The manatee（海牛）is a large marine mammal（海洋哺乳动物）. Manatees are also known as sea cows because of their slow, lazy nature and their grassy meals. Although they have such a name, they are more closely related to elephants. Manatees and elephants evolved from the same ancestor（祖先）over 50 million years ago.
There are three kinds of manatees. The West Indian manatee lives along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. The Amazonian manatee inhabits（栖居在）the Amazon River and the African Manatee swims along the west coast and rivers of Africa. Manatees differ in size from 2.4 to 4 metres and can weigh 200 and 590 kilograms. Though they may seem cumbersome, manatees can swim quickly and beautifully. Manatees usually swim about 8 km/h, but they can swim up to 24 km/h when they feel a need for speed.
Like whales and dolphins, manatees breathe air. They go to the surface for air every three to five minutes. However, they can hold their breath underwater for up to 20 minutes. This may have to do with the size of their lungs, as they are a large part of the manatee’s body.
Manatees have been under attack by humans for a long time, threatened by fishing nets and coastal development. The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species lists all manatees as vulnerable（脆弱的）or endangered and facing a high risk of dying out.
1. Why are manatees also known as see cows?| A．Both manatees and cows are mammals. |
| B．Manatees and cows have similar natures. |
| C．Manatees and cows have the same ancestor. |
| D．Manatees and cows appeared at the same time. |
| A．Manatees are sorted by where they live. |
| B．Manatees are too heavy to swim very fast. |
| C．Manatees’ swimming speed is over 24 km/h. |
| D．Manatees weigh differently in different places. |
| A．Large and lazy. | B．Large and strong. |
| C．Heavy but quick. | D．Ugly but strong. |
| A．Why manatees have been under attack by humans. |
| B．The introduction of other kinds of marine mammal. |
| C．How to protect manatees from dangers or extinction. |
| D．Some further information about the nature of manatees. |
| A．Elephants in the Sea | B．Three Kinds of Manatees |
| C．Protecting Sea Cows | D．Manatee, an Endangered Animal |
相似题推荐
Young people in Britain eat more snacks than people of the same age in other European countries. A recent research has showed that 64% of under 20-year-old eat snacks between meals. How does this compare with other countries? 58.7% of young people eat snacks in Germany. 53% in France and only 40.7% in Spain. What are these young British people eating? Savoury snacks, especially crisps, are the favourite snack in the UK.
What are crisps? They are very thin slices of potatoes cooked in oil then covered in salt. British people are mad for crisps and they like them in many different flavours. Some of the most popular flavours include cheese and onion, salt and vinegar, steak and onion, roast chicken, tomato ketchup, and cheese and bacon. A crisp-making company held a match recently to find new exciting flavours for their crisps. The match was called “Do us a flavour” and the company received more than a million suggestions for new flavours.
The British love chocolate. In fact, they spend more on chocolate than any other European country! If you go to any shop in the UK, you’ll see a huge selection of chocolate bars on sale. There is milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate. There are small bars of chocolate, medium-sized bars and large bars of chocolate. You can buy mint-flavoured chocolate, chocolate-covered peanuts or raisins, chocolate with nuts, chocolate with toffee. The list is endless.
1. What can we learn from the recent research in paragraph 1?| A．Chocolate is the favourite snack in the UK. | B．More than half of young people eat snacks in Spain. |
| C．Snacks are the most popular among the British in Europe. | D．French teenagers like snacks a lot better than German ones. |
| A．着迷的 | B．挑剔的 | C．擅长的 | D．随意的 |
| A．To make their crisps sell well. | B．To make their crisps more famous. |
| C．To make their crisps more delicious. | D．To make their crisps with more flavours. |
| A．Chocolate is very popular in the UK. | B．The British spend a lot on chocolate. |
| C．Chocolate is popular in European countries. | D．There are many different kinds of chocolate. |
Shyness means feeling nervous or afraid when you’re around other people. Experts have found that more than 80% of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences(经历).
It’s OK if it takes you a while
Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won’t go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.
If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.
You see, being shy isn’t all bad. But remember not to let good opportunities(机会) pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of.
1. The underlined phrase “to feel yourself again” in the third paragraph means “________”.
| A．感受生活 | B．恢复过来 | C．玩得开心 | D．寻求帮助 |
| A．You find it hard to enjoy yourself at a party. |
| B．You feel a little nervous when you go to a new place. |
| C．You seldom go outside, afraid of meeting new people. |
| D．You have a red face when you’re asked to answer a question in class. |
| A．just do it |
| B．just refuse to do it |
| C．you’d better ask someone to help you |
| D．tell your teacher you’re too shy to do that |
| A．kids are all born shy |
| B．you can’t change yourself |
| C．shy people can also be successful |
| D．shy people are not good at working others |
| A．Are you too busy? | B．Think more for others! |
| C．Are you shy or not? | D．Once he was shy just like you! |
【推荐3】Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked !” When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the wasps (蜜蜂)! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.
More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Com and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”. The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi (霉菌). It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals. to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a “firewall” to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to “talk” with them ourselves.
