1 . You may think that only children go to school but there are special schools for guide dogs! At school, of course, guide dogs do not learn mathematics and science like you. They learn how to help blind people. The dogs live at the school for six months and they learn about twenty words- words like “sit” and “no”. These dogs wear a special coat with a big handle on it for the blind person to hold.
Dogs can also go to school to learn how to help people who cannot hear. If a person cannot hear, we say he or she is deaf.
Dogs who help deaf people must learn many different sounds. Then they must be able to show the deaf person what is making the sound. When they hear a visitor at the door, the dog learns to walk to the deaf person and then walk to the door. And if a telephone rings, they walk to the deaf man or woman and then walk to the telephone.
These dogs can also help deaf mothers. If a baby is crying in another room, the dog walks to the mother and then to the baby. These dogs wear a yellow coat to show that they are special dogs that are helping a deaf person.
There have been many times when these dogs have saved a life. You may see in a newspaper that a dog heard a fire alarm and lay down near the deaf person’s feet. That is the sign for danger. The person knows that something is wrong and can go away from the fire.
Special dogs can also help people who are disabled in various ways. For example, dogs can pull off their gloves or socks! Think how difficult your life would be if you were blind, deaf or disabled! But if you had a special dog like this to help you, your life would be much easier.
1. Can dogs learn science in special schools?2. What do guide dogs wear when they help the blind, a special coat or special shoes?
3. What should dogs learn if we want them to help the deaf?
4. How do dogs help a deaf man if there is a fire?
5. What is the passage mainly about ?
2 . IT IS BROKEN AGAIN
Cathy and her parents live in the countryside in the north(北方) of Canada. They have a big house with a big garden. Their house is near a beautiful lake. There are many green trees and nice flowers near their house. Cathy likes to live there and she enjoys the fresh air and the beautiful nature(自然).
But there is one problem. Near Cathy’s window stands a big tree. In the tree there are many big birds. Cathy enjoys watching these birds singing and flying around. But every week one of the birds flies into(飞进)the window and breaks it. Cathy has no idea what to do with this problem. “My window is broken again,” Cathy says to her father one day. Her father comes to her bedroom and puts a piece of new glass in the window.
Cathy says to herself, “What can I do to stop the birds from breaking my window? ” Then she has an idea. “The birds like to fly into my window because they can’t see it.” Then she draws some cartoon pictures and puts them on her window. The birds can see the window now. They don’t break her window from then on! Cathy’s parents feel proud of their clever daughter. From this experience, Cathy learns to solve(解决)problems by using her own brain.
1. Do Cathy and her parents live in the countryside in the north of Canada?2. Why does Cathy like to live in the countryside?
3. What is the problem Cathy has?
4. Who puts a piece of new glass in the window?
5. How does Cathy solve the problem?
6. What can you learn from the story?
3 . There are a lot of plants in the world. Plants are very important. This is because plants can make food for us from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals can get their food by eating plants and other animals. Man gets his food by eating plants and animals, too. So animals and man need plants in order to ( 为了) live. This is why there are so many plants around us.
There are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Almost all the trees around us are flowering plants. You can know some trees from their flowers and fruit. Non-flowering plants do not grow flowers. You cannot see many non-flowering plants around you.
Look carefully at the plants around you, and you can find there are many kinds of plants. Some plants are large and some are small. Most of them are green. Thanks to the plants around us, we can live on earth.
1. Why are plants very important?2. Can we make food from air, water and sunlight?
3. How many kinds of plants are there according to the passage?
4. What color are most of the plants?
5. What does the passage mainly talk about?
4 . I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboreturn in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick animals can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.
I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown because the woman had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2-to-3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.
I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could find the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to build a nest and fix it in a tree.
The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.
Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I told the owner what she should do and headed home to see what news the night might bring.
A nervous night to be sure, but sometime the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all－LUNCH! The owl parents gave the owl chick lunch and would probably continue to do so.
1. Why did the writer get a recue call from a woman in Muttontown?2. Where did the writer put some pine branches?
3. What did the writer give the homeowner?
4. Who gave lunch to the owl chick?
5. What is the passage mainly about?
5 . Australian Green Tree Frog
The Australian green tree frog is a large species of frog. It measures up to 10 centimeters in length. Females are generally larger than males. These frogs are usually green or brown with white underparts. They have small discs on their toes, which allow them to climb steep and slippery objects. Their lifespan is around 16 years, and they are often kept as pets. They are nocturnal (夜行的), and sleep in dark, damp places during the day.
