A
As humanity has got richer, animal’s roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine（內(nèi)燃機(jī)）made horses unneeded; modern sanitation（衛(wèi)生設(shè)備）kept rats in check and made cats less useful. No longer necessities, domestic animals became luxuries. Pet-keeping seems to kick in when household incomes rise above roughly $5,000. It is booming.
The trend is not a new one. Archaeologists（考古學(xué)家）have found 10,000-year-old graves in which dogs and people are buried together. Some cultures -- such as in Scandinavia, where dogs have long been both working dogs and companions -- have kept pets for thousands of years. But these days the pet-keeping urge has spread even to parts of the world which have no tradition of sinking into a comfortable chair with a furry creature.
The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food - waste - recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters’ tables. Pet - food shelves are full of delicacies crafted to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic or suffer from sensitive digestion; a number of internet services offer food, tailored to the pet’s individual tastes.
In the business this is called “pet humanisation” -- the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to -- in America -- Bella, Lucy and Max. It is evident in the growing market for pet clothing, pet grooming and pet hotels.
People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. Rather, new research suggests that dogs have evolved those irresistible “puppy - dog eyes” precisely to affect human emotions. It has worked. The species that once enslaved others now works very hard to pay for the care of its pets. Sentimental（多愁善感的）Americans often refer to themselves not as cat-owners but as the cat’s “mommy” or “daddy”. South Koreans go one further, describing themselves as cat “butlers”. Watch an unlucky dog-walker trailing “his” hound（獵犬）, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?
1. Which of the following trends is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. People’s needs for animal services are decreasing.
B. Both the pet number and the pet business are growing.
C. Pets are increasingly making their owners less anxious.
D. Pet foods are more various and customized than before.
2. Which of the following is referred to as evidence of “pet humanization?”
A. The names given to pets in American families nowadays.
B Pet’s inbuilt ability to affect emotions of their owners.
C Human beings ever rising urge for pet-keeping.
D. Pet’s roles as both working staff and companions.
3. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?
A. Pets should be treated as equals of their human masters.
B. Human beings are getting much benefit from their pets.
C. Pet-keeping is still restricted within certain parts of the world.
D. Some pet owners spend too much money on their pets.
4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. The Changing Roles of Animals B. The Urge for Pet-keeping
C. Who Owns Whom D. Love Me, Love My Dog
【答案】1. C 2. A 3. D 4. C
【解析】
【分析】本文是一篇議論文，主要抨擊了如今人們養(yǎng)寵物的現(xiàn)象，一些人甚至已經(jīng)淪為了寵物的奴隸。
【1題詳解】
細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段中的“People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. Rather, new research suggests that dogs have evolved those irresistible “puppy - dog eyes” precisely to affect human emotions.”可知，人們?nèi)匀徽J(rèn)為寵物必須以某種方式為人類工作，使人們更健康或更少焦慮，但這方面的證據(jù)并不充分，相反，新的研究表明狗狗進(jìn)化出了那些不可抗拒的眼神，正是為了影響人類的情緒，因此“寵物越來越讓主人不那么焦慮”這一說法是錯(cuò)誤的，故C項(xiàng)正確。
【2題詳解】
細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段中的“In the business this is called “pet humanisation” -- the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to -- in America -- Bella, Lucy and Max.”可知，在這個(gè)行業(yè)中，這被稱為“寵物人性化”——寵物主人將寵物視為家庭的一部分的趨勢(shì)，這一點(diǎn)在給狗起的名字中很明顯，狗的名字從菲多、雷克斯和斯波特演變成——在美國的貝拉、露西和麥克斯，因此，現(xiàn)在美國家庭給寵物起的名字可以作為寵物人性化的證據(jù)，故A項(xiàng)正確。
【3題詳解】
推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段中的“The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them.”可知，寵物生意的增長(zhǎng)速度甚至超過了寵物數(shù)量，因?yàn)槿藗冊(cè)趯櫸锷砩匣ㄙM(fèi)的錢越來越多，由此可知，作者認(rèn)為一些寵物主人在他們的寵物身上花了太多的錢，故D項(xiàng)正確。
【4題詳解】
主旨大意題。通讀全文，特別是根據(jù)文章最后一句話“and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?”可知，本文主要抨擊了如今人們養(yǎng)寵物的現(xiàn)象，一些人甚至已經(jīng)淪為寵物的奴隸，故C項(xiàng)（誰是老大？）最適合做文章標(biāo)題。
【點(diǎn)睛】文章標(biāo)題形式的主旨大意題難度在于被選選項(xiàng)要具有高度的概括性，準(zhǔn)確全面地體現(xiàn)出文章內(nèi)容，因此抓住文章主題是關(guān)鍵，社會(huì)生活類文章通常作者會(huì)在文章最后表明自己的態(tài)度，而作者的態(tài)度一般即為文章主題，例如本篇第4題，通讀全文，特別是根據(jù)文章最后一句話“and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?”可知，本文主要抨擊了如今人們養(yǎng)寵物的現(xiàn)象，一些人甚至已經(jīng)淪為寵物的奴隸，這種現(xiàn)象不禁讓人懷疑寵物和主人到底誰才是老大，言外之意，作者認(rèn)為人們這種飼養(yǎng)寵物的方式是不可取的，故C項(xiàng)（誰是老大？）最適合做文章標(biāo)題。
