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
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos
admin
2011-01-10
66
问题
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos you might as well tell these animals to get stuffed", it was bordered with illustrations of several endangered species and went on to extol the myth that without zoos like London Zoo these animals "will almost certainly disappear forever". With the zoo world’s rather mediocre record on conservation, one might be forgiven for being slightly skeptical about such an advertisement.
Zoos were originally created as places of entertainment, and their suggested involvement with conservation didn’t seriously arise until about 30 years ago, when the Zoological Society of London held the first formal international meeting on the subject. Eight years later, a series of world conferences took place, entitled "The Breeding of Endangered Species", and from this point onwards conservation became the zoo community’s buzzword. Tiffs commitment has now been clearly defined in The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZCS, September 1993), which-although an important and welcome document-does seem to be based on an unrealistic optimism about the nature of the zoo industry.
The WZCS estimates that there are about 10,000 zoos in the world, of which around 1,000 represent a core of quality collections capable of participating in coordinated conservation programmes. This is probably the document’s first failing, as I believe that 10,000 is a serious underestimate of the total number of places masquerading as zoological establishments. Of course it is difficult to get accurate data but, to put the issue into perspective, I have found that, in a year of working in Eastern Europe, I discover fresh zoos on almost a weekly basis.
The second flaw in the reasoning of the WZCS document is the naive faith it places in its 1,000 core zoos. One would assume that the caliber of these institutions would have been carefully examined, but it appears that the criterion for inclusion on this select list might merely be that the zoo is a member of a zoo federation or association. This might be a good starting point, working on the premise that members must meet certain standards, but again the facts don’t support the theory. The greatly respected American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) has had extremely dubious members, and in the UK the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland has occasionally had members that have been roundly censured in the national press. These include Robin Hill Adventure Park on the Isle Wight, which many considered the most notorious collection of animals in the country. This establishment, which for years was protected by the Isle’s local council (which viewed it as a tourist amenity), was finally closed down following a damning report by a veterinary inspector appointed under the terms of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. As it was always a collection of dubious repute, one is obliged to reflect upon the standards that the Zoo Federation sets when granting membership. The situation is even worse in developing countries where little money is available for redevelopment and it is hard to see a way of incorporating collections into the overall scheme of the WZCS.
Even assuming that the WZCS’s 1,000 core zoos are all of a high standard—complete with scientific staff and research facilities, trained and dedicated keepers, accommodation that permits normal or natural behaviour, and a policy of co-operating fully with one another—what might be the potential for conservation? Colin Tudge, author of Last Animals at the Zoo (Oxford University Press, 1992), argues that "if the world’s zoos worked together in co-operative breeding programmes, then even without further expansion they could save around 2,000 species of endangered land vertebrates". This seems an extremely optimistic proposition from a man who must be aware of the failing and weaknesses of the zoo industry-the man who, when a member of the council of London Zoo, had to persuade the zoo to devote more of its activities to conservation. Moreover, where are the facts to support such optimism?
Today approximately 16 species might be said to have been "saved" by captive breeding programmes, although a number of these can hardly be looked upon as resounding successes. Beyond that, about a further 20 species are being seriously considered for zoo conservation programmes. Given that the international conference at London Zoo was held 30 years ago, this is pretty slow progress, and a long way off Tudge’s target of 2,000.
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the writer?
选项
A、London Zoo’s advertisements are dishonest.
B、Zoos made an insignificant contribution to conservation up until 30 years ago.
C、No one knew how the animals were being treated at Robin Hill Adventure Park.
D、The number of successful zoo conservation programmes is unsatisfactory.
答案
C
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/b1cO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI中级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI中级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
ThisbookisabouthowthesebasicbeliefsandvaluesaffectimportantsidesofAmericanlife.
AnthropologistBarbaraMyerhofffurtheredherreputationasanauthorityonNativeAmericanculturewithherstudyofthesymbol
Atthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,NorthAmericansocietyheld,asanideal,theNuclearFamily.Thispresumablyperfect
AsanEnglishmajorstudentatoneofthemostfamousuniversitiesinChina,IstronglybelievethatbusinessEnglishismorepr
Weshouldletmoreyoungparentsandtheirchildrencanenjoyscientificearlyeducation.
Sino-foreigneducationalprogramonbusinessispopularinChinanow,andthedemandforhighlevelinterpretationisgreat.
OfalltheemployedworkersintheUnitedStates,12.5millionarepartofatemporaryworkforce.TheUnitedStatesBureauofLa
Asalwayswhenshesanginthebathroom,she______thehighnotesinaspecialway.
Withoutthemusic,thechildrenwouldhavenothadsomuchfun.
Thisisanabidingcomplaintamongyoungmeninacountrywithasurfeitofconsensus.
随机试题
A.慢性肾功能不全B.肾前性急性肾功能不全C.痛风D.尿路感染E.急性肾小球肾炎(肾功能正常)
对角膜透明性起重要作用的因素有
手部创伤止血时止血带应缚于
患者,女,30岁。平索性情急躁,每因情绪激动诱发痫证发作.发则昏仆不省人事,伴有四肢抽动,口吐涎沫,口苦咽干,尿赤便干,舌红,苔黄腻,脉弦滑数。其辨证为
甲乙约定,甲以分期付款的方式购买乙的一处房产,乙的下列做法中错误的是:()。
某企业拟投资建设的新项目有关情况如下。项目计算期:建设期2年,生产期10年。投资估算和资金使用计划:工程费用(含建筑工程费、设备购置费及安装工程费)为10000万元,工程建设其他费用为1900万元,基本预备费费率为8%,建设期内年平均物价上
皮亚杰的研究表明,感知运动阶段的一个显著标志是儿童渐渐获得()。(2014.湖北)
当你熟悉塑料袋装东西的功能后,就不容易想到或发现它在紧急情况下可以当“小便袋”使用。这种心理现象叫做________。
中国共产党的根本宗旨和一切工作的根本出发点是()。
LookattheinformationonthefollowingpageabouttheuseofvehiclesintheUniversitygrounds.Inboxes1—5onyouranswer
最新回复
(
0
)