A Breed Above|米格鲁：卡哇伊的侦查小尖兵

by Brian Foden

There are many good reasons why beagles are man's best friends.

They are a breed that has been immortalized in a famous comic strip. They have also been the namesake for a ship which is _(1)_ with a legendary exploration filled with scientific discoveries. _(2)_ these canines' cuddly appearances and friendly dispositions, it's no wonder that cartoonist Charles M. Schulz made the beagle Snoopy one of his main characters in Peanuts. The qualities of the HMS Beagle, the vessel evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin used to travel the world, are also _(3)_ by the dog's traits.

Often described as happy-go-lucky or merry animals that enjoy the _(4)_ of humans, beagles have a temperament that pleases kids and adults alike. Why else would anyone build a seven-meter-high bed and breakfast in the _(5)_ of a beagle in Idaho? Dubbed Dog Bark Park, the facility _(6)_ a bedroom furnished in doggie decoration or and a loft located in the head of the gigantic beagle.

_(7)_, beagles have pleasing personalities and the keenest sense of smell out of all the dog breeds. This makes them ideal for use as detection dogs. Beagles can _(8)_ items that can't be legally brought into countries, such as foods, agricultural products, or illegal drugs. In Taiwan, beagles have even been trained to detect fire ants. The breed's _(9)_ snouts and dogged determination are a result of their past because they were bred to track rabbits for hunters who would follow them on foot. Modern beagles _(10)_ 1830, but their ancestry can be traced back to at least several hundreds of years before that. Beagles are focused on following their noses, so they are a bit difficult for owners to train. However, this is offset by the dog's loyalty and gentle nature.

(A) explained   (B) date back to    (C) shape   (D) sniff out   (E) synonymous

(F) features    (G) company (H) Given   (I) super-sensitive (J) In addition

米格鲁：卡哇伊的侦查小尖兵

许多原因让米格鲁成为人类最好的朋友。

　　牠们是某著名连环漫画里的 1 种狗，其名气就此永垂不朽。牠们也和 1艘船同名，而该船是满载科学发现的著名探索行动的代名词。有鉴于这种狗讨喜的外表及友善的性格，无怪乎漫画家查尔斯‧舒兹会把史努比这只米格鲁当作《花生漫画》的主角之一。而进化理论学家查尔斯‧达尔文乘坐英国皇家海军小猎犬号航行世界，小猎犬号的特性也能经由这种狗的性格特质加以解释。

　　米格鲁常被描述成喜爱人类陪伴、无忧无虑或乐天派的动物，牠们具有大人小孩都喜爱的性格。不然怎么会有人在美国爱达荷州建造 1 栋 7 公尺高、以米格鲁为造型的小旅馆？这栋建筑名为 Dog Bark Park，主要特色是里头卧室的装潢物品都和狗狗有关，而且还有 1 间阁楼位于巨大米格鲁的头部。

　　米格鲁除了个性讨人喜欢，嗅觉的敏锐度更是所有犬种之冠。这让牠们成为当作侦查犬的理想选择。牠们可以嗅出非法携带入境的物品，像是食物、农产品或禁药。在台湾，米格鲁甚至被训练来侦测火蚁。此犬种极为灵敏的鼻子和坚持不懈的决心，源自于过去牠们被猎人饲养来追踪兔子，猎人就以步行的方式尾随在狗狗后面。现代的米格鲁可追溯至 1830 年，但其祖先则至少可再往前追溯数百年。米格鲁仰赖嗅觉本能，所以对饲主而言在训练上有些难度。不过，米格鲁忠诚且温顺的天性可以弥补上述缺点。

答案：  1. (E)  2. (H)  3. (A)  4. (G)  5. (C)  

6. (F)  7. (J)  8. (D)  9. (I)  10. (B)

米格鲁天性活泼不怕生，且非常喜欢亲近人类，牠们的嗅觉比起其他中型犬还要优秀，因此后来被人们训练成缉毒犬。经过美国兽医学会与美国育犬协会的调查，米格鲁患病机率在中型狗中是最小的，因此只要好好养育，通常没有生病的困扰。

米格鲁是警觉性极高的犬种，外号为『森林之铃』，在古代狩猎时大声呼喊以警示主人本来是个优点，但对现代住在公寓大厦的人们来说却是一大恶梦。此外，米格鲁是标准的大胃王，曾有专家测试发现，米格鲁无论给牠多少食物都一定吃完，甚至吃到肚子过撑才肯停下来，这样往往会导致米格鲁产生心血管方面的疾病，因此控制食量是饲主该特别注意的事项。（数据源：维基百科）