W: Well, I read a very interesting article the other day about the Canadian food market. M: I suppose everybody is interested in food, even if it’s trying not to eat. Why Canada? I know that’s where you come from, but isn’t it just all North America really? W: No, that’s why I thought this article was interesting. Although lots of US companies are well established in Canada, and vice versa, there are still subtle differences between the two markets. It says here “the Canadian market is definitely not a northern clone of the US“. I like that. And it says that if you understand these differences, it can have a big impact on successful food marketing. M: So, I know that Canada has a big French-speaking population in Quebec, is this what they’re referring to? W: Not only French and English speakers, there are many different ethnic groups in Canada. It’s really quite multicultural. For example Toronto has large Asian and Italian populations, and Vancouver’s got a large Asian population too. And because Canada’s population is small, these groups make quite an impact, introducing new styles of cooking. So you can see lots of unfamiliar vegetables and things in the markets and new restaurants are opening every day. It’s great if you love trying out new foods, as many people do! M: Which kinds of food are becoming popular? W: Well, some Asian food I’d say, has been popular for quite a while like Chinese, but now South East Asian restaurants are becoming very fashionable. Then there’s Mediterranean of course, such as Greek, Italian and so on, but Caribbean and Mexican food is really taking off among young people these days. M: So are the supermarkets starting to stock new ingredients that are needed to prepare these foods at home, you know. all those unusual sauces? W: Yes, that’s fight, it’s quite interesting going to the supermarket, isn’t it? And noticing how they are introducing sections for foods of different nationalities—you can buy quite exotic products locally these days. The article mentioned supermarket chains. In Canada, there are 8 major national supermarket chains controlling most retail markets countrywide, so that when they introduce changes they can happen quite rapidly. Questions: 19.What did the man think of the food market in Canada? 20.Which is not true according to the conversation? 21.Which kind of food is becoming popular among young people in Canada? 22.What is not mentioned about the food market in Canada, according to the conversation? He thought it was very special. He thought everybody in Canada was interested in eating. He thought it was the same as the American food market. He knew nothing about the food market in North America.

I’ve already ordered a brand new radio and the company is supposed to ship it this week. The shipping company is getting a new radio. The radio I ordered should be sent this week. The company accidentally shipped the radio I ordered. That company’s radio is supposed to be cheaper this week.

It was a cold, rainy and wholly miserable afternoon in Washington, and a hot muggy night in Miami. It was Sunday, and three games were played in the two cities. The people playing them and the people watching them tell us much about the ever-changing ethnic structure of the United States. Professional football in the United States is almost wholly played by native-born American citizens, mostly very large and very strong, many of them black. It is a game of physical strength. Linemen routinely weigh more than 300 pounds. Players are valued for their weigh and muscles, for how fast they can run, and how hard they can hit each other. Football draws the biggest crowds, but the teams play only once a week, because they get so battered. The 67,204 fans were in Miami for the final game of the baseball World Series. Baseball was once America’s favorite game, but has lost that claim to basketball. Baseball is a game that requires strength, but not hugeness. Agility, quickness, perfect vision and quick reaction are more important than pure strength. Baseball was once a purely American game, but has spread around much of the New World. In that Sunday’s final, the final hit of the extra inning game was delivered by a native of Columbia. The Most Valuable Player in the game was a native of Columbia. The rosters of both teams were awash with Hispanic names, as is Miami, which now claims the World Championship is a game that may be losing popularity in America, but has gained it in much of the rest of the world. Baseball in America has taken on a strong Hispanic flavor, with a dash of Japanese added for seasoning. Soccer, which many countries just call football, is the most widely enjoyed sport in the world. In soccer, which many countries just call football, the ethnic tide has been the reverse of baseball. Until recently, professional soccer in the United States has largely been an import, played by South Americans and Europeans. Now, American citizens in large numbers are finally taking up the most popular game in the world. Basketball, an American invention increasingly played around the world, these days draws large crowds back home. Likewise, hockey, a game largely imported to the United States from neighboring Canada. Lacrosse, a version of which was played by Native Americans before the Europeans arrived, is also gaining a keen national following. Sports of all kinds are winning support from American armchair enthusiasts from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

There is an old saying, “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks“. In four historic years, America has been given great tasks and faced them with strength and courage. Our people have restored the vigor of this economy and shown resolve and patience in a new kind of war. Our military has brought justice to the enemy and honor to America. Our nation has defended itself and served the freedom of all mankind. I’m proud to lead such an amazing country, and I’m proud to lead it forward. Because we have done the hard work, we are entering a season of hope. We will continue our economic progress. We’ll reform our outdated tax code. We’ll strengthen the Social Security for the next generation. We’ll make public schools ail they can be. And we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith.

