阅读理解。
America's first zoo opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859. Today about fifty million people visit
zoos in this country each year."Let's go to the zoo!" is an expression people know very well.
What visitors find when they arrive has changed over the years. At one time, zoo animals lived in small,
box-like cages. There was nothing except the animal, its food and its waste. The Bronx Zoo in New York
City led the way to better conditions. It designed places to provide more freedom (自由) for its animals.
The idea to create settings more like nature has spread to other zoos in America. For example, some-like
the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri-allow birds to fly freely, although inside buildings.
Out West, one of the leading American zoos is the one in San Diego, in Southern California. Three giant
pandas live there, including Hua Mei-one of the few born at a zoo in the United States.
The San Diego Zoo is also known for its koalas. These brown, furry animals from Australia are much
smaller than the pandas but also highly popular.
Yet, back home, some Australian states fear that koalas may die out. Several years ago, the San Diego
Zoo started a program to protect endangered animals and their natural areas. Other parks and wildlife groups
also took part in this project. More than 2,000 animals share about 730 hectares (公顷) of land at the San
Diego Wild Animal Park. Experts have praised the park as a center for protection of rare animals.
For example, the Wild Animal Park has helped save the California condor (加州兀鹫). With its wings
spread, this huge bird measures three meters across. In 1987, researchers caught the last known California
condors in the wild and took them to the Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
Today, more than 150 California condors are alive. Some have been freed into the wild.
1. The passage mainly talks about ______.
A. the first American zoo
B. several American zoos
C. the development of American zoos
D. different animals in American zoos
2. The first zoo trying to improve the living conditions of animals is in _____.
A. Philadelphia
B. New York City
C. Missoun
D. Southern California
3. From the passage, we know the San Diego Zoo_____ .
A. has four giant pandas
B. is not a good place for koalas
C. has been a center for rare animals
D. protects natural areas of endangered animals
4. What do we know about the California condor?
A. It has been saved by the Wild Animal Park.
B. Over 150 condors are kept in American zoos.
C. A lot of condors lived in the wild in 1987.
D. A common condor is three meters long.
