In the spring of 1930, a biologist named Israel Aharoni went to Syria on a mission. He was searching for a rare golden mammal. Its name in Arabic translates as “Mr. Saddlebags.” Thanks to Aharoni, the little rodent (啮齿动物) with the big cheeks can now be found in many grade-school classrooms, running on a little wheel in a little cage. That’s right. Aharoni’s big find was the hamster.

Of course, Aharoni didn’t set out looking for a schoolchild’s pet, biologist Rob Dunn said. Dunn, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, wrote about the hamster’s discovery in an article on Smithsonian.com. One of Aharoni’s colleagues, Saul Adler, thought the animal might be similar enough to humans to use for medical research. “Aharoni saw this as a chance to both to discover this creature in the wild and to bring them back to Adler so he could make major discoveries about humans,” Dunn says.

Following tips from local farmers, Aharoni tracked down a litter of 11 hamsters in a Syrian wheat field. He put the little family in a box, and trouble started immediately when the mother hamster ate one of her babies.

More troubles followed. There was more hamster cannibalism (同类相食), and five others escaped from their cage — never to be found. Finally, two of the remaining three hamsters started to produce young, an event praised as magic by their frustrated caretakers.

Those Adam-and-Eve hamsters produced 150 babies, Dunn says, and they started to travel abroad, sent between labs or via the coat pocket. Today, the hamsters you see in pet stores are most likely descendants of Aharoni’s litter.

Because these hamsters are so inbred (近亲的), they typically have heart disease similar to what humans suffer. Dunn says that makes them the most suitable research models. “They do matter to us in this unusual way,” Dunn says. “In addition to turning those wheels all around the world.”

1.Why did Aharoni look for a rare golden mammal?

A To give students a pet.

B To help with scientific research.

C To satisfy his colleague.

D To take an adventure.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Saul Adler, thought the animal might be similar enough to humans to use for medical research”索尔·阿德勒认为这种动物可能与人类足够相似，可以用于医学研究；“Aharoni saw this as a chance to both to discover this organism in the wild and to bring them back to Adler so he could make major discoveries about humans”阿哈罗尼认为这是一个机会，既可以在野外发现这种生物，又可以把它们带回给阿德勒，这样他就可以对人类做出重大发现。可知，阿哈罗尼寻找这种金色的哺乳动物是为了助力科学研究。故选B。

2.What was the problem of transporting hamsters?

A They ate each other.

B They escaped slowly.

C They hardly gave birth.

D They were too weak to run.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第三段中的“trouble started immediately when mother hamster ate one of her babies”第四段的“more hamster cannibalism (同类相食)”“five others escaped from their cage — never to be found”可知，运输仓鼠的问题在于他们同类相食，且很容易逃跑。故选A。

3.What does the fifth paragraph convey?

A Hamsters live out of the wild.

B Hamsters are keen on traveling.

C Hamsters may spread very quickly.

D Pet hamsters are generations of Aharoni.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第五段内容，尤其是“produced 150 babies”“Today, the hamsters you see in pet stores are most likely descendants of Aharoni’s litter.”可知，仓鼠很多产，现在宠物店的仓鼠可能都是阿哈罗尼发现的仓鼠的后代。由此可推迟，仓鼠可能繁殖得很快。故选C。

4.What did Dunn think of the discovery of hamsters?

A It’s unexpected.

B It’s disappointing.

C It’s significant.

D It’s entertaining.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“that makes them the most suitable research models”“They do matter to us in this unusual way”可知，邓恩认为仓鼠是最适合用来研究人类心脏病的，即仓鼠的发现具有重要意义。故选C。