James: Hello. I’d like to open a bank account. Clerk: What type of account do you want? James: Well, I’m going to London University in October and I need somewhere to deposit my grant. Clerk: Well, who pays your grant? James: The British Council. Clerk: You could open a student account with us. James: What does it offer? Clerk: Oh, normally, you’d receive a cheque book which saves you having to carry a lot of cash around. You would also get. a connect card which you can use 24 hours a day in our machine at any branches and in the machines of Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland. You can obtain up to 200 per day and night by using your connect card. The connect card can also be used for a cheque guarantee card. James: Sorry, what is that? Clerk: A cheque guarantee card enable you to cash up to 50 pounds without prior arrangement at most banks in the UK. And you’ll need it to pay shops, garages, hotel, etc. because it guarantees that your cheque will be honored. James: I see. Will I get interest on the money in my student account? Clerk: Yes, you’ll get a small mount of interest, i.e. up to 500, interest is 4%. 500 and more, the interest goes up to 6%. James: What other advantages do student accounts have? Clerk: Well, we offer a 250 overdraft limit at our lower rate of interest. James: Can I open a student account then? What do I need? Clerk: You need a letter to prove that you are getting a grant from some authority and identification such as your passport. Then, you need to fill in some simple forms about your course and the duration of your stay in the UK, your address and your signature. James: Ok, I will bring them in later. Thank you for your time. Clerk: You are welcome. Good-bye. Questions: 27.Why does the man want to open a bank account? 28.What does a student account offer? 29.Where can’t then man use the card? 30.What will be the interest rate if the man deposits 1,000 pounds in the account? Because he has a sum of grant which is paid by the British council. Because he is going to London University in September. Because he has got some grants from London University. Because he thinks the bank offers good service.

Do you like popular music from Latin America, the United States, or Asia? Many musicians from around the world blend their country’s music with popular songs.

Wild Bill Donovan would have loved the Internet. The American spymaster who built the Office of Strategic Services in the World War II and later laid the roots for the CIA was fascinated with information. Donovan believed in using whatever tools came to hand in the “great game“ of espionage—spying as a “profession“. These days the Net, which has already re-made pastimes as buying books and sending mail, is reshaping Donovan’s vocation as well. The last revolution isn’t simply a matter of gentlemen reading other gentlemen’s e-mail. That kind of electronic spying has been going on for decades. In the past three or four years, the World Wide Web has given birth to a whole industry of point-and-click spying. The technical talents call it “open source intelligence“, and as the Net grows, it is becoming increasingly influential. In 1995 the CIA held a contest to see who could compile the most data about Burundi. The winner, by a large margin, was a tiny Virginia company called Open-Source Solutions, whose clear advantage was its mastery of the electronic world. Among the firms making the biggest splash in the new world is Straitford Inc., a private intelligence-analysis firm based in Austin, Texas. Straitford makes money by selling the results of spying (covering nations from Chile to Russia) to corporations like energy-services firm McDermott International. Many of its predictions are available online at www. straitford, com. Straitford president George Friedman says he sees the online world as a kind of mutually reinforcing tool for both information collection and distribution, a spymaster’s dream. Last week his firm was busy vacuuming up data bits from the far comers of the world and predicting a crisis in Ukraine. “As soon as that report nms, we’ll suddenly get 500 new Internet sign-ups from Ukraine,“ says Friedman, a former political science professor. “And we’ll hear back from some of them.“ Open-source spying does have its risks, of course, since it can be difficult to tell good information from bad. That’s where Straitford earns its keep. Friedman relies on a lean staff in Austin. Several of his staff members have military-intelligence backgrounds. He sees the firm’s outsider status as the key to its success. Straitford’s briefs don’t sound like the usual Washington back-and-forthing, whereby agencies avoid dramatic declarations on the chance they might be wrong. Straitford, says Friedman, takes pride in its independent voice.

