首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Longer Lives for Wild Elephants Most people think of zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty fin
Longer Lives for Wild Elephants Most people think of zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty fin
admin
2013-11-28
58
问题
Longer Lives for Wild Elephants
Most people think of zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators don’t exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age.
But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often suffer from poor health. They develop diseases, joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become infertile, or unable to have babies.
To learn more about how captivity affects elephants, a team of international scientists compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in their native lands. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care, documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for the researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 African and Asian elephants in zoos across Europe. The scientists compared the life spans of the zoo-born elephants with the life spans of thousands of female wild elephants in Africa and Asian elephants that work in logging camps, over approximately the same time period.
The team found that female African elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16. 9 years. Their wild counterparts who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years— more than three times as long. Female Asian elephants followed a similar pattern. In zoos, they lived 18. 9 years, while those in the logging camps lived 41. 7 years.
Scientists don’t yet know why wild elephants seem to fare so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Georgia Mason, a biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who led the study, thinks stress and obesity may be to blame. Zoo elephants don’t get the same kind of exercise they would in the wild, and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large herds and family groups.
Another finding from the study showed that Asian elephants born in zoos were more likely to die early than Asian elephants captured in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive.
The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce successfully and maintain healthy populations, that doesn’t appear to be the case with elephants. "Currently, zoos are net consumers of elephants, not net producers," Mason says.
Which of the following does the author suggest in the last paragraph?
选项
A、It may not be a wise policy to keep elephants in the zoo.
B、Elephants are no longer an endangered species.
C、Zoo-born elephants should be looked after more carefully.
D、Zoos should keep more animals except elephants.
答案
A
解析
观点题。最后一段指出其他动物在动物园能够很好地繁衍生息,而大象却不能。B、C、D均未提及。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/3zGd777K
本试题收录于:
职称英语理工类A级题库职称英语分类
0
职称英语理工类A级
职称英语
相关试题推荐
ThecountrysaysthattheinvestmentofUS$14millionisbigenoughfordevelopingthatcountry’schipindustry.Manywestern
Women’sRightsMovement1.Women’srightsareguaranteesofpolitical,social,andeconomicequalityforwomeninasocietythat
ManandComputerWhatmakespeopledifferentfromcomputerprograms?Whatisthemissingelementthatourtheoriesdon’tyet(51)
Themajorityofpeoplearoundherearedecentpeople.
ConsumerGoodsConsumerproductsaregoodsandservicesdestinedforthefinalconsumerforpersonal,family,orhouseholdus
NewProductWillSaveLivesDrinkingwaterthatlookscleanmaystillcontainbugs(虫子),whichcancauseillness.Asmallcom
Thesteadilyrisingcostoflaboronthewaterfronthasgreatlyincreasedthecostofshippingcargobywater.
ComputerMouseThebasiccomputermouseis【C1】______amazinglycleverinventionwitharelativelysimpledesignthatallowsu
Hetalkstoughbuthasatenderheart.
Theyarewordedabouttheircapacitytoinvestinthefuture.
随机试题
能促进胸腺细胞分化的细胞是()。
窗的主要作用有()。
关于征收耕地的补偿费用的说法,正确的有()。
开展会计职业道德警示教育的目的和作用,就是要使会计从业人员()。
按照《民用建筑可靠性鉴定标准》,民用建筑的可靠性鉴定,应按()划分的层次,以其安全性和正常使用性的鉴定结果为依据逐层进行。
间隔一段时间对某测验的两个复本再进行信度评估()。
马克思主义对人与自然关系论述包括()几个方面。
在国际化的进程中,我们要办好现代化大学,既需要继承好固有的文化传统,同时,也要________、借鉴西方优秀的办学经验。填入画横线部分最恰当的一项是()。
“曲高和寡”出自战国宋玉的《对楚王问》,这一成语的本义是曲调高深,能跟着唱的人很少,多指知音难得。引申义是言论或作品不通俗,能了解的人很少。如果从经济学的角度来理解,它所体现出的道理是()。
A、Toeducateyoungpeople.B、Toincreasethecigarettes’prices.C、Tohelpsmokersgiveupsmoking.D、Totaketoughermeasures.
最新回复
(
0
)