阅读理解
North American black bears are shy animals.
They are fearful by nature, and will usually run away if they see or hear
people. Because of this, it can be difficult for scientists to learn about
these animals.
In order to study black bears, researchers
from New Jersey, the US, catch bears and use drugs to help them go to sleep.
Researchers then work out the size and the weight of the bears, take blood, to
test for diseases, remove a tooth and take it to the lab to find out its age.
From these studies, researchers want to find out how many bears live in New
Jersey, how long they live, and how many babies they produce.
But in Minnesota, the US, researchers study
bears that are completely awake. The bears know the researchers' voices and
they are not afraid of the research team. With the help of a few grapes to keep
the bears busy, researchers can touch them to check their hearts, look at their
teeth, and do other jobs. Researchers can also walk or sit with bears for hours
and make videos to learn about their everyday lives."
In both places, the main purpose is the same—to make sure there is a healthy population of
black bears. But the research methods and the kinds of information that
researchers are able to collect are quite different.