If the old maxim that the customer is always right still has meaning, then the airlines that fly the world’s busiest air route between London and Paris have a flight on their hands. The Eurostar train service linking the UK and French capitals via the Channel Tunnel is winning customers in increasing numbers. In late May, it carried its one millionth passenger, having run only a limited service between London, Paris and Brussels since November 1994, starting with two trains a day in each direction to Paris and Brussels. By 1997, the company believes that it will be carrying ten million passengers a year, and continue to grow from there. From July, Eurostar steps its service to nine trains each way between London and Paris, and five between London and Brussels. Each train carries almost 800 passengers, 210 of them in first class. The airlines estimate that they will initially lose around 15%-20% of their London-Paris traffic to the railways once Eurostar starts a full service later this year (1995), with 15 trains a day each way. A similar service will start to Brussels. The damage will be limited, however, the airlines believe, with passenger numbers returning to previous levels within two to three years. In the short term, the damage caused by the 1 million people-level traveling between London and Paris and Brussels on Eurostar trains means that some air services are already suffering. Some of the major carders say that their passenger numbers are down by less than 5% and point to their rivals-particularly Air France-as having suffered the problems. On the Brussels route, the railway company had less success, and the airlines report anything from around a 5% drop to no visible decline in traffic. The airlines’ optimism on returning traffic levels is based on historical precedent. British Midland, for example, points to its experience on Heathrow Leeds Bradford service which saw passenger numbers fold by 15% when British Rail electrified and modernized the railway line between London and Yorkshire. Two years later, travel had risen between the two destinations to the point where the airline was carrying record numbers of passengers.

10年前，中国政府庄严宣告对香港恢复行使主权，香港特别行政区成立。香港回归祖国，实现了全国各族人民的百年夙愿，是彪炳中华民族史册的千秋功业。10年来，中央政府切实贯彻“一国两制”、“港人治港”、高度自治的方针。广大香港同胞团结奋进，克服了亚洲金融危机、非典疫情等带来的严峻挑战。今天的香港特区社会保持稳定，经济更加繁荣，民主有序发展，民众安居乐业，展现出一派欣欣向荣的景象。

Ending a marriage can be a sad【C1】______experience, especially for children. In the United States, the number of children【C2】______grows by about one-million each year. As the number increases, experts continue to【C3】______of divorce on children. Some experts say divorce is【C4】______. Some studies show that children of divorce have more problems. For example, some children of divorce are more often【C5】______toward parents and teachers. They have【C6】______of leaving school before completing their studies. They have more【C7】______. However, experts note that these problems are not necessarily caused by divorce alone. During the 1970s, many Americans believed that divorce was【C8】______for married people who were not happy. People did not think divorce would harm children. They thought children would【C9】______a period of change when their parents ended their marriage. Then the children would be all fight. 【C10】______have changed in recent years. Researchers studied more than one-hundred children of divorce over【C11】______. She says some children never【C12】______. She says they often have problems with their【C13】______as a result of their parents’ divorce. Ms Wallerstein says her study proves that parents should【C14】______for their children, even if they are unhappy. However, some people say that children suffer more in a situation where【C15】______. They say it is better for children to live with one divorced parent than to live with two parents who are【C16】______. Other experts note that many children of divorce【C17】______. This is because their parents are able to deal with the situation【C18】______. Experts say that some people who get divorced are able to【C19】______of their children first. They say that they are able to show the children that their【C20】______after the divorce.Ending a marriage can be a sad, unpleasant and painful experience, especially, for children. In the United States, the number of children affected by divorce grows by about one-million each year. As the number increases, experts continue to debate the effects of divorce on children. Some experts say divorce is harmful to children. Some studies show that children of divorce have more problems. For example, some children of divorce are more often aggressive toward parents and teachers. They have a greater risk of leaving school before completing their studies. They have more health and learning problems. However, experts note that these problems are not necessarily caused by divorce alone. During the Nineteen-Seventies, many Americans believed that divorce was the best solution for married people who were not happy. People did not think divorce would harm children. They thought children would go through, a period of change when their parents ended their marriage. Then the children would be all right. These beliefs have changed in recent years. Researchers studied more than one-hundred children of divorce over a 25-year-period. She says some children never recover from divorce. She says they often have problems with their own adult relationships as a result of their parents’ divorce. Ms Wallerstein says her study proves that parents should stay together for their children, even if they are unhappy. However, some people say that children suffer more in a situation where there is much conflict. They say it is better for children to live with one divorced parent than to live with two parents who are angry and unhappy. Other experts note that many children of divorce do not have serious problems. This is because their parents are able to deal with the situation in a responsible way. Experts say that some people who get divorced are able to put the needs of their children first. They say that they are able to show the children that their love and support will continue after the divorce.

