THE MODERN APPROACH TO DISPLAYING ANIMALS
Many of the zoos in the past were actually parks with fenced enclosures and
buildings containing caged animals. Lions, tigers and other cats were kept in one
house; monkeys in another; birds in another. Single animals in bare cages were not
very interesting to the visitors, however. Many animals that live in groups in the wild
also did not adapt well to living alone. Modern zoos present the animals by showing
them in surroundings that resemble as closely as possible their natural habitats.
Visitors to a modern zoo can look across a plain and see lions seemingly free to
wander. Nearby are birds, with antelopes and zebras feeding at the edge of a water
hole. The other animals are not afraid of the lions because they are separated from
them by wide, deep trenches, or sometimes moats. These trenches also separate
the visitors from the animals in the exhibit. The trenches are often hidden with
plants, and the visitor frequently does not notice them. The animals appear to be
living wild in their natural settings. Often what appear to visitors as real trees, rocks
and vines, however, are in fact artificial. These naturalistic parts of the exhibit are
built of durable materials and designed to withstand rough treatment by the animals.
E X E R C I S E 1: Find words or phrases in the passage which mean the same as:
COLUMN A COLUMN B
a) a way of dealing with a problem or situation
b) an area surrounded by a fence
c) plain; empty; not having appropriate furnishing;
without decorations
d) be similar to; look like
e) a piece of land which is level
f) apparently
g) move or travel about without any course or
destination; roam
h) the border or margin of a surface; the line
where something begins or ends
i) a deep ditch
j) a water-filled ditch
k) produced by man; not occurring naturally
I) long-lasting
m) endure in a successful way; remain whole or
firm against force
n) not gentle; violent
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