Animalloversshouldstopcallingtheirfurryorfeatheredfrien...

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Animal lovers should stop calling their furry or feathered friends “pets” because the word is insulting, leading academics claim.

Domestic dogs, cats or hamsters (仓鼠) should be renamed as “companion animals” while owners should be known as “human carers”, they insist. Even words such as wildlife are dismissed as insulting to the animals concerned--- who should instead be known as “free-living”, the academics including an Oxford professor suggest.

The call comes from the editors of Journal of Animal Ethics, a new academic publication devoted to the issue. In its first editorial, the journal disapproves the use of words such as “critters(动物)” and “beasts”. It argues that “derogatory” language about animals can affect the way that they are treated.

“Despite its popularity, ‘pets’ is surely a derogatory word both of the animals concerned and their human carers,” the editorial claims. “Again the word ‘owners’, though technically correct in law, goes back to a previous age when animals were regarded just as property, machines or things to use.”

It goes on: “We invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’. For most, ‘wildness’ is very closely associated with uncivilized, rough existence. There is an obvious prejudice here that should be avoided.”

The editors also hope to see some of the more colorful words in the English language stamped out. Phrases such as “sly(狡猾的) as a fox”, “eat like a pig” or “drunk as a skunk(臭鼬)” are all unfair to animals, they claim. “We shall not be able to think clearly unless we discipline ourselves to use less than partial adjectives in our exploration of animals and our moral relations with them,” they say.

31. According to the academics, what should we call domestic parrots?

A. human carers B. free-living C. companion animals D. beasts

32. The underlined word in paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A. 不敬的，贬低的 B. 批评的，指责的

C. 不恰当的，不合适的 D. 令人不快的，不吉利的

33. Why do the editors say phrases like “sly as a fox” are unfair to animals?

A. Because foxes are not sly at all in real world.

B. Because it is helpless for people to think clearly when using those phrases.

C. Because those phrases have been stamped out.

D. Because they are only partial adjectives in the description of animals.

34. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Pets are badly treated because people use insulting words when calling them.