The German shepherd runs off and noses around in the grass of Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. “OK, Oakley,” the dog’s handler orders, “Find it!”

Oakley sniffs (嗅) until he comes to a bush, then stops, sits, and looks up at his handler. She bends to see what he has found: the waste of an endangered African wild dog. “Good dog!” she praises. The handler pulls a tennis ball from her pocket. Oakley jumps for his reward.

“He doesn’t actually want the waste,” says Aimee Hurt, a founding member of the U.S.-based group Working Dogs for Conservation. Hurt is in Kenya to train both Oakley and his handler. “He finds it so he can play with his ball. We’re the ones who want the waste.”

Detection dogs are sometimes taught to locate actual animals. Black-footed ferrets (雪貂) have been studied with their help. But more often the dogs learn to locate the waste of creatures such as bears, wolves and mountain lions.

What the dogs find provides scientists with data about a species. Scientists can use the DNA collected from animal waste to identify individuals, sex, and population sizes — all without ever seeing the animal itself. “It can take years to gather this kind of information if you have to trap animals,” Hurt explains.

Waste analysis might make a huge difference when wild species are accused of attacking domestic livestock (家畜). Hurt says, “A good detection dog will find the waste so we can see what the animal is actually eating.” This may help reduce problems between people and wildlife.

1. The underlined word “She” in Paragraph 2 refers to  “_____”.

A．the German shepherd

B．an African wild dog

C．Aimee Hurt

D．the handler

2. Oakley is interested in finding the waste because _____.

A．he wants to study endangered animals

B．he can get a tennis ball to play with

C．he wants to eat it

D．he wants to play with it

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Trapping animals is not difficult.

B．People are making efforts to protect the environment.

C．Detection dogs attack domestic livestock frequently.

D．Collecting animal waste is a good way to gather information.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Detection dogs can help scientists study wildlife.

B．Detection dogs can defend wildlife.

C．Detection dogs can help the police catch the criminals.

D．Detection dogs can help local people defend domestic livestock.

 

I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard（果园）,looking up at the branches above me. It is one of the last days of summer. Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler. Some kinds of apples are already ripe（成熟的）. Others will be ready to pick soon. I think of my grandmother’s apple pie(苹果馅饼), and how I used to make it with her. She died last year, before the apple harvest, and I have not had her pie since. I really miss her. I hear bees busily humming about, visiting the late summer flowers. The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.

The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes. Above me, big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the wind. School starts in another week, and time seems to have slowed down.

“Sophie!” calls my grandfather. “Is that you?” I stand up, take his hand, and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard. We talk about apples, and bees, and Grandma. He tells me that he misses her too.

He puts his rough, brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close. “You know, Sophie,” he says, “ I spent the morning in the attic（阁楼）, and you’ll never guess what I found. It’s the recipe（烹饪法）for Grandma’s apple pie. I used to help her make it sometimes. I can’t do it all alone, but you used to help her too. Maybe between the two of us, we can work it out. Want to try?”

“ But it won’t be the same without Grandma,” I tell him.

“ That’s true,” he says, “ but nothing is the same without Grandma. Still, I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie. What do you say?” I nod yes, and we walk towards home… towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen, making Grandma’s famous apple pie.

1. We learn from the passage that Sophie       .

A．likes to watch clouds in the attic	B．comes to the orchard after school
C．enjoys Grandma’s apple pie very much	D．picks many apples in the orchard

2.Both Sophie and her grandfather used to        .

A．help Grandma make apple pies	B．spend summer afternoons in the orchard
C．enjoy fresh fruit in the farmhouse kitchen	D．walk alone among the apple trees

3.The underlined part in the last paragraph shows          .

A．how much Sophie’s grandmother loved Sophie

B．how much Sophie’s grandfather likes apple pies

C．how much Sophie loves her grandfather’s orchard

D．how much Sophie’s grandfather misses Grandma

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?.

