Question

Koala bears as pets might be appealing to many of us. However, there are quite a few points to consider even before thinking of adopting one.

         Koala bears are one of the most lovely Australian animals. In certain cases where the koala has been raised by hand, they have turned out to be quite affectionate pets. These people tied a piece of fur to a pillow and placed it beside a joey (a baby kola) as a substitute (替代物) for the mother koala. This trick seemed to work well with the baby koala. However, it is a known fact that human handling causes stress to koalas. In my personal opinion, this aspect clouds the fact that koala bears can be tamed (馴服).

         In Australia the koala is a priority animal as far as conservation status assessment is concerned. It was hunted to near extinction (滅絕) for its fur. In fact the koala had been wiped out from South Australia in the 1920s. However, rehabilitation efforts have brought the animal back in the state. As for the Australia government, the koala is not a threatened animal, but the US government does list the koala as one.

         Although they may live in 40 to 60 kinds of eucalyptus trees, they prefer only 10 to 14 specific kinds. Koalas sleep for most part of the day, which is about 16 to 18 hours, and for most of their waking hours all they do is eat. Koala bears eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees. A full-grown koala can eat almost 2 to 3 pounds of leaves in a day. Despite their slow movements and sweet look, koala bears can be vicious when hungry. Other than this, there are the stress caused to koalas due to human handling and the fights that start in koalas.

         Almost everyone finds koalas lovely in the zoo. However, as far as having koala bears as pets is concerned, there are legal issues to consider. Other than that, being able to provide for its diet and habitat is another point that needs some attention before any law legalizing their adoption as pets is passed.

1.What’s the author’s attitude towards people raising the koala?

A. Optimistic.              B. Grateful.                           C. Cautious.                          D. Enthusiastic.

2.Why did Australians hunt the koala?

A. To get its fur.     B. To eat its meat.                 C. To wipe it out.                 D. To have it for fun.

3.The underlined word “vicious” in Paragraph 4 probably means __________.

A. fierce and dangerous                                                  B. patient and friendly

C. afraid and defensive                                                    D. lovely and interesting

4.It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A. koala bears tend to live in groups                            

B. koala bear care can be very demanding

C. koala bears are not particular about their food     

D. koala bears are the No. 1 threatened animal in the US

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】

試題分析：文章主要介紹了考拉熊的習性和現狀。考拉熊雖然可愛，但不適合被當作寵物來飼養。因為捕獵，考拉曾經將近滅絕，考拉對食物很挑剔，對考拉的保護需要加強。

1.根據第一段“However, there are quite a few points to consider even before thinking of adopting one.”和最后一段的“as far as having koala bears as pets is concerned”可知，把考拉作為寵物來飼養有風險，需要三思而行。A樂觀的；B感激的；C謹慎的，小心的；D熱情的。故選C。

2.根據第三段的“It was hunted to near extinction (滅絕) for its fur.”可知，人們捕獵考拉熊是為了得到它的皮毛，故選A。

3.根據第四段“Despite their slow movements and sweet look, koala bears can be vicious when hungry. Other than this, there are the stress caused to koalas due to human handling and the fights that start in koalas.”可知，盡管考拉很可愛，但是它們饑餓的時候也會變得很兇殘，人類的捕獵給考拉帶來壓力，考拉之間的打斗也會使考拉性格發生變化。故選A。

4.A項文中未提及；根據倒數第二段“Although they may live in 40 to 60 kinds of eucalyptus trees, they prefer only 10 to 14 specific kinds.”可知，考拉對食物很挑剔，排除C；根據倒數第三段“the koala is not a threatened animal, but the US government does list the koala as one”可知，美國把考拉列為瀕危動物，但沒有說是最瀕危的動物，排除D；美國把考拉列為瀕危動物，考拉對食物很講究，因此，考拉的現狀不容樂觀。故選B。

考點：自然類短文閱讀