Question

The words “protect animals” appear everywhere in books and on screens, because some animals are even in danger of dying out. But sometimes the reality can be a little different from what people read or watch.

About 300 black bears were killed in Florida, the US, in October, 2015. It’s been the first bear hunt in the state since 1994. Local officers explained that the black bear population had grown to 3,500 and become a menace to local people. In the past two years, bears have hurt at least four people in Florida.

Months ago, the Swiss government allowed locals to kill a wolf. This was because the wolf killed 38 sheep, and it was a great loss to some local farmers. Days ago in China, three old men were caught by the police for killing a serow (鬣羚), a kind of protected animal. They said they killed the animal because it ate the plants they grew.

However, these stories don’t always mean that animal protection stops because of human interests especially when it is related to economic development. A man named Zhou Weisen set up a wild animal base in Guilin, Guangxi. He saved over 170 tigers and about 300 bears. His base also offered jobs to local people.

“There may never be a standard answer to the question of whether we should give more attention to the environment or human development,” said Robert May, a British expert at Oxford University. “But we shouldn’t push either one to the side, as the future is uncertain.”

1.In October, 2015, Florida held its first bear hunt after about ___________.

A. five years    B. ten years

C. fourteen years    D. twenty-one years

2.What does the underlined word “menace” in the second paragraph mean?

A. threat    B. chance

C. bargain    D. treasure

3.What does the author intend to tell us by mentioning Zhou Weisen’s story?

A. Protecting animals needs hard work.

B. Zhou was good at feeding wild animal.

C. Zhou had a good relationship with local people.

D. Protecting animals can bring economic development.

4.Which of the following statements might Robert May agree with?

A. Human development should be considered first.

B. We should pay more attention to animal protection.

C. We should consider both the environment and human interests.

D. It’s difficult to find proper ways to solve environmental problems.

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. D

4. C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了世界范围内，动物保护的现状。

1.细节理解题。答案定位在第二段About 300 black bears were killed in Florida, the US, in October, 2015. It’s been the first bear hunt in the state since 1994. 可知2015-1994=21，2015年10月，佛罗里达州举行了21年后的首次猎熊活动，故选D。

2.词义猜测题。根据第二段划线词下文In the past two years，bears have hurt at least four people in Florida.可知在过去的两年，佛罗里达至少有四人被熊所伤。可推知，当地官员解释黑熊的数量已经增长至3500只，并且对当地人构成威胁。有由此推断出 “menace”的意思是威胁，A. threat威胁；B. chance机会；C. bargain交易；D. treasure财宝，故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段However, these stories don’t always mean that animal protection stops because of human interests especially when it is related to economic development.以及His base also offered jobs to local people.可知作者想通过周伟森的故事告诉我们，保护动物可以带来经济发展，故选D。

4.推理判断题。答案定位在最后一段Robert May说的话可知，他认为对于是更多地关注环境，还是更多地关注人类发展的问题来说，没有标准的答案，但是我们不应该偏重任何一方。因为未来是未知的，可推知Robert May可能会同意环境与人类利益并重的观点，故选C。