Hunting

The days of the hunter are almost over in India.This is partly because there is practically nothing left to kill,and partly because some steps have been taken,mainly by banning tiger-shooting,to protect those animals which still survive.

Some people say that Man is naturally a hunter.I disagree with this view.Surely our earliest forefathers,who at first possessed no weapons,spent their time digging for roots,and were no doubt themselves often hunted by meat-eating animals.

I believe the main reason why the modern hunter kills is that he thinks people will admire his courage in overpowering dangerous animals.Of course,there are some who truly believe that the killing is not really the important thing,and that the chief pleasure lies in the joy of the hunt and the beauties of the wild countryside.There are also those for whom hunting in fact offers a chance to prove themselves and risk death by design:these men go out after dangerous animals like tigers,even if they say they only do it to rid the countryside of a threat.I can respect reasons like these,but they are clearly different from the need to strengthen your high opinion of yourself.

The greatest big-game hunters expressed in their writings something of these finer motives(动机).One of them wrote:

“You must properly respect what you are after and shoot it cleanly and on the animal’s own territory (领地).You must fix forever in your mind all the wonders of that particular day.This is better than letting him grow a few years older to be attacked and wounded by his own son and eventually eaten,half alive,by other animals.Hunting is not a cruel and senseless killing—not if you respect the thing you kill,not if you kill to enrich your memories,not if you kill to feed your people.”

I can understand such beliefs,and can compare these hunters with those who hunted lions with spears(矛) and bravely caught them by the tail.But this is very different from many tiger-shoots I have seen,in which modern weapons were used.The so-called hunters fired from tall trees or from the backs of trained elephants.Such methods made tigers seem no more dangerous than rabbits.

1.There is no more hunting in India now partly because _______.

A.it is dangerous to hunt there

B.hunting is already out of date

C.hunters want to protect animals

D.there are few animals left to hunt

2.The author thinks modern hunters kill mainly _______.

A.to make the countryside safe

B.to earn people’s admiration

C.to gain power and influence

D.to improve their health

3.What do we learn about the big-game hunters?

A.They hunt old animals.                    B.They mistreat animals.

C.They hunt for food.                       D.They hunt for money.

4.What is the author’s view on the tiger-shoots he has seen?

A.Modern hunters lack the courage to hunt face-to-face.

B.Modern hunters should use more advanced weapons.

C.Modern hunters like to hunt rabbits instead of tigers.

D.Modern hunters should put their safety first.

Even a child knows that nodding(点头) the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.

The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.

If a person doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.

At one time a foreigner in India told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.

1. According to the habit of India, if someone agrees with you, he will _______.

A. nod his head          

B. shake his head

C. neither nods his head nor shakes his head   

D. either nod his head or shake his head

2. Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him to drive him to his office? Because _______.

A. the Indian driver has something important to do

B. the foreigner promised to give him only a little money

C. The driver felt uncomfortable at that time

D. In India shaking the head means agreement

3. Why did the foreigner become angry? Because _______.

A. the Indian driver didn’t want to send him to his office

B. He misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India

C. he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the India driver didn’t say any words

D. the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money

4. The phrase “on the contrary” means _______.

A. just the opposite                 

B. clear difference between two things

C. doing what you want to do         

D. on the other hand