听力文摘：动物也爱散步?

How some of the animals pace around a lot?

动物也爱散步?

Scientists think the problem might be that the animals miss the freedom to roam. That make sense. After all, a polar bear's natural range is about the size of South Carolina. Right. And the typical zoo habitat is about one millionth of that.

科学家认为这可能是因为它们被剥夺了散步的自由。有道理。一只北极熊自然分布范围为整个南卡罗莱纳州。对。而一般动物园的大小只是南卡罗莱纳州百万分之一。

Researchers in Oxford¹ studied the pacing behavior of thirty-five captive species using data from over one thousand scientific articles published since the 1960s. When they analyzed² this data–which represented more than five hundred zoos worldwide–they determined³ that the deciding factor for pacing was range size.

牛津的研究人员调查了从20世纪60年代发表了一千多篇科学论文里的数据，是关于35个圈养物种的散步习性。他们对这些数据研究后发现：这些数据代表了世界上500多个动物园，他们因此确定散步习性的决定因素是动物的分布范围。

That also explains why stay-close-to-home species like snow leopards⁴ tend to thrive in zoos. So what happens now?

那就可以解释：为什么留守家园附近的物种像雪豹在动物园很多了。现在呢？

Well, one option is for zoos to build larger, more varied⁵ habitats, and switch enclosures periodically to simulate roaming. But a better option might be to phase animals like polar bears out of zoos, and focus instead on those animals that do well in captivity⁶.

一个选择就是把动物园建大一点，更多样化和定期变换围墙促进动物们散步。但还有一个更好的选择就是将那些像北极熊的动物走出动物园，多关注那些能够圈养的动物。

The problem is that this is a double-edged sword: these animals' natural habitats are increasingly threatened as well.

问题在于这是把双刃剑：这些动物的自然习性会受到很大的影响。

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

5 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

6 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。