Social bond of animals

Friendship is an important part of human life. Friends can share our joys and our hardships. We aren’t alone. 【小题1】

Recently, a British research team finished an eight-year study of Indo-Pacific dolphins off the coast of-Western Australia. These dolphins can use different tools to search for food. 【小题2】 Other factors, like family closeness, have no impact on this relationship.

“It suggests that dolphins form social bonds based on shared interests,” UK biologist Simon Allen told Science Daily. “Using different tools is time-consuming for dolphins to cooperate.”

Apart from dolphins, elephants, horses and bats are also known to form friendships. 【小题3】

Of course not, The Atlantic reported. In 2015, a goat was originally left in a tiger’s enclosure (围场) as a meal. 【小题4】 The Atlantic said it’s not unusual among captive (圈禁的) animals. That’s because in captivity, animals don’t need to spend much time and energy marking their territory or looking for mates the way they would in the wild. They are actually more likely to feel bored. “In this particular situation, the animal’s motivation to engage socially and playfully may be higher than eating.”

【小题5】 Take bats as an example. In 2011, scientists found bats prefer to hang out with a few certain friends, keeping loose ties to the rest of their group.

Humans aren’t so different. “We do not work, play and live together with the same friends all the time,” Swiss zoologist Gerald Kerth explained. “But nevertheless, we are able to maintain long term relationships... despite our often highly dynamic social lives.”

In most parts of Britain, the black cat is a symbol of good luck and owning a black cat may bring good luck to the family. But recently, black cats can no longer enjoy so much favor.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (英国防止虐待动物协会) announced a rise in the number of black cats being abandoned by their owners, due to not looking good in selfies (自拍). According to the RSPCA, more than 70 percent of the cats in its care are black. The biggest reason for that is black cats tend not to photograph as their lighter and brighter-colored fellows with more obvious markings. An RSPCA spokesman said, “This has become a national problem. And we are urging people to never judge a cat by its color but look at its personality instead.”

The Millwood Cat Rescue Centre has taken in nice black cats in the past two weeks. The founder of the rescue centre said, “We have had a lot of black cats because people don’t like black at the moment. Other look at the black cats and then just say ‘Oh, have you got anything else?’”

Animal lover Gabriella Fletcher owns a 16-year-old black cat, Susie. She regularly takes selfies with her pet. She said, “It is hard to get a good picture as you can’t really see how beautiful Susie is. She is just as special as any other cat.”

One day, while I was walking on the street, I saw a young cat attacking an old cat. I immediately ran to them and drove the young cat away. When I got close to the old cat， I found he had got injured.

I held him in my arms and rushed to the Best Friends Animal Clinic. There he received important medical care. But with a serious infection (感染) in his leg，he was far from out of the woods. He was very sick and in shock. His body temperature was far below normal. He couldn't move and was breathing hard for air. The vet team immediately cleaned his wounds，used medicine to fight off the infection and reduce his pain，and placed him in an oxygen tank. But he was still getting weaker by the minute. At last，the vet team had to remove his damaged and infected leg to save him.

After he recovered，I took him home and named him Tommy. He learned how to ride in a stroller (小推车). Once he got used to the stroller，doors began to open for him. He began going on morning rounds with me. He made a few furry friends，too，including a Chihuahua. He even had a picnic with the Chihuahua on a blanket under the sunny sky.

Though Tommy's life as an outdoor cat may have ended，the medical care he received has made it possible for him to have a whole new life. Now Tommy stays very positive (积极的). He taught me a good lesson—though bad things happen in our life，we should always stay positive and enjoy what we have.