A snake is a strange animal． It walks on its ribs and it smells with its tongue． Since its teeth are sharp like needles and not good for chewing, it swallows its food whole．

　　The snake's jaws can stretch a great deal． Its body, too, can stretch to several times its normal size． So even a small snake can easily swallow a mouse whole, and a snake just an inch across can gulp down a young bird three inches across． Such a large meal might last the snake for months． In fact, some snakes have been known to go without eating for as long as two years．

1．The writer thinks snakes have a strange way of_______．

A． smelling　　B． sleeping C． chewing D． Both A and B

2．A snake's teeth are like________．

A． grinders B． ribs C． needles D． knives

3．The second paragraph tells why a snake_________．

A．uses its tongue for smelling B． has to chew its food well

C．has a low temperature　　 D． can swallow its food whole

4．Compared with its meal, the snake is often much________．

A． shorter B．thinner C．bonier D．slower

5．The story says that a snake's food may include whole________．

A． animals B． birds C． plants　　 D． Both A and B

6． As a result of its eating habits, the snake_________．

A．walks on its ribs　　 B．can go for months without food

C．needs a lot of water D．eats only once a year

_____ the big snake, the little girl stood under the tree _____ to death.

　　A. Seeing; frightened    B. Seeing; frightening

　　C. Seen; frighten        D. To see; frightening

May: Happenings from the past

May 5, 1884

Isaac Murphy, son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history, rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby. He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times.

May 9, 1754

Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon(漫画), showing a snake cut in pieces, with the words “ Join or Die" printed under the picture.

May 11, 1934

The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, the result of years of drought(干旱)，blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington, D.C.

May 19,1994

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s, died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64.

May 24,1844

Samuel F. B. Morse taps out the first message, “What hath God wrought, "over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D.C. , to Baltimore, Md.

1. We know from the text that Buchanan is ______

A. Isaac's father　　　　　　　　　B. a winning horse

C. a slave taking care of horses　　　D. the first racing horse in Kentucky

2. What is the title of the first American political cartoon? 

A. Join or Die　　　                B. Pennsylvania Gazette

C. What Hath God Wrought            D. Kentucky Derby　　　       

3. In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die? 

 A.1934.　　　　B.1960.　　　　C.1964. 　　　D.1994.

4. Which of the following places has to do with the first telegram in history?

A. Washington, D. C.　　　　         B. New York City.　　　　　　　　

C. Kentucky                          D. Pennsylvania

The blind man _____ the elephant’s trunk. It ______ like a snake.

　 A. felt ; was feeling 　 B. felt ; felt

　 C. was feeling; felt 　 D. was feeling; was feeling

Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Indian’s snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers， who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes， used to be a traditional feature of Indian life， performing in towns and villages， until they were banned in 1972 to control the trade in snake skins.

The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas， as they are known， to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a “dial a snake charmer” service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.

“For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can’t earn a living for fear of arrest，” said Behar Dutt， a conservationist behind the plans， “if a policeman doesn’t catch them， animal rights activists report them.”

Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban， despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark cloth-covered baskets， hung from a bamboo pole carried across their shoulders， make them an easy target for police.

The fate of Shisha Nath， 56， from Badarpur， a village just outside of New Delhi， is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. “I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school，” he said. “Now it’s hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It’s our identity. We love the work. But it’s become impossible.”

Next month Dutt’s project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune， western India， where experts will enrich their home-grown skills with some formal knowledge.

More than the law， though， it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers.

“We’re disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house， they rush to us，” said Prakash Nath， who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi， the Congress party leader.

What do snake charmers usually do in India？ (no more than 8 words) (2 marks)

How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban？ (no more than 3 words) (2 marks)

For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers？(no more than 10 words) (3 marks)

According to the passage， what will make snake charmers angry？ (no more than 11 words) (3 marks)