［2005年9月17日大陆区雅思作文真题］
Some people believe that the use of animals for experimentation purpose is cruel; others believe that it is necessary for the development of science. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
 
【题目要求】有的人觉得用动物来做药物等实验是很残酷，而有的人认为为了科学发展是很有必要的，用相应的论据来支持你的观点。

 
［参考范文］
Animals were friends or foes of humanity at different times of the human history. In modern times, experiments upon animals have long been a breeding ground for spirited debate. Some animal activists argue that we should ban animal experiments altogether because subjecting animals to experimentation is unjustifiable on moral grounds. Yet some other people contend that the advancement of science necessitates animal testing. Personally, I believe both their views have merit and demerit.

Granted, empirical evidence suggests that many animal experiments are performed callously without any heed to the discomfort or pain that laboratory mammals endure. First and foremost, improper confinement of test animals such as locking them up in cramped cages or poor veterinary is inhumane .It can gravely disrupt natural biological functions of the test animal. Further, the effects of vaccination and vivisection conducted on live rodents, primates and other lab mammals can be gruesome and chilling. They may, in some cases, even constitute sheer torture of live animals.

However, from a more pragmatic perspective, evidence is mounting that animal experimentation is still largely a necessary evil and there is no practical alternative for it at this point. In the first place, it is manifest that drug experimentation on live mammals is far more effectual than experimentation on bacteria or on other lower species in testing drug safety. Drugs that have severe potential side effects on homo sapiens must be tested by pharmaceutical companies on live mammals first to ascertain their toxicity. In the second place, in space research, live animals are still the only viable alternative to humans in testing living creature reaction to outer-space experience on a flight not considered to be sufficiently safe for human astronauts. Lastly, lab research about the behavioral tendencies of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and other members of the primate group is also necessary. It produces valuable outcomes consistently advancing anthropological and genetic studies.

To conclude, I concede that experiments upon animals may induce suffering to the test animals. However, I am convinced that there are no feasible alternatives to this methodology at the current stage of scientific development. On balance , I think that we should allow animals testing to be continued but at the same time use techniques such as analgesic, anesthetic and tranquilizing drugs to minimize the pain inflicted upon the test animal and augment the general welfare of these animals. （此范文作者：Patrick Shen）

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