn more about how captivity(监禁) affects elephants, a team of international scientists led by Mason, a biologist, compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in the wild. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care, documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for the researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 elephants in zoos.
The team found that female elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years. Their wild counterparts(同类事物) who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years——more than three times as long.
Scientists don't yet know for sure why wild elephants seem to live so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Mason thinks stress and obesity(肥胖) may be to blame. Zoo elephants don't get the same kind of exercise as they do in the wild, and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large groups.
Another finding from the study showed that elephants born in zoos were more likely to die earlier than elephants captured in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive.
The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce successfully and keep healthy populations, that doesn't appear to be the case with elephants.
【小题1】The text tells us that zoo elephants are different from other zoo animals because they________
A.develop health problems. |
B.1ive to a ripe old age. |
C.are not afraid of predators. |
D.have difficulty eating food. |
A.Female elephants live longer than male elephants. |
B.Female zoo elephants die earlier than their wild counterparts. |
C.Female zoo elephants live longer than their wild counterparts. |
D.Both elephants in zoos and those in the wild live in large herds. |
A.Zoo-born elephants should be attended more carefully |
B.Elephants are no longer an endangered species. |
C.It may not be a wise policy to keep elephants in the zoo. |
D.Zoos should keep more animals except elephants. |
A.Comparison between two species of elephants |
B.Longer lives for wild elephants |
C.Female elephants suffer from poor health. |
D.Longer lives for zoo animals. |
【小题1】A
【小题2】B
【小题3】C
【小题4】B
解析
Taiwan will finalize a plan by the end of June to open up the island to tourists from mainland China, though no date has been fixed for formal implementation(执行), an official at the Mainland Affairs Council(MAC)said on Monday.
The official said the reports in the local press on Monday that the MAC has decided to postpone its plan to announce the implementation of the new plan on July 1 were inaccurate.
The official said cooperation between different organizations was still underway.The United Daily news quoted the director of the MAC’s legal affairs department, Liu Thehsun, as saying the plan to open up to mainland tourists would not be implemented as scheduled due to a lack of cross-strait communication.
Although relevant authorities, including the Bureau of Immigration and the Tourism Bureau, have complete reports on how to deal with visitors from mainland China, the decision has been taken not to press, ahead with announcement of the plan’s implementation on the first of July, Liu was quoted as saying.
The report also said that while no restrictions would be imposed on the mainland visitors in terms of age or residence in China, the visitors would need to hold a steady job or have more than 50,000RMB(about 6,000, U.S.dollars)in bank savings before they would be eligible(有资格的)to visit Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan bound mainland tourists would have to come as part of a tour group and would be allowed to stay a maximum of 10 days each time.
The number of mainland tourists allowed to enter the island would also initially be limited to 1,000 people a day.
Although most people from Taiwan are free to travel to China, only a small number of mainland Chinese have been able to visit the island due to restrictions imposed by both sides of the Taiwan Strait after the end of a civil war in 1949.
【小题1】At the moment, according to the passage, ___________.
A.no mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now |
B.any mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now |
C.many mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949 |
D.a few mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949 |
A.there will be no restrictions to mainland visitors |
B.mainland visitors who want to travel in Taiwan must have at least ¥50,000 in the bank savings account |
C.there will be no age restrictions to the mainland visitors |
D.mainland visitors will be free to travel to Taiwan |
A.MAC | B.United Daily |
C.several organizations | D.Bureau of Immigration |
A.The implementation of the plan has not been fixed. |
B.It was originally fixed on July 1 to announce the plan’s implementation. |
C.For lack of cross-strait communication, the plan will not be officially completed until July. |
D.When the plan is finalized, it will be announced immediately. |