The Australian green tree frog prefers wet, tropical environments and are often found high in the trees.
These fogs are native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
A lot of insects are eaten by the Australian green tree frog. It catches them with its long, sticky tongue. Females lay between 1000 and 3000 eggs in a jelly-like mass that floats on top of shallow water. These eggs eventually sink to the bottom, where they attach to vegetation.
The Australian green tree frog is declining( 下降) in numbers, mainly because of habitat destruction and a fungus(真菌) that attacks their skin.
1. Are female Australian green tree frogs generally larger than the males?____________________________________________________________________________
2. How long can Australian green tree frogs live?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Where can Australian green tree frogs be found?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. What do Australian green tree frogs eat?
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Why is the number of Australian green tree frogs declining?
____________________________________________________________________________
6 . Hope for Tigers
In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) brought bad news that the world tiger population had hit an all-time low. There were just 3,200 tigers left in the wild, about half as many as there had been ten years before.
Now there’s good news: Tigers could be making a comeback. There were about 4,000 tigers in the world in 2019. In July, India, which has 70% of the world’s tiger, announced(宣布) that its tiger population had reached nearly 3,000. That’s a 30% rise in just four years.
India’s success was years in the making. In 2006, habitat(栖息地) loss made the number of India’s tigers reduce to only 1,411. So the Indian government decided to take a stronger plan of protection. Since its Wildlife Protection Act became law, India has given tigers a high level of protection.
Also, India’s latest tiger amount was the work of thousands of scientists. They covered 150,000 square miles of tiger habitat, using thousands of cameras to record the animal’s movements. With the help of their research, India created 50 reserves(保护区), where tigers can spread out and hunt(捕猎).
It’s when the big cats move away from the reserves that trouble starts. “When tigers leave protected reserves, they often run into local people. We cannot save wildlife without the cooperation of the people.” says wildlife expert Shari Rodriguez. Therefore, India’s government has been moving villages away from reserves. “In India, there is a lot of national pride in tigers. They are India’s biggest attraction. Villagers benefit from jobs in the national parks or from selling art works to tourists.”
But challenges remain for tigers all over Asia. They are hunted for their skin, and their teeth are sold as medicine. “They’re still in danger,” Rodriguez says. She draws hope from India’s success, “This is a small, small victory in a long war against dying out.”
1. How many tigers were there in the world in 2019?2. Why did Indian government take a stronger plan of protection in 2006?
3. What happened to India with the help of scientists’ research?
4. What are the challenges for tigers all over Asia?
5. What are Paragraph 3 to Paragraph 5 mainly about?
7 . The Fairy Penguin
Webbed feet
Fairy penguins are the smallest of all the penguins in the world. They live in the south of Australia and in New Zealand.
Fairy penguins weigh (重) about one kilogram. They stand thirty centimeters (厘米) tall. Their back feather (羽毛) are dark blue and their front feathers are white. They have a beak and webbed feet.
Fairy penguins live on the land and in the sea. They are very good swimmers but they cannot fly. They eat small fish.
Fairy penguins breed (繁殖) on land. The mother penguins lay two white eggs in a hole. The mother and father penguins share the job of sitting on the eggs.
When the baby penguins come out, the mother and father penguins bring food from the sea. In eight weeks the baby penguins can have grown feathers. They are soon ready to look for their own food. Fairy penguins are often in danger. Wild animals eat them; people catch them; they have no place to live in. If their numbers become too small, these little penguins might leave our world forever.
1. Are fairy penguins the smallest of all the penguins in the world?2. What color are fairy penguins’ feathers?
3. What do fairy penguins eat?
4. Who shares the job of sitting on the mother penguin’s eggs?
5. Why are fairy penguins often in danger?
8 . My Pet Dog
My name is David and this is my pet dog! I love it. His name is Jack.
Jack is a brown dog. I take care of ( 照 顾 ) him. Every morning, I make breakfast for him. He always eats dog food.