A．My grandfather’s orchard	B．My grandmother’s apple pie
C．A morning in the attic	D．The last days of summer

 

Speech—the act of uttering sounds to convey meaning—is a kind of human action. Like any other

constantly repeated action, speaking has to be learned, but once it is learned, it becomes a generally

unconscious and apparently automatic process.

   As far as we can determine, human beings do not need to be forced to speak; most babies seem to possess a

sort of instinctive drive to produce speech like noises. How to speak and what to say are another matter

altogetner. There actions are learned from the particular society into which the baby is born; so that, like all

conduct that is learned from a society—from the people around us—speech is a patterned activity.

   The meandering(漫目无地的)babble(咿呀学语)and chatter of a young child are eventually channeled by

imitation into a few orderly grooves that represent the pattern accepted as meaningful by the people around

him. Similarly, a child’s indiscriminate(不加分辨的)practice of putting things into his mouth becomes limited to putting food into his mouth in a certain way.

   The sounds that a child can make are more varied and numerous than the sounds that any particular language uses. However, a child born into a society with a pattem of language is encouraged to make a small selection of sounds and to make these few sounds over and over until it is natural for him to make these

sounds and not others.

1.For an adult, the process of speaking usually involves         .

   A. conscious selection of sounds     B. imitation of those around him

   C. a drive to make noises           D. unconscious actions

2.The selection says that most babies have an instinctive drive to        .

   A. express ideas in words          B. make speech like noise

   C. convey meaning               D. imitate sounds around them

3.Conduct that is learned from a society may be called      .

   A. instinctive drive  B. selection    C. automatic activity      D. patterned activity

4.The sounds that a child is able to make are        .

   A. not as varied as those used in language    B. more varied and numerous than those in any language

   C. far fewer than those needed to form a language   D. completely different from the sounds of language

5.We may say that a child has learned to speak if he       .

   A. makes varied sounds                 B. carefully considers each sound he makes

   C. makes only certain sounds naturally     D. imitates people around him

 

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack(裂缝) in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

This went on daily. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. Of course, the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

         “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise to you.”

         “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

         “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back. And you do no get full value for your efforts” the pot explained.

         The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

         As they went up the hill, the cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it a little.

The bearer said, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” That is because I have known about you, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walked back from the stream, you have watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

1.Why did the cracked pot feel ashamed?

         A．Because it didn’t hold water.

         B．Because the water bearer didn’t like it.

         C．It couldn’t water the flowers well.

         D．Because it could only accomplish half of its load.

2.How would the cracked pot feel at the end of the story?

         A．Delighted with itself.          B．Disappointed with itself.

         C．Prouder than the other pot.      D．Still ashamed of itself.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

         A．There were flowers on both sides of the path.

         B．The cracked pot was more useful than the perfect one.

         C．We sometimes don’t have to mind too much the way we are.

         D．The water bearer preferred the perfect pot to the cracked one.

 

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange or red? If you do, you must be an optimist (乐观者), a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grays (灰色) and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined (意志坚定的). You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists (心理学家) tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference (爱好), and the effect (影响) that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don't choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

　　 A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful (开心的) and more comfortable (舒服的) than a dark green one, and a red dress rings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing (压抑). Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.

　　 Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose a piece of handkerchief.

1.According to this passage, _________.

　 A. one can choose his color preference　　

　 B. one is born with his color preference

　 C. one's color preference is changeable

　 D. one has to choose his favorite color as soon as he can see clearly

2.We would pay attention to colors because _______.

　 A. colors do have effect on our moods(情绪)

　 B. colors may have effect on our work and study

　 C. light and bright colors make people happy

　 D. you can know your friends better by the colors they like or dislike

3. The main idea of this passage is ________.

　 A. one's color preference shows one's character

　 B. you can brighten your life with wonderful colors

　 C. psychologists have been studying the meaning of color preference

　 D. one's color preference has something to do with his character and colors have effects on human beings

4. "I am feeling black" means ______.

　 A. I am feeling well 　　　　        B. I am very happy 　　

   C. I am excited 　　                 D. I am depressed