If you are not able to pay cash for the television set you can make arrangements with the credit manager for twelve payments. You can buy the television set on installment. You can arrange to use the television set for twelve months. You must pay cash for the television set. You can return the television set to the credit manager after twelve months.

W: Good afternoon, Professor Miller. Some young parents called our program complaining about the day cares. As an expert, how do you view this? M: Well, working parents often put their kids in day care. While most parents we interviewed say they are satisfied with the day care they use, we still believe that only about 12% of children receive high quality care. Many parents really don’t know how good their day care service is. W: In this case, can you give the working parents some suggestions on choosing a good day care? M: Sure. When choosing a day care center, of course parents want to know how much it costs. But there are many other questions parents should ask and observations they should make. Parents need to know if the caregiver is loving and responds to the children’s needs. Does the caregiver hug the child, talk to the child, smile at the child and play with the child? W: Yes, we all realize these are important. What else do you take into consideration? M: It is also important to know if the day care center is clean and safe. A parent should find out how the caregiver takes care of sick children. Is there a nurse or doctor available to help with medical care? Do caregivers know first aid? W: Oh, yes, when children get sick, these are necessary. M: Sure. Parents should ask how many caregivers there are per child. One caregiver for a group of eight four-or-five-year-olds may be enough, but babies need much more attention; one caregiver for three babies is recommended. W: When do you think parents should put their babies in child care? M: Yeah, it’s a good question. We believe that parents should not put their babies in child care for the first four months. W: Why is it? M: During this time. it is important for babies to form an attachment to their mothers. You know, a 30-year study we carry out shows that baby’s early experiences influence his emotional development and learning abilities for the rest of his life. It is a well known fact that talking to infants increases their language ability and that reading to them is the most important thing parents can do to raise a good reader. However, if a baby is put in a day care at too young an age, where caregivers rarely talk to it or hold it as its parents do, it develops a brain which is 20% to 50% percent smaller than normal. W: Thank you. professor. So if you are a parent who is going to put your baby in a day care center, please do contemplate on your decision and be very careful when you are choosing a place for your baby. That’s the end of today’s “tips from experts“. Thanks for watching. Questions: 11.According to the man, what’s most parents’ attitude towards the day care they use? 12.What is the thing that parents don’t need to know when they are choosing a good day care center? 13.Why shouldn’t parent put their babies in child care for the first four months? 14.Which is not true according to the passage? They complain a lot. They’re satisfied. They don’t care. They are not satisfied.

Every couple who goes to the altar believes that they will make that trip only once in their lives. They want the day to be perfect, and they are asking for much more than good weather. Whey want the most beautiful clothes, the freshest flowers. Moreover, her family who will pay the bill is not in any mood to economize. A quick look at any bride magazine will reveal that plenty of attractive goods and services compete for a share of the wedding budget. Besides the obvious choices of tings, dresses, flowers, and photographs, there are the less apparent expenses: a big cake, a rehearsal dinner, a reception, music for both the ceremony and the reception, tips and even napkins and matchbooks printed with the couple’s names and the wedding date. As the arrangements are generally complicated, there are plenty of services that can be hired to help with the planning and execution of every aspect of the wedding: planning the photographs, selecting the wedding rings, choosing the flowers, picking the honeymoon spot, and so on. One magazine lists over 350 such companies who have something to offer. Considering that weddings do more than 12 billion dollars worth of business annually in the U.S alone, it isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that no one company dominates the industry. It seems that when people plan for a day as special to them as a wedding, they resist standardization. They turn instead to the small local suppliers known to them or to their friends. Family members or friends often serve as photographers, caterers and musicians. This not only helps bring the wedding cost down, but makes it more personal. What about the couple that doesn’t want to take in this billion-dollar industry? They can go to city hall and get married for less than the price of a hamburger. Questions: 15.What does the expression “the billion-dollar industry“ refer to? 16.Which of the following is not mentioned? 17.Why is it true that not a single company can dominate the industry? 18.Which of the following isn’t true according to the talk? The budgets of weddings. The business of weddings. The planning and execution of weddings. The high wedding expenses.

