Methods of training animals have changed greatly in recent years. Zoo keepers have always had problems getting the animals to leave their cages in order for the cages to be cleaned, and also training them to move indoors when appropriate. Another problem was that many of the large animals became listless and bored. In the last twenty years, scientists have done research on dolphins and whales, training them to obey commands. The scientists found they could get animals to obey by rewarding them with food and affection when they responded correctly.
Proper training allows the animals to receive the care they need. It was very difficult to get untrained animals, especially the larger ones, to stay still when they needed medical attention. Now they can be trained, on command, to remain still and even to allow blood samples to be taken and shots administered. All this is accomplished through positive reinforcement, without the use of any force. Affection training, as this process is called, has been used with great success on a wide variety of zoo animals. Animal behavior experts have taught zoo keepers to train bears, tigers, monkeys, and many other species to behave in a way that provides for better animal-keeper interaction. This training also keeps the animals from becoming bored and inactive.
Although some people proclaim(谴责) that this training is inhumance and cruel to animals, results have shown that captive(猎获的)animals who previously were not doing well flourish under the new training procedures.
小题1:The word “listless” means _______.
A．countless
B．obedient
C．inactive
D．mysterious小题2: Which of the following is valid conclusion based on this passage?
A．It is safe to pet any animal.
B．Many animals respond favorably to rewards and affection.
C．Animals in the wild can be trained.
D．Animals should not be kept in zoos.小题3:The writer's purpose is to _______.
A．persuade people not to feed animals in the zoo
B．show how easy it is to train animals
C．explain method of training animals through rewards
D．criticize zoo keepers小题4:Which of the following is an opinion?
A．Zoo keepers had problems in getting animals to leave their cages.
B．Training is cruel to animals.
C．Animals obey commands if they are trained to do so.
D．Many animals can be trained, on commands, to remain still.