1. What will plants do when they are attacked by insects?| A．They will kill the insects by themselves. |
| B．They will send out signals to ask for help. |
| C．They will control the wasps to kill the insects. |
| D．They will produce chemicals as a warning or a call for help. |
| A．By making noises with their roots. |
| B．By spreading chemicals to each other. |
| C．By sharing food and information with each other. |
| D．By connecting the roots of different plants to each other. |
| A．encourage people to make further study. |
| B．inspire people to communicate with plants |
| C．call on people to protect the plants on Earth |
| D．praise scientists for their great achievements |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．The secret language of plants. | B．The living conditions of plants. |
| C．The functions of plant warning system. | D．The importance of the plant warning system. |
【推荐1】You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners (空调). But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only help for people to drive the heat away.
Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes, such as round and square. They were also made from all kinds of materials (材料). Palm leaf (棕榈叶) fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans showed the owner’s high status (地位). Sandalwood (檀香) fans could send out a sweet smell.
Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into artworks, in which tuanshan and zheshan were the most common.
In the shape of a full moon, tuanshan was usually made of silk. They had beautiful embroidery (刺绣) of birds and flowers on them. Women liked to use them very much. Poets in ancient China often compared a woman’s life to tuanshan, Nalan Xingde wrote during the Qing Dynasty, “If only life were as beautiful as when we first met, why should the autumn wind bother to pity deserted painted fans?”
However, men, especially the literati (文人), used zheshan. The literati liked them because zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write something on them. It was a way for them to show off their talents in literature (文学), painting and calligraphy (书法). In fact, almost anything can be painted on zheshan.
Today, Chinese people still use these fans. So, the next time you use a fan, you may think of the stories behind it.
1. According to this passage, which of the following may be Wang Xizhi’s favorite hand fan?A． | B． | C． |
| A．纨扇动微凉，轻绡薄如纸。 |
| B．人生若只如初见，何事秋风悲画扇。 |
| C．银烛秋光冷画屏，轻罗小扇扑流萤。 |
| A．They can be made from different materials. |
| B．There were only 2 shapes of hand fans in ancient China. |
| C．They become less popular in recent years. |
| A．Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. |
| B．In ancient China, hand fans were only showed the owner’s high status. |
| C．Today Chinese people use air conditioners instead of hand fans. |
【推荐2】
Chess for Children
When we think of chess, we think of two adults sitting opposite each other. Many people feel it is a very difficult game. But do you know that most chess players and champions start very young?
It is true that not everyone who plays the sport becomes a champion. Yet, it is a fact that the world has become chess crazy, especially children.
In India, the southern city of Chennai was for long called the chess capital of India. After all it produced champions like Viswanathan Anand, Manuel Aaron and V. Ravi Kumar.
Today the craze has spread across the country. The number of chess clubs has increased, as well as the number of tournaments(锦标赛) played through the year.
In Russia and several other European countries, as well as in Canada, chess is part of the school curriculum(课程).
In fact this is one game that helps the player in many, many ways. To play better, it becomes necessary to read chess books. You have to be able to keep scores, so your math gets better.
More importantly, you are the leader of your army on the board and have to think carefully before making any move. You have to be able to think of different moves and the best possible move. Then, your thinking becomes faster and you learn to decide faster.
Lastly, you have to try your hardest to win, but that does not mean you hate your opponent(对手). Remember, you have to shake hands with the other contestant(竞争者) before and after a game.
1. Most chess players and champions start very young.2. Chennai is a city in the north of India.
3. Chess is part of the school curriculum in Russia.
4. Playing chess can help you in many ways.
5. If you fail in a chess competition, you have every reason to hate your opponent.
【推荐3】Luca Gramberini has been scuba diving (戴水肺潜水) since he was a kid. His family owns a scuba company. For the past three summers. Luca has added gardening to his underwater activities. He helps run Nemo's Garden, a project to grow plants in the sea.
From May through September, Luca and other divers are working on Nemo's Garden in the Mediterranean Sea, 150 feet from the coast of Noli, Italy. Five large balloon-like objects, called biospheres (生物圈), hold plants such as beans and strawberries. The biospheres are filled with air and plated 20 feet below the surface. "My father came up with the idea because he loves gardening very much," Luca said.
According to Luca, the sea is a good place to grow plants because underwater temperatures remain stable, changing little from day to night. The biospheres act like greenhouses. Inside the air-filled biospheres, fresh water keeps evaporating (蒸发), providing the plants with a good environment to grow in. "We have already seen the plants, grow faster and better," Luca says. "And there are fewer storms that can knock down the biospheres during the summer."
Luca hopes Nemo's Garden will provide a new way of growing crops. "There is not enough land on the Earth," he says. "And in many developing countries, bad conditions make it difficult for crops to grow."
Though the project has just started, Nemo's Garden has achieved success and is moving to different areas. "We're going to try growing other plants." Luca says. "We hope to set up biospheres in other countries. There are many possibilities."
