Question

In a little-known part of the counter-terrorism（反恐怖主义） world, one of the most effective detection systems is a 600-pound animal that works for about 20 pounds of fish a day.

Since the 1960s, the United States and a handful of other countries have trained dolphins and sea lions to detect sea mines and swimmers, to recover inert torpedoes（鱼雷）and to test objects used in Naval exercises.

Program officials estimate that the sea lions in the Marine Mammal Program have recovered millions of dollars of U.S. Naval torpedoes and instrumentation dropped on the sea floor.

The U.S. Navy kept its Marine Mammal Program a secret until the 1990s, and this spring CNN became one of only a handful of media outlets to see firsthand how the program works.

The program has trained about 75 Pacific bottlenose dolphins, with natural biosonar (生物声纳) that tracks better than any manmade device; and 35 California sea lions, with superb underwater eyesight.

Not only do these trained marine mammals track and retrieve millions of dollars in U. S. military equipment, they are also helping to save lives.

The Navy won't disclose whether the dolphins and sea lions have effectively intercepted （阻拦）terrorists attempting to do harm to any U.S. facilities.

"Either way, it serves as a deterrent（阻碍） effect." says Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the program. The mammals can be deployed（调动） via C-130 cargo aircraft to perform their missions anywhere in the world within 72 hours. They have been used in exercises from Alaska to Hawaii, operating in great temperature and environmental ranges. They also have the capability to operate off vessels.

Dolphins most recently were deployed in the Iraq war, performing mine detection and clearance operations in the Persian Gulf to ensure safe passage for humanitarian ships delivering aid. Some of these Iraq war "veterans" are now back home, tasked with a new mission: guarding nuclear submarines in their homeports of Bremerton, Washington, and Groton, Connecticut.

1.The underlined word "retrieve" in Paragraph 6 can be replaced by ________.

A．find out           B．recover           C．save             D．detect

2.Which is NOT the purpose of the Marine Mammal Program?

A．To detect sea mines and swimmers.

B．To save lives of people.

C．To recover inert torpedoes.

D．To help the U.S. Naval test equipment.

3.What can be inferred according to the text?

A．These trained marine mammals eat pounds of fish a day.

B．The U.S. Navy performed the Marine Mammal Program for about 30 years secretly.

C．These mammals can carry out a task everywhere.

D．A lot of countries will train dolphins and sea lions for anti-terrorism.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Special Skills of Marine Mammals        B．The U.S. Anti-terrorism Program

C．Exceptional Anti-terrorism Member         D．Trained Marine Mammals

 

Answer 1

【答案】

【小题１】B

【小题２】B

【小题３】B

【小题４】C

【解析】

试题分析：可爱乖巧的海豚和海狮充当高效反恐先锋(pioneer)，成为美国反恐大军中的佼佼者。它们不仅可为美国海军减少巨额损失，同时还能帮助救赎生命。

【小题１】通过上下文可知“retrieve”有“get sth back”之意。在第三段“...have recovered millions of dollars of U．S. Naval torpedoes...”中“recover”刚好符合此意。选B。

【小题２】见第二段。“to save lives of people”是执行该计划产生的结果，而非目的。选B。【小题３】由第二段“Since the 1960s, the United States and a handful of other countries have trained dolphins and sea lions”及第四段“The U．S. Navy kept its Marine Mammal Program a secret until the 1990s”可知美国海军秘密进行该计划大约30年。选B。

【小题４】主旨题：从文章的第一二段的内容可知：美国在训练海豚和海狮充当高效反恐先锋。选Ｃ。

考点：考查科普类短文

点评：文章内容有些难度，但题目主要考查了细节题，只要带着题目到文中找到关键的句子，就可以得到答案，同时要注重综合语言能力的运用，结合语境，做出准确的判断。