A Second Chance at Life|动物义肢：给动物一个重生的机会

by Leigh Goldberg

Prosthetics are giving the world's animals a fighting chance.

Wild animals have been suffering at the hands of man for ages. They have been killed for their meat, tusks, fins, and skins, and their natural habitats have diminished _(1)_ urban development. Additionally, many have been injured or left to die because of greedy poachers, hunters, and fishermen. Modern man is trying to _(2)_ past mistakes by means of prosthetics.

_(3)_ devices that replace missing limbs and body parts have been available for humans for quite some time. However, it was _(4)_ recently that prosthetics were applied to animals since it was more common just to put them down. Several cases have brought animal prosthetics into the limelight.

In 2005, a bald eagle named Beauty had its beak shot off by a hunter. Thanks to wildlife rescue workers and veterinarians, Beauty was _(5)_ a titanium beak, which allowed it to drink and feed itself again. In the same year, Winter, a bottlenose dolphin was set free from a crab-trap line that damaged its tail. Experts fashioned a prosthetic one that could be attached _(6)_ its body via a gel sleeve. The most recent animal to _(7)_ a prosthetic is Chhouk, an orphaned baby elephant in Cambodia. The young male was found with a seriously infected left front foot, which was shot by a poacher. Wildlife rescue experts replaced 12 centimeters of its injured limb with a prosthetic, giving the elephant a leg up in carrying out normal activities. Animal prosthetics are now truly making a difference.

1.  (A) in terms of (B) in spite of (C) on behalf of    (D) on account of

2.  (A) make up for (B) get along with  (C) run out of  (D) look back on

3.  (A) Natural (B) Imaginary   (C) Artificial  (D) Sensitive

4.  (A) only when   (B) not until   (C) as soon as  (D) by the time

5.  (A) added to    (B) covered in  (C) transformed into    (D) fitted with

6.  (A) to  (B) in  (C) by  (D) at

7.  (A) reject  (B) recall  (C) receive (D) request

动物义肢：给动物一个重生的机会

动物义肢让全球的动物有一个求生的机会。

　　长久以来，野生动物一直受到人类的迫害。人类宰杀牠们，取得身上的肉、长牙、鱼鳍和毛皮，而牠们的自然栖地也因为都市发展而一直减少。此外，许多动物因为贪心的盗猎者、猎人和渔民而受到伤害，或被丢下等死。现代人正试着透过义肢来弥补以前犯的过错。

　　人类使用人工装置来取代残缺肢体已有一段时间。然而直到最近，义肢才运用在动物身上，因为以前通常都是直接将牠们扑杀。有好几个案例让动物义肢成为瞩目焦点。

2005年，1 只名叫『美丽』的白头鹰，牠的鸟喙被猎人开枪打坏了。多亏野生动物救难人员和兽医的协助，美丽安装了 1 个钛制的鸟喙，可以让牠再度喝水和进食。同年，1只瓶鼻海豚『冬冬』从捕蟹笼网被救下来时，尾巴受到损伤。专家为牠制作专属的人工尾巴，利用凝胶套筒套在牠的身上。最近在柬埔寨，有一只遭父母遗弃的象宝宝 Chhouk 被装上人工义肢。这只小公象被发现时，左前脚因受到盗猎者射击而严重感染。野生动物救难专家将牠受伤的前肢锯掉 12 公分并装上义肢，让这只小象可以站起来从事日常活动。动物义肢现在真的让动物的生命从此改观。

答案：1. (D)2. (A)3. (C)4. (B)5. (D)

6. (A)7. (C)

有 1只名叫『乔治』的非洲灰鹦鹉，因为遭受野兽袭击失去 1 条腿。每当乔治在栖木上失去平衡而摇摇欲坠时，牠都会大骂『真该死』。日前，英国索尔福德大学的格利恩‧希思教授为这只独脚鹦鹉设计并安装了一条简易的『义肢』，这在英国的宠物鸟界尚属首例。

希思教授经过仔细检查，琢磨出的一个简单办法：制作 1 个特别的凹槽固定在乔治的栖木上，这样当牠夜晚入睡时便可将断腿残端固定其中，以维持身体平衡。这个简易凹槽就相当于这只独腿鹦鹉的『义肢』。据英国广播公司的报导，对于希思教授的恩情，乔治无以回报，因为牠的语言库很有限，仅会说『真该死』、『早安』和『晚安』这 3 句话。