1. The underlined word "stable" in Paragraph 3 means in Chinese.| A．平衡的 | B．正常的 | C．稳定的 | D．合适的 |
| A．travel | B．science | C．health | D．sports |
| A．Gardens in the Sea | B．Projects for Summer Activities |
| C．Plants in Greenhouses | D．Conditions for Crop Growing |
【推荐1】Soccer fans can not only enjoy the World Cup games in Doha (多哈), the capital of Qatar (卡塔尔), but also say hello to giant pandas from China.
On November 17th, Doha’s first-ever panda house opened to the public, CGTN reported. It is the new home of two Chinese giant pandas—the 3-year-old female (雌性的) Si Hai and the 4-year-old male Jing Jing. They also have Arab names – Suhail (苏海尔) for Jing Jing and Soraya (索拉雅) for Si Hai. The two Arab names mean stars in the sky.
The pandas arrived in Doha on October 19th. It was the first time that pandas had been to the Middle East. According to the agreement between China and Qatar, they will stay in Qatar for 15 years.
The pandas enjoy their life in Doha. Their house was built with air-conditioning (空调). They have bamboo from China and can also eat carrots, apples and traditional Chinese pancakes.
根据短文内容，判断下列各句正（T）、误（F）。1. Soccer fans can say hello to giant pandas from China in Doha.
2. Doha’s first-ever panda house opened to the public on October 19th.
3. The Arab names of two Chinese giant pandas mean stars in the sky.
4. Two Chinese giant pandas will stay in Qatar for 10 years.
5. The pandas in Qatar can’t have their favorite food from China.
Oil spills (泄漏) are harmful to ocean life. Lately, after an oil spill in the Australian waters, scientists said that the oil was making the life of the little blue penguins in the south of Australia.
A penguin has shiny feathers (羽毛) that are covered in natural oils. The feathers help them keep out water and keep them warm in the icy waters. Oil from a spill destroys these natural oils and the penguin can’t protect itself from the cold. And, as it cleans its feathers using its beak (喙), it is possible to take in the harmful oil and die.
After an oil spill, people have to pull out the penguins from the oil and clean them. Then, one of the most important jobs is to make them healthy and strong again before letting them go back into the wild. But the workers at the Phillip Island National Park found another way.
The workers actually dressed up the penguins in tiny sweaters. These sweaters are very helpful in keeping the penguins warm and preventing them from taking in the harmful oil. Because they can’t get enough suitable sweaters, the designs of these special penguin sweaters were put on the Internet. Lots of people from different parts of the world sent sweaters which were made by themselves for these tiny birds.
Of course, if you visit Phillip Island, you are not going to see penguins walking around in sweaters. This clothing is used only when a penguin has just been saved from an oil spill. Once the penguins are cleaned and dressed in the sweaters, they are put in salt-water pools to help them become healthy. As they swim around and become stronger, the salt water gradually takes down the sweaters. By the time, the penguins are ready to return to the ocean, their natural oils are back and they go home dressed only in their feathers.
1. What does the underlined word “destroys” in paragraph two probably mean?| A．cools | B．pollutes | C．produces | D．cuts |
| A．They stop the penguins from taking in the harmful oil. |
| B．All penguins are dressed in them at the Phillip Island. |
| C．They are made by the workers in the national park. |
| D．The penguins will go back to the ocean in them. |
①Send them back until they’re strong enough.
②Dress them in the sweaters.
③Clean them.
④Pull them out from the oil.
⑤Put them in salt-water pools.
| A．④③②⑤① | B．④②⑤③① | C．③②⑤④① | D．③⑤④②① |
| A．Sports. | B．Health. | C．Culture. | D．Environment. |
【推荐3】When someone speaks of extinct （灭绝的） animals, you may think of dinosaurs （恐龙）. But now many other animals are becoming fewer and fewer in number. These animals might disappear （消失） from the earth very soon. Take a look at the following animals. They’re all in danger of extinction.
The African Elephant
The African elephant is a clever animal. It has a good memory （记忆力）. But people kill it for its tusks （长牙）. Half of the African elephants have disappeared.
The African Lion
The African lion has nowhere to live because of wars （战争） in southern Africa. Besides, hunters and farmers often kill them.
The Tortoise
George is a tortoise. It is the last Pinta lsland （平塔岛） giant tortoise. It was found in 1971. Now it lives at a research station. It can still live for another 200 years. But it is the last one of this species （物种） of tortoise.
The Tadpole Shrimp （蝌蚪虾）
Maybe you’ve never seen a tadpole shrimp. This is one of the oldest species on the earth. People have found them in freshwater pools on four continents（洲）. A tadpole shrimp can only live for two months or less.
1. People kill African elephants for their ___________.| A．meat | B．tusks | C．skin | D．living places |
| A．People often kill them. | B．They have nothing to eat. |
| C．They are eaten by larger animals. | D．They can only live for two months or less. |
| A．is 200 years old | B．was born in 1971 |
| C．is the name of a scientist | D．is the last tortoise of its species |
| A．was founded on four continents | B．lives at a research station now |
| C．is the oldest species on the earth | D．is in danger because of a special illness |
| A．The number of some animals is becoming smaller and smaller. |
| B．All the animals in the world are in danger of extinction. |
| C．A tadpole shrimp can live for 200 years. |
| D．African elephants have nowhere to live. |
