Koala bears as pets might be appealing to many of us. However, there are quite a few points to consider even before thinking of adopting one.
Koala bears are one of the most lovely Australian animals. In certain cases where the koala has been raised by hand, they have turned out to be quite affectionate pets. These people tied a piece of fur to a pillow and placed it beside a joey (a baby kola) as a substitute (替代物) for the mother koala. This trick seemed to work well with the baby koala. However, it is a known fact that human handling causes stress to koalas. In my personal opinion, this aspect clouds the fact that koala bears can be tamed (驯服).
In Australia the koala is a priority animal as far as conservation status assessment is concerned. It was hunted to near extinction (灭绝) for its fur. In fact the koala had been wiped out from South Australia in the 1920s. However, rehabilitation efforts have brought the animal back in the state. As for the Australia government, the koala is not a threatened animal, but the US government does list the koala as one.
Although they may live in 40 to 60 kinds of eucalyptus trees, they prefer only 10 to 14 specific kinds. Koalas sleep for most part of the day, which is about 16 to 18 hours, and for most of their waking hours all they do is eat. Koala bears eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees. A full-grown koala can eat almost 2 to 3 pounds of leaves in a day. Despite their slow movements and sweet look, koala bears can be vicious when hungry. Other than this, there are the stress caused to koalas due to human handling and the fights that start in koalas.
Almost everyone finds koalas lovely in the zoo. However, as far as having koala bears as pets is concerned, there are legal issues to consider. Other than that, being able to provide for its diet and habitat is another point that needs some attention before any law legalizing their adoption as pets is passed.
小题1:What’s the author’s attitude towards people raising the koala?
A．Optimistic.
B．Grateful.
C．Cautious.
D．Enthusiastic.小题2:Why did Australians hunt the koala?
A．To get its fur.
B．To eat its meat.
C．To wipe it out.
D．To have it for fun.小题3:The underlined word “vicious” in Paragraph 4 probably means __________.
A．fierce and dangerous
B．patient and friendly
C．afraid and defensive
D．lovely and interesting小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A．koala bears tend to live in groups
B．koala bear care can be very demanding
C．koala bears are not particular about their food
D．koala bears are the No. 1 threatened animal in the US
