A
Stripy and Jake are baby bears. They are fed by bottle and play around happily. Other bear orphans are sitting in the trees when Ben Kilham goes into their area.
Kilham, an American bear whisperer, lives in the woods of New Hampshire. His life work is all about understanding black bears, winning him not just international fame, but also greater insight into humankind.
From the bear photos and paintings on the wall to the three little wooden bears welcoming visitors at the entrance, everything in his home shows his passion. So does the nearby 3-hectare area. This is where he cares for orphan baby bears that are entrusted (委托) to him each year by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. With their mothers perhaps shot dead or knocked down by a car, Kilham cares for the baby bears. He makes sure they grow up safe and well, before releasing them back into the wild at the age of 18 months.
In addition, he observes adult bears in the wild. His dedication to black bears has made him such an expert that China asked for his help with the giant panda. After a quarter of a century of study, Kilham has no doubt that bears are as close to humans as great apes, even though, as he says, “apes are our closest genetic relatives.”
Kilham has released 165 bears back into the wild and recorded more than 1,500 black bear interactions in nature. Recently his work led to a PhD in environmental sciences. He has written articles in National Geographic and a popular book, Among the Bears, which came out in 2002.
His goal is to raise awareness of caring about bears feared and hunted in the United States. Around 10 to 15 percent of New Hampshire’s 5,000 to 6,000 bears are killed every year in the hunting season.
“Bears are not interested in people. They are afraid of us. We can live very easily with bears; it’s a matter of educating the public,” says Kilham.
21. What is Ben Kilham’s daily job mainly about?
A. Studying different kinds of wild animals.
B. Protecting humans from being hurt by bears.
C. Training bears to communicate with humans.
D. Taking care of baby bears that lost their mothers.
22. What does the underlined word “dedication” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Devotion. B. Exposure.
C. Contribution. D. Assistance.
23. What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A. To call on people to protect the environment.
B. To tell people to keep away from black bears.
C. To tell people about Ben Kilham and his studies.
D. To introduce Ben Kilham and his book—Among the Bears.
【答案】21. D 22. A 23. C
【解析】
【分析】本文是一篇记叙文。只要讲了美国人Kilham照顾幼熊以及研究成年熊取得的成就。
【21题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段第四句“With their mothers perhaps shot dead or knocked down by a car, Kilham cares for the baby bears.”可知Kilham主要照顾那些由于它们的妈妈被猎杀或者被车撞死的幼熊。故选D项。
【22题详解】
词义猜测题。根据划线词后文“has made him such an expert that China asked for his help with the giant panda.”可知，他成为有名的专家以至于中国请求他帮助大熊猫。由此推知，他致力于黑熊的研究，即划线词意为“致力于”。A. Devotion.奉献，致力于；B. Exposure.暴露；C. Contribution.贡献；D. Assistance.援助。根据句意，A项和原文意思吻合。故选A项。
【23题详解】
写作意图题。根据文章主要内容，尤其第三段第四句“With their mothers perhaps shot dead or knocked down by a car, Kilham cares for the baby bears.”（Kilham主要照顾那些由于它们的妈妈被猎杀或者被车撞死的幼熊），第四段的“In addition, he observes adult bears in the wild. His dedication to black bears has made him such an expert that China asked for his help with the giant panda. ”（此外，他在野外观察成年熊。他对黑熊的献身精神使他成为一名专家，中国请求他帮助研究大熊猫。）和倒数第二段“Kilham has released 165 bears back into the wild and recorded more than 1,500 black bear interactions in nature. ”（Kilham已经将165只熊放归野外，并记录了1500多只黑熊在自然界的互动。）可知，主要讲述Kilham照顾幼熊以及研究成年熊取得的成就。结合选项只有C 项能概括整个文章大意。故选C项。
