今天前程百利小编为大家分享的是托福听力的背景学习。备考托福听力就要把听力文本吃透分析彻底。这样不仅能积累背景材料，还能把听力的专业词汇积累起来一块背诵。下面跟小编一起学习跟机器动物有关的知识吧。
An animal behaviorist ponders a future where some Spots are robots. Larry Greenemeier reports
The advent of smartphones, social media and other technologies have altered the way people interact with each other. Just watch a group of people out for a meal together, all on their phones texting people who aren’t there.
Technology may also be poised to change the way we relate to animals—by removing the living, breathing ones from our homes. The main threat to pets is not social media, per se, but rather robots and virtual Farm Ville-like animals.
These inanimate objects of our affection are certainly easier to care for than are the real ones. And they still might someday meet their owners’ needs for companionship, love, obedience and dependence. That’s according to University of Melbourne animal behavior researcher Jean-Loup Rault, writing in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
The infiltration of fake pets is already happening to a small degree. In Japan, some owners of Sony’s AIBO robotic dog even hold funerals when these devices are beyond repair.
Our concept of a pet gets shaped at an early age. Previous generations born and bred with dogs and cats might dismiss robopets as mere toys. But children of the digital age, raised on touch screens and online games, might see things differently. One can imagine a future fake-dog owner breathlessly asking his vet technician: is Fido dead, or is it just his battery?
长难句解析：
1. The main threat to pets is not social media, per se, but rather robots and virtual Farm Ville-like animals.
难句类型：
But rather
句子主干：
The main threat to pets is not social media
难句拆分：
But rather的意思是“不是…而是”。本句话的翻译为：对宠物最大的威胁不是社会媒体自身而是那些虚拟欢乐农场中的机器动物。
2. In Japan, some owners of Sony’s AIBO robotic dog even hold funerals when these devices are beyond repair.
难句类型：
When引导的时间状语从句
句子主干：
some owners even hold funerals
难句拆分：
when these devices are beyond repair，When引导的时间状语从句，修饰整个句子;of Sony’s AIBO robotic dog作some owners的定语。
文本结构特点：
本篇文章主要讲的是由于现代科技的高速发展，越来越多的人更加喜欢用手机交流，越来越喜欢在网上玩游戏，玩欢乐农场，就这一趋势预测，未来宠物有可能都是机器宠物。孩子们处于一个数字时代，未来很有可能养机器宠物。
好了，以上就是前程百利小编为大家整理的备考托福听力背景材料以及专业词汇的学习。大家学会了吗?希望能在备考托福的路上助大家一臂之力。预祝大家取得好成绩。
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