Question

    I’ve come back to check on a baby. Just after dusk I’m in a car down a muddy road in the rain, past rows of shackled (戴镣的) elephants, their trunks swinging. I was here five hours before, when the sun was high and hot and tourists were on elephants’ backs.

Walking now, I can hardly see the path with my phone’s flashlight. When the wooden fence post stops me short, I point my light down and follow a current of rainwater across the floor until it washes up against three large, gray feet. A fourth foot twisted above the surface, tied tightly by a short chain and choked by ring of metal spikes (尖刺). When the elephant gets tired and puts her foot down, the spikes press deeper into her ankle.

Meena is four years and two months old, still a child as elephants go. Khammon Kongkhaw, her caretaker, told me earlier that Meena wears the spiked chain because she tends to kick. Kongkhaw has been responsible for Meena here at Maetaman Elephant Adventure, near Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, since she was 11 months old. He said he keeps her on the spiked chain only during the day and takes it off at night. But it’ s night now.

I ask Jin Laoshen, the Maetaman worker, why her chain is still on. He says he doesn’t know.

Maetaman is one of many animal attractions in and around tourist-crowded Chiang Mai. Meena’s life is set to follow the same track as many of the roughly 3,800 captive (被捕获的) elephants in Thailand. When Meena is too old or sick to give rides—maybe at 55, maybe at 75, she’ll die. If she's lucky, she’ll get a few years of retirement. She'll spend most of her life on a chain.

1.Why does the author decide to come back?

A.To check the baby elephant Meena.

B.To feed those shackled elephants.

C.To release those shackled elephants.

D.To help an injured worker in Maetaman.

2.What can we conclude from the second paragraph?

A.The author is scared walking in the path.

B.Meena is treated badly and very painful

C.Meena only has three healthy legs.

D.One of Meena’s leg is badly broken.

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards those elephants?

A.Indifferent.

B.Critical.

C.Sympathetic.

D.Negative.

4.We can infer that the purpose of the author’s writing is______________.

A.to describe those elephants to attract tourists around the world

B.to draw people’s attention to caring about the fate of those elephants

C.to tell readers the story of a baby elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand

D.to tell the reason why the number of elephants is decreasing

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，作者通过自己的所见所闻讲述了大象在泰国的悲惨境遇。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“I’ve come back to check on a baby.”及第三段中的“Meena”可知，作者决定回来是为了去查看小象米纳，故A项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“A fourth foot twisted above the surface, tied tightly by a short chain and choked by ring of metal spikes (尖刺). When the elephant gets tired and puts her foot down, the spikes press deeper into her ankle.”可知，可知，小象扭曲的脚上绑着铁链和尖刺，当它累了把脚放下时，这些尖刺就会更深地扎进脚踝里，通过这个描写可知小象米纳受到了虐待，非常痛苦，故B项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Meena’s life is set to follow the same track as many of the roughly 3,800 captive (被捕获的) elephants in Thailand. When Meena is too old or sick to give rides—maybe at 55, maybe at 75, she’ll die. If she's lucky, she’ll get a few years of retirement. She'll spend most of her life on a chain.”可知，小象米纳将和其他被捕获的大象一样生活是非常悲惨的：小的时候受尽虐待，被人骑，等老了或病了的时候就会会死掉，如果幸运的话，可以退休几年，它们会在铁链上度过一生，由此可知作者对这些大象非常同情，故C项正确。

4.推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文主要以小象米纳为例讲述了大象在泰国的悲惨生活，由此可知作者写这篇文章的目的是吸引人们关注那些大象的悲惨命运，故B项正确。