Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
A remarkable variety of insects live in this planet. More species of insects exist than all other animal species together. Insects have survived on earth for more than 300 million years, and may possess the ability to survive for millions more. Insects can be found almost everywhere -- on the highest mountains and on the bottom of rushing streams, in the cold South Pole and in bubbling hot springs. They dig through the ground, jump and sing in the trees, and run and dance in the air. They come in many different colours and various shapes.
There are many reasons why insects are so successful at surviving. Their amazing ability to adapt permits them to live in extreme ranges of temperatures and environments. The one place where they have not yet been found to any major extent is in the open oceans. Insects can survive on a wide range of natural and artificial foods -- paint, pepper, glue, books, grain, cotton, other insects, plants and animals. Because they are small they can hide in tiny spaces.
Also, insects have an enormous reproductive capacity: An African ant queen can lay as many as 43,000 eggs a day.
Another reason for their success is the strategy of protective colour. An insect may be right before our eyes, but nearly invisible because it is cleverly disguised(伪装) like a green leaf, lump of brown soil, gray lichen(青苔), a seed or some other natural object. Some insects use bright, bold colours to send warning signals that they taste bad, sting or are poison. Others have wing patterns that look like the eyes of a huge predator, bitter-tasting insects; hungry enemies are fooled into avoiding them.
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Since I began introducing animals into my child psychotherapy(心理治疗) practice fifteen years ago, my life as a doctor has been full of wonders. Animals always help me in my work communicating with children in need.
Diane, a dark-haired five-year-old, came to me with a problem. Although she was a chatterbox(话匣子) in the house and with her family, no one had ever heard Diane say a word outside her home environment. Not one word. Diane’s parents tried to work with her to overcome her selective mutism(缄默症). Yet nothing they did seemed to make any impression on her. Diane refused to talk when she was outside her family circle.
Diane’s parents contacted me and I agreed to see her. It was a Friday afternoon. They were seated in the waiting room when my six-year-old dog, Puppy, and I walked out to greet them. Diane sat with her head down, making no move to look up or acknowledge our entrance.
Puppy went straight towards Diane. Because Diane’s head was bowed, Puppy was just three feet from Diane when the girl finally caught sight of her. Startled by the unexpected sight of a large golden dog, the girl’s eyes became huge and then her mouth curved slowly into a smile. Puppy stopped directly in front of Diane and laid her head in the girl’s lap.
I introduced myself and Puppy, but Diane didn’t respond. Instead, she began to silently pet Puppy’s head, running her hands softly over Puppy’s ears and nose. She was still obviously nervous at my office, but she was smiling and seemed to be enjoying her interaction with Puppy. I was speaking quietly with Diane’s parents when an idea hit me.
I spoke Puppy’s name quietly and gave her a hand signal to come toward me and continue back into the inner office. Puppy immediately started walking toward me. As Puppy walked away, I watched Diane’s face fall and her eyes take on a sad and disappointed look. I said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted Puppy to stay with you. All you have to do for her to come back is say, ‘Puppy, come.’”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Diane’s parents stared at me, their expressions skeptical.
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I knew that I had to seize the moment.
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Beaver or Polar Bear?
Beaver or polar bear? This is the question Canadians face as they rethink how they want to present themselves to the rest of the world?
It all started when a Conservative senator, Nicole Eaton, called for the replacement of the beaver as Canada’s official symbol. The beaver has represented the country since 1975. “A country’s symbols can change over time as long as they show the spirit of the people and the nation,” she told Reuters.
The debate that followed “has set fur flying across the country,” according to the BBC.
A stone beaver now sits on top of the entrance to the Canadian Parliament and appears on Canadian coins.
Supporters of the beaver say the animal is modest and hardworking. Glynnis Hood of the University of Alberta told the Canadian daily newspaper the National Post that beavers are like Canadians, representing “tenacity, intelligence and an ability to survive even the harshest climates.”
Others say the beaver played an important part in the history of Canada. In the 18th century, fashionable Europeans wore clothes made of beaver fur. Explorers went into the Canadian wilderness to find the fur. At the same time, they discovered more of their country. One member of Parliament from the province Manitoba told the BBC that removing the beaver would ignore its historical impact.
However, supporters of the polar bear believe it is a strong and powerful creature. It represents courage and pride, they say. Polar bears are at the top of the food chain. Beavers, on the other hand, are vegetarians. What is more, they are beaten by birds of prey like the eagle. And which country uses the eagle as its national symbol? Canada’s powerful neighbour, the USA.
BBC reporter Lorraine Mallinder called this an issue of “What does being Canadian mean?”
“No wonder so many Canadians are turning to the polar bear,” she wrote. “They are fed up with being seen as a weak people nation.”
However, the debate is still under way.
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Hibernation is a time when animals “sleep” through cold weather. With true hibernation, the animal can be moved around or touched without knowing it. Some animals only go into a temporary sleep time and can get up quickly like bears. We are going to use the word “sleep” sometimes, but hibernation is different from regular sleep. With normal sleep, the animal moves a little, has an active brain, and can wake up very quickly while with true hibernation, the animal appears as if dead.
During the fall, hibernating animals eat more food than usual. Their bodies will live off their body fat as they “sleep” through winter. The animal will use up the body fat it stores and not lose any muscle. This causes the animal to come out of hibernation thinner but still as strong as it was in the fall. The animals get their winter nests, and dens ready. Different kinds of animals hibernate in different kinds of safe spots. When they go into hibernation and their bodies slow down, enemies can get them more easily. They try to pick the safest place to spend the winter away from these enemies.
Hibernation is the way that animals adapt to the climate and land around them. Animals must be able to live through extreme cold or die. Animals hibernate-or go into a deep sleep-to escape that cold. They also do this because it is really hard to find food during the winter.
When an animal begins to hibernate, its body temperature drops to a very low degree so that it almost matches the temperature outside. The animal's heartbeat and breathing rate slow down, too. This is when that stored fat that the animal packed on in the fall comes in handy. This stored fat lasts long because their bodies are slowed down so much that they don't need much energy.
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