W: Well, I read a very interesting article the other day about the Canadian food market. M: I suppose everybody is interested in food, even if it’s trying not to eat. Why Canada? I know that’s where you come from, but isn’t it just all North America really? W: No, that’s why I thought this article was interesting. Although lots of US companies are well established in Canada, and vice versa, there are still subtle differences between the two markets. It says here “the Canadian market is definitely not a northern clone of the US“. I like that. And it says that if you understand these differences, it can have a big impact on successful food marketing. M: So, I know that Canada has a big French-speaking population in Quebec, is this what they’re referring to? W: Not only French and English speakers, there are many different ethnic groups in Canada. It’s really quite multicultural. For example Toronto has large Asian and Italian populations, and Vancouver’s got a large Asian population too. And because Canada’s population is small, these groups make quite an impact, introducing new styles of cooking. So you can see lots of unfamiliar vegetables and things in the markets and new restaurants are opening every day. It’s great if you love trying out new foods, as many people do! M: Which kinds of food are becoming popular? W: Well, some Asian food I’d say, has been popular for quite a while like Chinese, but now South East Asian restaurants are becoming very fashionable. Then there’s Mediterranean of course, such as Greek, Italian and so on, but Caribbean and Mexican food is really taking off among young people these days. M: So are the supermarkets starting to stock new ingredients that are needed to prepare these foods at home, you know. all those unusual sauces? W: Yes, that’s fight, it’s quite interesting going to the supermarket, isn’t it? And noticing how they are introducing sections for foods of different nationalities—you can buy quite exotic products locally these days. The article mentioned supermarket chains. In Canada, there are 8 major national supermarket chains controlling most retail markets countrywide, so that when they introduce changes they can happen quite rapidly. Questions: 19.What did the man think of the food market in Canada? 20.Which is not true according to the conversation? 21.Which kind of food is becoming popular among young people in Canada? 22.What is not mentioned about the food market in Canada, according to the conversation? He thought it was very special. He thought everybody in Canada was interested in eating. He thought it was the same as the American food market. He knew nothing about the food market in North America.

Today, “Traveler“ invites you to visit London. There are few cities in the world which call to mind so many powerful visual images as London, such as Big Ben, the Beefeater in their distinctive uniforms, and of course London’s unique red buses. In fact. red has traditionally been the color of choice in London. even including the phone boxes. All these and many other images are familiar, not only to the millions of tourists who visit the city each year, but also to many more millions of people around the world who have never been here. Most tourists choose to travel around London by the subway—which Londoners call the “underground“ or, more familiarly, the “tube“. London’s subway system is the oldest in the world--the first line was constructed in 1860—and it is still one of the most extensive, with over 200 stations and 300 miles of track. Britain was the first country in the world to introduce parliamentary democracy, and the imposing 19th century Parliament buildings are one of London’s main tourist attraction. Britain remains a monarchy to this day, of course, and the Queen’s London home, Buckingham Palace, is now open for tourists to visit. And they certainly do visit it: this may possibly be the most photographed building in the world! Everywhere you go in London there are reminders of Britain’s history and traditions, of the days when the British Empire ruled nearly half the world. But ail these powerful images of past glories and triumphs are not always seen so favorably by Londoners themselves. There’s often a feeling that visitors to Britain are more interested in her past than in her present or future. London is more than a vast museum of historical treasures, it’s also a very dynamic modem city, with as rich a cultural life as you’ll find anywhere in the world. London by night is buzzing with activity, with people out to go to a show, a movie, a meal out, or just to wander around. And it doesn’t rain in London as often as many people think! The West End of London is sometimes called “Theatreland“; most major British movie and TV stars have appeared on stage here at some point in their careers. Another world-famous British institution is the “pub“, which is an abbreviation of the “public house“. Once London’s pubs were for drinking only, and mainly frequented by men. Today they serve ail kinds of food, and many of them also offer live music, comedy, theatre or other forms of entertainment. And, of course, they welcome young and old, men and women alike. So here we are again in Piccadilly Circus, London’s most famous meeting point, as we prepare to leave this unforgettable city. And we’re aware, like all visitors to London, of how more we could have seen, if we had more time. Questions: 23.Which of the following is true? 24.According to the passage, where do tourists take most photographs? 25.Which of the following is true according to the passage? 26.If you want to meet a friend, where are you most likely to go to? The first line of London’s subway system was built in 1816. In London, subway is more often called “underground“ or “tube“. Poor tourists choose to travel around London by the subway, London’s subway system is out of date now.

