阅读理解 For 10 years I have been teaching animal behavior and conservation biology at the Boulder County Jail in Colorado. The course—part of the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots program—is one of the most popular in the jail. Prisoners have to earn the right to enroll and they work hard to get in.
One reason the course is so popular is that many prisoners find it easier to connect with animals than with people, because animals don't judge them. Many of the prisoners had lived with dogs, cats and other companion animals who were their best friends. They trust and empathize with animals in ways they don't with humans.
Nonetheless, they retain a distorted view of how animals treat one another. The prisoners have often had enough of "nature red in tooth and claw": many lament that their own "animal behavior" is what got them into trouble in the first place. I teach that though there is competition and aggression in the animal kingdom, there is also a lot of cooperation, empathy, compassion and reciprocity. I explain that these behaviors are examples of "wild justice", and this idea makes them rethink what it means to be an animal.
Many of the students yearn to build healthy relationships, and they find that the class helps them. I use examples of the social behavior of group-living animals such as wolves as a model for developing and maintaining friendships among individuals who must work together for their own good and also for the good of the group.
It's clear that science inspires the students: our exchanges rival those that I've had in university classes. It also gives them hope. I know some students have gone back into education after their release while others have gone to work for humane societies or contributed time and money to conservation organizations.
One went on to receive a master's degree in literature. Science and humane education help the prisoners connect with values that they otherwise would not have done. It opens the door to understanding, trust, cooperation, community and hope. There's a large untapped population of individuals to whom science could mean a lot, if only they could get exposure to it The class helps me, too. I get as much out of it as the students and it has made me a better teacher on the outside.
单选题 6.Many prisoners find it more comfortable to get along with animals than with humans in that _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】因果细节题。根据with animals than with humans定位到第二段。文中讲到“很多囚犯觉得与动物相处比与人相处更容易,因为动物不会对他们进行价值判断”,B项的judgmental是原文judge的同义转换,是正确选项。
单选题 7.According to Paragraph 3, we can learn that "animal behavior"_____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】推理判断题。第三段提到“虽然动物世界也有竞争和侵略,但动物之间也会互相合作、心意相通……”。C项中的negative和positive高度概括了“动物的行为”。
单选题 8.The author cited group-living wolves in his class with the aim to _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】事实细节题。根据group-living wolves定位到第四段。例证类题目答案一般在举例的前后句中。文中讲到“我用群居动物(比如狼)的社会行为事例作为人与人之间发展和维系友谊的模范”,故选B项。
单选题 9.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】推理判断题。末段提到“现在有很大一批人,他们的思想尚待开发,只有在接触科学后,他们才会知道科学的价值有多大”,由此可以判断C项正确。
单选题 10.Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】主旨大意题。本文主要讲了动物科学的学习对监狱犯人的积极作用,因此B项符合文意。