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 (驯服).
In Australia the koala is a priority animal as far as conservation status assessment is concerned. It was hunted to near extinction (灭绝) 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.
【小题1】What’s the author’s attitude towards people raising the koala?A．Optimistic.B．Grateful.C．Cautious.D．Enthusiastic.【小题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.【小题3】The underlined word “vicious” in Paragraph 4 probably means .A．fierce and dangerousB．patient and friendlyC．afraid and defensiveD．lovely and interesting【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that .A．koala bears tend to live in groupsB．koala bear care can be very demandingC．koala bears are not particular about their foodD．koala bears are the No. 1 threatened animal in the USC
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(答案→)C
解析：文章主要介绍了考拉熊的习性和现状。考拉熊虽然可爱，但不适合被当作宠物来饲养。因为捕猎，考拉曾经将近灭绝，考拉对食物很挑剔，对考拉的保护需要加强。
【小题1】根据第一段“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，把考拉作为宠物来饲养有风险，需要三思而行。A乐观的；B感激的；C谨慎的，小心的；D热情的。故选C。
【小题2】根据第三段的“It was hunted to near extinction (灭绝) for its fur.”可知，人们捕猎考拉熊是为了得到它的皮毛，故选A。
【小题3】根据第四段“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，尽管考拉很可爱，但是它们饥饿的时候也会变得很凶残，人类的捕猎给考拉带来压力，考拉之间的打斗也会使考拉性格发生变化。故选A。
【小题4】A项文中未提及；根据倒数第二段“Although they may live in 40 to 60 kinds of eucalyptus trees, they prefer only 10 to 14 specific kinds.”可知，考拉对食物很挑剔，排除C；根据倒数第三段“the koala is not a threatened animal, but the US government does list the koala as one”可知，美国把考拉列为濒危动物，但没有说是最濒危的动物，排除D；美国把考拉列为濒危动物，考拉对食物很讲究，因此，考拉的现状不容乐观。故选B。