There are three levels of government in Australia: firstly, there is Federal Government, which looks after issues of national importance such as immigration and defense. Then, there is State Government located in each capital city, and which has responsibility for such things as education, the police and urban and regional planning. And thirdly, we find Local Government, which controls services such as waste collection, public libraries and childcare centers.

The biggest danger facing the global airline industry is not the effects of terrorism, war, SARS and economic downturn. It is that these blows, which have helped ground three national flag carriers and force two American airlines into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will divert attention from the inherent weaknesses of aviation, which they have worsened. As in the crisis that attended the first Gulf war, many airlines hope that traffic will soon bounce back, and a few terrible years will be followed by fuller planes, happier passengers and a return to profitability. Yet the industry’s problems are deeper—and older—than the pain of the past two years implies. As the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight approaches in December, the industry it launched is still remarkably primitive. The car industry, created not long after the Wright Brothers made history, is now a global industry dominated by a dozen firms, at least half of which make good profits. Yet commercial aviation consists of 267 international carriers and another 500-plus domestic ones. The world’s biggest carrier, American Airlines, has barely 7% of the global market, whereas the world’s biggest carmaker, General Motors, has (with its associated firms) about a quarter of the world’s automobile market. Aviation has been incompletely deregulated, and in only two markets: America and Europe. Everywhere else deals between governments direction who flies under what roles. These aim to preserve state-owned national flag-carriers, run for prestige rather than profit. And numerous restrictions on foreign ownership make cross-border airline mergers impossible. In America, the big network carriers face barriers to exit, which have kept their route networks too large. Trade unions resisting job cuts and Congressmen opposing route closures in their territory conspire to block change. In Europe, liberalization is limited by bilateral deals that prevent, for instance, British Airways (BA) flying to America from Frankfurt or Pads, or Lufthansa offering transatlantic flights from London’s Heathrow. To use the car industry analogy, it is as if only Renaults were allowed to drive on French motorways. In airlines, the optimists are those who think that things are now so bad that the industry has no option but to evolve. Frederick Reid, president of Delta Airlines, said earlier this year that events since the 911 attacks are the equivalent of a meteor strike, changing the climate, creating a sort of nuclear winter and leading to a “compressed evolutionary cycle“. So how, looking on the bright side, might the industry look after five years of accelerated development?

The Supreme Court’s decisions on physician-assisted suicide carry important implications for how medicine seeks to relieve dying patients of pain and suffering. Although it ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, the Court in effect supported the medical principle of “double effect“, a centuries-old moral principle holding that an action having two effects--a good one that is intended and a harmful one that is foreseen—is permissible if the actor intends only the good effect. Doctors have used that principle in recent years to justify using high doses of morphine to control terminally ill patients’ pain, even though increasing dosages will eventually kill the patient. Nancy Dubler, director of Montefiore Medical Center, contends that the principle will shield doctors who “until now have very, very strongly insisted that they could not give patients sufficient medication to control their pain if that might hasten death.“ George Annas, chair of the health law department at Boston University, maintains that, as long as a doctor prescribes a drug for a legitimate medical purpose, the doctor has done nothing illegal even if the patient uses the drug to hasten death. “It’s like surgery,“ he says. “We don’t call those deaths homicides because the doctors didn’t intend to kill their patients, although they risked their death. If you’re a physician, you can risk your patient’s suicide as long as you don’t intend their suicide.“ On another level, many in the medical community acknowledge that the assisted-suicide debate has been fueled in part by the despair of patients for whom modem medicine has prolonged the physical agony of dying. Just three weeks before the Court’s ruling on physician-assisted suicide, the National Academy of Science (NAS) released a two-volume report, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life. It identifies the undertreatment of pain and the aggressive use of “ineffectual and forced medical procedures that may prolong and even dishonor the period of dying“ as the twin problems of end-of-life care. The profession is taking steps to require young doctors to train in hospices, to test knowledge of aggressive pain management therapies, to develop a Medicare billing code for hospital-based care, and to develop new standards for assessing and treating pain at the end of life. Annas says lawyers can play a key role in insisting that these well-meaning medical initiatives translate into better care. “Large numbers of physicians seem unconcerned with the pain their patients are needlessly and predictably suffering,“ to the extent that it constitutes “systematic patient abuse“. He says medical licensing boards “must make it clear... that painful deaths are presumptively ones that are incompetently managed and should result in license suspension.“