Then I have my breakfast and go to school. Jack stays (待在) at home. I come back home at five thirty. Jack jumps happily when he sees me. Then Jack and I go for a walk (散步) in the park near our home. I throw (扔) a stick (根子) and he runs to get it. It is a great time for us.
In the evening, Jack watches TV with us. He likes sitting in front of the TV and sometimes we can’t see it. At night, Jack sleeps in my bedroom. That is really nice.
1. What color is Jack?2. When does David come back home?
3. What do David and Jack do in the park?
4. Where does Jack sleep at night?
9 . Butterflies at Risk
What's causing problems for these beautiful insects?
Something is harming the monarchs. One of the largest butterflies in North America, monarchs are famous for their long migrations（迁徙）covering thousands of miles. Yet the number of monarchs is dropping. Bad weather conditions, putting the butterfly population in danger. Some butterfly experts say that the number of monarch butterflies has been cut by 25 percent. In recent years, unusually cold temperatures and rain have caused monarchs to die in large numbers. These conditions have also caused new butterflies not to hatch（孵化）.
Will they return?
Monarchs are very sensitive（敏感的）to change because of the long distances they travel. They cover thousands of miles each year, flying between their winter homes in Mexico or Southern California and their summer homes in the Midwest. Other animals also migrate. And many travel much farther. A bird called the Arctic tern goes round trip between the Arctic and the Antarctic every year. Like the Arctic tern, a type of gray whale has a long migration. It travels 12,400 miles from Baia California in Mexico to waters off Alaska and back. The longest migration ever recorded is by the sooty shearwater. Every year this bird flies 40, 000 miles from New Zealand to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean to find food.
The monarchs don't travel as far as animals like the Arctic tern and the sooty shearwater, but their journey isn't safe. Every year as many as 100 million monarch butterflies leave Mexico for the first leg of the migration. It's hard to imagine that such a large number might be in danger. Yet many scientists tell us that the danger is very real.
In Mexico people are destroying the natural environment. They cut down the trees where millions of monarchs. spend the winter and use chemicals to kill the milkweed, the monarch's favourite food. Monarchs spend the winter in Mexico and California. In both places, development is destroying these winter homes. Unless steps are taken to protect their habitats, the monarchs' migration could become a thing of the past.
"If we lose the whole migration, we lose one of the nation's most magnificent phenomena, " said Chip Taylor, a professor at the University of Kansas. These butterflies are the symbol of richness of biological diversity（生物多样性）.
1. Are monarch butterflies famous for their long migrations?__________________________________________________________________
2. What are putting the butterfly population in danger?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Where are monarchs' winter homes?
__________________________________________________________________
4. In Paragraph 2, what animal has the longest migration?
__________________________________________________________________
5. What can people do to protect monarch butterflies?
__________________________________________________________________
When an animal helps another animal, it usually gets something valuable (有价值的) in return. For a long time, many scientists thought that only people could act generously (慷慨地) just because it feels good.
However, a new study in Germany suggests that chimpanzees (an animal like a large monkey without a tail) also do good things for no real reason. And so do children who are as young as 18 months of age. Maybe it is because humans and chimpanzees share an ancestor about 6 million years ago.
People and chimpanzees appear to develop such features without any other training, says Warneken, a scientist in Germany.
Warneken and his partners worked on adult chimpanzees that live on an island in the African country of Uganda. They also worked with 18-month-old children in Germany. The researchers performed three experiments on the adult chimpanzees and two experiments on the kids. In the first animal experiment, a person tried to reach his arm into a cage to get a stick, but he couldn't reach it. A chimpanzee was in the cage, and it could reach the stick if it wanted to.
Thirty-six chimpanzees took part in this experiment one by one, and no chimpanzee saw what the other chimpanzees had done. Even though the animals hadn't met the person before, they usually took the stick and gave it to the person. What's more, they did this whether or not the person gave them bananas as a reward (奖励).
In a similar experiment, 36 children acted in a similar way. They helped the person reach the stick, whether or not they were given toys for their help.
Researchers did other experiments on chimpanzees and babies. No rewards were given in either experiment. And still, both the chimpanzees and children went out of their way to help.
1. What did many scientists think for a long time?2. Where did they do the experiments?
3. How many chimpanzees took part in this experiment?
4. Did children act in a similar way as chimpanzees in the experiment?
