单选题 Zoos are among mankind's oldest institutions, dating back at least 4,500 years, and probably more. Across the world they have brought together and displayed live wild animals for people to look at and over the years {{B}}{{U}}hundreds of millions{{/B}}{{/U}} have. Any institution with so long a history and so universally attended must reach something in people deeper than idle curiosity. Since it is fashionable to speak of roots today, it might be suggested that zoos allow us to stay in touch with our most primitive roots in a primeval world where human survival depended on knowing the shapes and habits of wild animals. So important were wild creatures to our distant ancestors that they were the most frequent subjects of paintings on cave walls, formed the basis for virtually all early religions, and were in numerous instances worshipped as gods.
Now our survival is threatened more by what we ourselves have worked, and by the stresses of living among these creations, than it is by wild animals to whom we relegate less and less living space with each passing year. In this world the need for good zoological gardens is urgent. The exponential growth of human population and the ever-increasing sprawl of cities does more than rob land from wildlife: it pushes the animals farther away from city dwellers. People live in brick, concrete, and glass environments where they lose all touch with wilderness; children grow up who have never tried to catch a frog, never seen a hawk soar or a deer step daintily into a forest clearing--let alone watched a herd of elephants ambles across the river or a pride of lions stalk prey.
People who have the time and money can take an occasional trip to the remaining wilderness and find, in places where wild animals still live, the renewal of spirit that comes from prolonged visits to wild country. For millions of others who are unable to leave the cities or can't afford to, good zoos laid out among plants and trees can bring what conservationist Lan Player calls "a taste of wilderness". Perhaps more important in the long run, zoos can help give deprived people an awareness that we share the world with many other animals and should have a decent regard for their worth and right to live. If zoos did no more than accomplish these two ends, they would serve a noble purpose.
As it happens, however, today's zoos can do far more. They can become breeding centers for those wild species whose continued existence has become precarious. The term "captive breeding" has been used to describe this new role of zoos, and this book describes the effort--the most important task that zoos have yet undertaken.
单选题 In the second sentence of the first paragraph, "hundreds of millions" refers to the great number of ______ .
  • A. mankind's various institutions
  • B. zoos across the world
  • C. live wild animals displayed
  • D. people who have visited zoos
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据上下文明确指代关系,“Across the world they have brought together and displayed live wild animals for people to look at and over the years hundreds of millions have.”,这句话是说,“全世界的动物都被集中起来供人们参观,多年来数以亿计的人们参观了动物园。这里的“hundreds of millions have”显然是省略句,完整的信息是“hundreds of millions of people have looked at the animals”,所以,答案为D。
单选题 According to the author, which of the following might be the LEAST threatening one to humanity's survival now?
  • A. Wild animals.
  • B. Limited space.
  • C. Population growth.
  • D. City expansion.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 作者在第二段段首说,“Now our survival is threatened more by what we ourselves have worked,and by the stresses of living among these creations,than it is by wild animals to whom we relegate less and less living space with each passing year.”这句话的意思是,人类自身的生产活动要比野生动物对人类生存的威胁大得多,所以,选A。
单选题 In this passage, the author believes that zoos ______ .
  • A. enable people to experience the feeling of being in the nature
  • B. bring poor people a sense of comfort with the sight of animals
  • C. make people cherish their life more by knowing animals' fate better
  • D. serve noble people from less than two aspects in the long run
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 作者认为,现代社会的发展使许多城市人远离了野生动物,动物园可以帮助人们与野生动物保持联系,因为动物园可以使人们感受到野生动物的环境,找到回归自然的感觉,所以答案应为A。
单选题 This passage might be taken out of a ______ .
  • A. review of a book
  • B. preface to a book
  • C. lecture on a book
  • D. advertisement of a book
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 解决这一问题的关键是把握关键词和文章语境。文章最后一句“The term‘captive breeding’has been used to describe this new role of zoos,and this book describes the effort—the most important task that zoos have yet undertaken.”中,谈到了“this book”。由此可以推测这篇文章应该是在这本书的前言或者序言中出现的,故选B。
单选题 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as the task of zoos?
  • A. Gathering animals for scientific studies.
  • B. Educating people to pay more attention to animals.
  • C. Preventing rare animals from extinction.
  • D. Bringing people a taste of wildness.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本文在第三段提及了D和B两个任务,在第四段中提到了C,只是说法上有所改变。A虽然看似符合逻辑,但细读文章,不难发现并未提及。