One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined “Without zoos you might as well tell these animals to get stuffed“, it was bordered with illustrations of several endangered species and went on to extol the myth that without zoos like London Zoo these animals “will almost certainly disappear forever“. With the zoo world’s rather mediocre record on conservation, one might be forgiven for being slightly skeptical about such an advertisement. Zoos were originally created as places of entertainment, and their suggested involvement with conservation didn’t seriously arise until about 30 years ago, when the Zoological Society of London held the first formal international meeting on the subject. Eight years later, a series of world conferences took place, entitled “The Breeding of Endangered Species“, and from this point onwards conservation became the zoo community’s buzzword. Tiffs commitment has now been clearly defined in The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZCS, September 1993), which-although an important and welcome document-does seem to be based on an unrealistic optimism about the nature of the zoo industry. The WZCS estimates that there are about 10,000 zoos in the world, of which around 1,000 represent a core of quality collections capable of participating in coordinated conservation programmes. This is probably the document’s first failing, as I believe that 10,000 is a serious underestimate of the total number of places masquerading as zoological establishments. Of course it is difficult to get accurate data but, to put the issue into perspective, I have found that, in a year of working in Eastern Europe, I discover fresh zoos on almost a weekly basis. The second flaw in the reasoning of the WZCS document is the naive faith it places in its 1,000 core zoos. One would assume that the caliber of these institutions would have been carefully examined, but it appears that the criterion for inclusion on this select list might merely be that the zoo is a member of a zoo federation or association. This might be a good starting point, working on the premise that members must meet certain standards, but again the facts don’t support the theory. The greatly respected American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) has had extremely dubious members, and in the UK the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland has occasionally had members that have been roundly censured in the national press. These include Robin Hill Adventure Park on the Isle Wight, which many considered the most notorious collection of animals in the country. This establishment, which for years was protected by the Isle’s local council (which viewed it as a tourist amenity), was finally closed down following a damning report by a veterinary inspector appointed under the terms of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. As it was always a collection of dubious repute, one is obliged to reflect upon the standards that the Zoo Federation sets when granting membership. The situation is even worse in developing countries where little money is available for redevelopment and it is hard to see a way of incorporating collections into the overall scheme of the WZCS. Even assuming that the WZCS’s 1,000 core zoos are all of a high standard—complete with scientific staff and research facilities, trained and dedicated keepers, accommodation that permits normal or natural behaviour, and a policy of co-operating fully with one another—what might be the potential for conservation? Colin Tudge, author of Last Animals at the Zoo (Oxford University Press, 1992), argues that “if the world’s zoos worked together in co-operative breeding programmes, then even without further expansion they could save around 2,000 species of endangered land vertebrates“. This seems an extremely optimistic proposition from a man who must be aware of the failing and weaknesses of the zoo industry-the man who, when a member of the council of London Zoo, had to persuade the zoo to devote more of its activities to conservation. Moreover, where are the facts to support such optimism? Today approximately 16 species might be said to have been “saved“ by captive breeding programmes, although a number of these can hardly be looked upon as resounding successes. Beyond that, about a further 20 species are being seriously considered for zoo conservation programmes. Given that the international conference at London Zoo was held 30 years ago, this is pretty slow progress, and a long way off Tudge’s target of 2,000.