Three years ago, five parrots were set free in a wild place of Arizona, thousands of miles from the Channel Islands in Jersey where they had been looked after by zookeepers. No evolutionary strategies informed them how to behave in this new landscape of mountainous pine forest unoccupied by their kind for 50 years. To the researchers’ surprise, they failed to make contact with a group of wild parrots imported from Mexico and set free at the same time. Within 24 hours the reintroducing ended in failure, and the poor birds were back in cages, on their way to the safety of the Arizona reintroduction programme.
Ever since then, the programme has enjoyed great success, mainly because the birds now being set free are Mexican birds illegally caught in the wild, confiscated （没收） on arrival north of the border, and raised by their parents in the safety of the programme. The experience shows how little we know about the behaviour and psychology （心理） of parrots, as Peter Bennett, a bird researcher, points out: “Reintroducing species of high intelligence like parrots is a lot more difficult. People like parrots, always treating them as nothing more than pets or valuable ‘collectables’.”
Now that many species of parrot are in immediate danger of dying out, biologists are working together to study the natural history and the behaviour of this family of birds. Last year was an important turning point: conservationists founded the World Parrot Trust, based at Hayle in Cornwall, to support research into both wild and caged birds.
Research on parrots is vital for two reasons. First, as the Arizona programme showed, when reintroducing parrots to the wild, we need to be aware of what the birds must know if they are to survive in their natural home. We also need to learn more about the needs of parrots kept as pets, particularly as the Trust’s campaign does not attempt to discourage the practice, but rather urges people who buy parrots as pets to choose birds raised by humans.
【小题1】What do we know about the area where the five parrots were reintroduced? A．Its landscape is new to parrots of their kind. B．It used to be home to parrots of their kind. C．It is close to where they had been kept. D．Pine trees were planted to attract birds.【小题2】The reintroducing experience three years ago shows that man-raised parrots A．can find their way back home in Jersey B．are unable to recognize their parents C．are unable to adapt to the wild D．can produce a new species【小题3】Why are researches on parrots important according to the passage? A．The Trust shows great concern for the programme. B．We need to know more about how to preserve parrots. C．Many people are interested in collecting parrots. D．Parrots’ intelligence may some day benefit people.【小题4】According to the passage, people are advised . A．to treat wild and caged parrots equally B．to set up fortable homes for parrots C．not to keep wild parrots as pets D．not to let more parrots go to the wildB
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(答案→)B
解析：
【小题1】细节推理题。根据第1段where they had been looked after by zookeepers及…unoccupied by their kind for 50 years可知放生地是原先这些鹦鹉曾生活的但已有50年没有同类鹦鹉生存的地方，应选择B。
【小题2】推理判断题。根据第1段的描述，将这些鹦鹉放生到它们原先生活的地方，但它们却不能适应这些环境了，应选择C。A“能找到返回泽西的路”，B“不能认出自己的父母”，D“能生产新的品种”都不合文章本意。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据第4段Research on parrots is vital for two reasons. …we need to be aware of what the birds must know if they are to survive in their natural home.可知对鹦鹉研究的重要性首先体现在需要了解更多怎样让鹦鹉在野生地生活的常识。选项B符合所提问题。其它选项都不符合文意。
【小题4】推理判断题。根据最后一段not attempt to discourage the practice , but rather urges…可知不提倡将鹦鹉作为宠物饲养。