四六级精读 ｜ 动物园能保护物种免于灭绝吗？

　　

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　　When it comes to first impressions, we all want to make a good one. And that’s why we tend to focus on our best traits and qualities. However, we often fall into the trap of thinking that everything about us needs to be perfect. But that’s just unrealistic. We all have imperfections. It’s part of being human. And while it’s easy to believe that our ‘supposed flaws and imperfections’ make us less attractive, here are some that can actually make us seem more appealing to others:

　　For thousands of years, native Takhi horses roamed the steppes of Central Asia. But by the late 1960s, they’d become extinct in the wild – the last herds struggling in meager habitats against hunters and competition from local livestock. Some small groups of Takhi survived in European zoos, but their extinction still seemed inevitable. To prevent this terrible fate, a coalition of scientists and zoos pulled together to start an international Takhi breeding program. By the 1990s, these collaborators in Europe and the US began releasing new generations of Asia’s ancient wild horse back into their native habitat. This Takhi revival was a world-famous conservation victory, but the full story is much more complicated than it first appears. And its twists and turns raise serious questions about the role of zoos and what conservation even means.

　　To get the whole story, we need to start in the late 1800s when Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky was gifted the remains of one of these wild horses. Though the Takhi had long been known to local Mongolians, European scientists were intrigued by the remains, which looked more like those of a donkey or zebra than any known domestic horse. They concluded the species was a sort of missing link between wild asses and modern horses. And as reports of the newly dubbed Przhevalsky’s horse circulated through Europe and America, zoo proprietors became eager to acquire the previously unknown species. At this time, zoos were focused primarily on drawing visitors with exotic animals, and their exhibitions were more concerned with entertainment than animal welfare. But in the early 1900s, the near extinction of the American bison and the total extinction of other species like the passenger pigeon inspired zoos to rebrand as centers for conservation. And as it became clear that Przhevalsky’s horse might be headed for a similar fate, zoos began breeding programs to sustain the captive population.

　　However, the individuals behind these programs came to an interesting conclusion about how the horses should be bred. Like their colleagues, they believed the species represented a missing link between modern domestic horses and their more primitive ancestors. They also knew that some of the horses in their collections weren’t purebred Takhi, and many didn’t even resemble the species’ standard description. So breeders felt it was up to them to determine what a wild Takhi should look like, and breed them accordingly. Basing their work on just a few specimens and broad beliefs about what a primitive horse might look like, they created a rigorous model for the ideal Takhi. And over the 20th century, breeders in western zoos and private collections created a population of thousands of horses all carefully bred to share the same physical characteristics.

　　Of course, in their native habitat, wild Takhi had regularly interbred with domesticated horses for millennia, producing a population with much more diverse appearances. So when it was time to introduce the Takhi to their ancestral home, they were quite different from the horses who’d been taken from those steppes a century earlier. Complicating things even further, while these new Takhi herds were no longer in zoos, to this day, almost all remain closely monitored and controlled for their own protection. So in a strange way, it’s hard to say if these animals are actually in the wild or even if they’re truly Takhi.

　　The story of the Takhi horse is not unique. In many of our conservation victories, it’s difficult to say exactly what was saved, and the role that zoos play in conservation can be very complicated. It's clear that zoos have been and can continue to be significant forces for animal preservation, especially efforts to save charismatic animals from extinction. But today, the most direct cause of animal extinctions are humanity’s impacts on animal habitats and Earth’s climate. So if zoos truly want to help protect the diversity of animal life on this planet, perhaps they should redirect their efforts to preserving the natural habitats these animals so desperately need.

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　　单词

　　Extinct：灭绝的 例句：The dodo bird is extinct, meaning it no longer exists in the wild.

　　Breeding program：繁殖计划 例句：The zoo started a breeding program to help increase the population of endangered tigers.

　　Habitat：栖息地 例句：The destruction of the rainforest is destroying the habitat of many animal species.

　　Conservation：保护 例句：The government is investing in conservation efforts to protect endangered marine life.

　　Biodiversity：生物多样性 例句：The loss of biodiversity is a major concern for environmentalists.

　　Interbreed：杂交 例句：Domestic dogs are descended from wolves, which interbred with early humans.

　　Zoos：动物园 例句：Many zoos offer educational programs to teach visitors about animal behavior.

　　Populations：种群 例句：Scientists are monitoring the population of polar bears to track the impact of climate change on their habitat.

　　Native：本土的 例句：The kangaroo is native to Australia and is an important symbol of the country.

　　Ideal：理想的 例句：The ideal habitat for elephants includes plenty of space to roam and access to water.

　　句型

　　长难句1：But in the early 1900s, the near extinction of the American bison and the total extinction of other species like the passenger pigeon inspired zoos to rebrand as centers for conservation.

　　这句话包含了一个复杂的结构，由逗号隔开的两个部分构成。第一个部分包括了一个完整的句子，“in the early 1900s, the near extinction of the American bison and the total extinction of other species like the passenger pigeon”，它描述了一些灭绝或接近灭绝的物种对于动物园重构自己作为保护中心的影响。第二个部分是一个不完整的短语，“inspired zoos to rebrand as centers for conservation”，它对第一个部分进行了进一步的解释，解释了为什么动物园开始把保护作为其主要使命。

　　长难句2：And over the 20th century, breeders in western zoos and private collections created a population of thousands of horses all carefully bred to share the same physical characteristics.

　　这句话包含了一个时间段，一个句子和一个修饰语从句。主语是“breeders”，谓语是“created”，句子描述了西方动物园和私人收藏中的饲养员在20世纪期间如何创造出一个具有相同身体特征的数千匹马的种群。修饰语从句，“all carefully bred to share the same physical characteristics”，描述了这个种群的特点。

　　回答问题

　　Reading Questions

　　1：What is the main topic of the passage?

　　A. The history of zoos in Europe and America

　　B. The extinction and reintroduction of the Takhi horse

　　C. The importance of wild horse conservation

　　D. The impact of human activity on animal habitats

　　2：What role did zoos play in the conservation of the Takhi horse?

　　A. They collected specimens for scientific study.

　　B. They bred the horses to sustain the captive population.

　　C. They released new generations of horses into their native habitat.

　　D. They monitored and controlled the new Takhi herds.

　　3：What is the author’s opinion of zoos as conservation centers?

　　A. Zoos are primarily concerned with entertainment rather than animal welfare.

　　B. Zoos have played a significant role in animal preservation.

　　C. Zoos should redirect their efforts to preserving natural habitats.

　　D. The role of zoos in conservation is complicated.

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　　答案

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