Hunting
The days of the hunter are almost over in India. This is partly because there is practically nothing left to kill, and partly because some steps have been taken, mainly by banning tiger-shooting, to protect those animals which still survive.
Some people say that Man is naturally a hunter. I disagree with this view. Our earliest forefathers, who at first possessed no weapons, spent their time digging for roots, and were no doubt themselves often hunted by meat-eating animals.
I believe the main reason why the modern hunter kills is that he thinks people will admire his courage in overpowering dangerous animals. Of course, there are some who truly believe that the killing is not really the important thing, and that the chief pleasure lies in the joy of the hunt and the beauties of the wild countryside. There are also those for whom hunting in fact offers a chance to prove themselves and risk death by design; these men go out after dangerous animals like tigers, even if they say they only do it to rid the countryside of a threat. I can respect reasons like these, but they are clearly different from the need to strengthen your high opinion of yourself.
The greatest big-game hunters expressed in their writings something of these finer motives(动机).One of them wrote.
“You must properly respect what you are after and shoot it cleanly and on the animal’s own territory(领地)。You must fix forever in your mind all the wonders of that particular day. This is better than letting him grow a few years older to be attacked and wounded by his own son and eventually eaten, half alive, by other animals, Hunting is not a cruel and senseless killing – not if you respect the thing you kill, not if you kill to enrich your memories, not if you kill to feed your people.”
I can understand such beliefs, and can pare these hunters with those who hunted lions with spears(矛) and bravely caught them by the tail. But this is very different from many tiger—shoots I have seen, in which modern weapons were used. The so—called hunters fired from tall trees or from the backs of trained elephants. Such methods made tigers seem no more dangerous than rabbits.
【小题1】There is no more hunting in India now partly because .A．it is dangerous to hunt thereB．hunting is already out of dateC．hunters want to protect animalsD．there are few animals left to hunt【小题2】The author thinks modern hunters kill mainly .A．to make the countryside safeB．to earn people’s admirationC．to gain power and influenceD．to improve their health【小题3】What do we learn about the big-game hunters?
A They hunt old animals
B. They mistreat(虐待) animals
C .They hunt for food
D. They hunt for money
【小题4】What is the author’s view on the tiger-shoots he has seen?A．Modern hunters lack the courage to hunt face-to-faceB．Modern hunters should use more advanced weaponsC．Modern hunters like to hunt rabbits instead of tigersD．Modern hunters should put their safety firstD
网友回答
(答案→)D
解析：文章主要讲述的是印度猎人减少的事情。可被猎杀的动物减少了，政府也采取了一些措施来保护老虎等。相比以前的那种面对面的捕猎，现在的“偷袭”式的捕猎显得猎人缺少勇气。
【小题1】根据“This is partly because there is practically nothing left to kill...”可知，部分原因是没有什么可以被猎杀的了。故选D。
【小题2】根据“why the modern hunter kills is that he thinks people will admire his courage in overpowering dangerous animals”可知，当代人捕猎是为了显示自己的勇气。故选B。
【小题3】根据“Hunting is not a cruel and senseless killing – not if you respect the thing you kill, not if you kill to enrich your memories, not if you kill to feed your people”可知，他们打猎是为了获得食物。故选C。
【小题4】根据最后一段“The so—called hunters fired from tall trees or from the backs of trained elephants.”，so-called所谓的，从树上或背后射杀动物是缺乏勇气的行为，故选A。