Dogs are very popular pets in the United States. Most dogs just live with their families, but some dogs have very special jobs to do. Some dogs help the police to find criminals (罪犯). Some dogs help people who can’t see or hear. Dogs that help their owners (主人) are “Assistance Dogs”.
A very special group of dogs are known as “Therapy Dogs”. These dogs are family pets with special training (训练). So they can go into public (公共) places and help people in need (需要). A dog needs about three months’ training to be a therapy dog. They like being with people and making people happy. Some therapy dogs go into places such as hospitals and nursing homes. When patients (病人) see the dogs, they are very happy. They like playing with the dogs and like seeing the dogs have fun. The dogs help to brighten their day.
1. What do some dogs help the police to do?2. What are “Therapy Dogs”?
3. Can a therapy dog go to a hospital to help patients?
4. How many months of training does a dog need to be a therapy dog?
5. How do patients feel when they see the therapy dogs?
Eighteen pandas will have a birthday party on December 18th. All of the pandas are one year old. Most of them were born in (出生于) China Conservation and Research Center for Panda (大熊猫保护与研究中心).
The workers in the research center make a delicious fruit cake. They also ask many fans of the pandas to the party.
Those pandas are very lovely and clever. They usually play together, fight with each other for food, climb up trees, sleep in trees or play with toys. And now they can have some milk.
In fact, 31 pandas were born in China Conservation and Research Center for Panda in 2019. And there are 7 twins among them.
Now there are about 285 pandas in the center, 2000 pandas in the wild (野外). Most of them are in Sichuan and Shanxi. The panda is one of the world's most endangered (濒危的) animals.
1. When do the pandas have a birthday party?2. What do the workers do for the pandas' birthday?
3. What does the writer think of the pandas?
4. How many pandas are there in China now?
5. Do most pandas live in Sichuan and Shanxi?
3 . Dogs are known as human’s friends. But in the British woman Caroline’s eyes, her dog Sam means more. This special dog has completely changed her life.
Caroline had some hearing problems when she was a child, but she lived a normal life. However, when she was in her twenties, her hearing got worse and even simple conversations could be very tiring. Since 2007, she has lived in a quiet world with no sound.
One day when Caroline was shopping in a big shop, suddenly she found she was the only person here. All the other people left as soon as the fire alarm went off. But she couldn’t hear it at all. She knew that it was the time for her to ask for help.
Caroline wrote to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a famous charity in the UK, to apply for a hearing dog. Later the hearing dog Sam came into her life. Since then, her life has been different. Sam alerts(向...报警) Caroline to the alarm clock in the morning. This helps her get to work on time. He also alerts her to the doorbells, fire alarms and smoke alarms. With Sam’s help, Caroline can go out whenever and wherever she wants to go.
“With Sam by my side, I now have got my confidence back. He looks at me as if to say ‘It’s fine. I can hear. I will let you know what you need to know.’” said Caroline excitedly. “I feel safe. I cannot imagine the life without him.”
1. How long has Caroline lived in the quiet world?___________________________________________________________________
2. What was Caroline doing when the fire alarm went off?
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3. Where did Caroline get a hearing dog?
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4. How can Sam help Caroline? (at least two examples)
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5. How can we help disabled people, like the blind or the deaf?
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4 . Wild animals are our friends, but many of them are getting fewer and fewer. We should try to protect them. The four animals below are now in danger.
Tibetan Antelopes
Tibetan antelopes（藏羚羊）mainly feed on grass. They are usually found in groups of about 20. They are killed for their wool, which is warm, soft and fine and can be made into expensive clothes. The number of them is dropping year by year. There are less than 75, 000 Tibetan antelopes left in the world.
Golden Monkeys
Golden monkeys are mainly found in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces. Golden monkeys have golden-orange fur（皮毛）. They move around in the daytime. They feed on fruits and young leaves of bamboos. But people are destroying the environment where they live. Trees and bamboos are disappearing, so golden monkeys have less and less to eat.
Elephants
Elephants are very big and strong. They are bigger than any other animals on land. They have poor eyesight, but very good hearing and smell. They can lift heavy things and break down branches with their trunk（象鼻）. Now, there are very few elephants in the world. The number of them is becoming smaller and smaller because their living areas are used for farming. Also, people hunt them for their tusks.
Wolves
Wolves are not very big. They have grey fur. Wolves have very good eyesight, hearing and smell. They eat animals, insects and snails. They are friendly to each other and never attack（攻击）people. Wolves are in danger, too. They are losing their living areas because people cut down forests. Soon they will have no home or food.
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5 . Have you ever read the best-seller A Street Cat Named Bob. It is about how James Bowen and his cat Bob found hope on the streets of London.
James Bowen was a street artist and he sang songs around Covent Garden in London. He sometimes made much money, but not always. When James found Bob on his balcony(阳台), the cat got hurt badly and hungry. He found it hard not to help the cat. James already had trouble feeding himself. Still, James decided to nurse Bob back to health.
After that, Bob followed James to Covent Garden every day and attracted(吸引)lots of people. They stopped to listen to James and feed Bob. James made more money and he became more easygoing and friendly. Both Bob and James changed their life a lot after they lived together, although there were many hard days as well.
In fact，A Street Cat Named Bob is an autobiography(自传), written by the real James Bowen himself. In A Street Cat Named Bob, James not only tells you about his life with Bob, but also tells you about his hard time in life and what he did with difficulties. The language is simple, so it is easy to read.
1. Is A Street Cat Named Bob a book or a movie?
2. How did James make money to feed himself in the past?
3. Why did James decide to look after the cat?
4. What was James like after living with cat Bob?
5. Is James Bowen the writer of A Street Cat Named Bob?
6 . Chinese painting, known as “guó huà” in Chinese, is done with no oils but a brush put in colored or black ink on paper or silk. “Landscape painting” and “Bird-and-flower painting’’ are considered the two most popular forms. The first one usually covers “mountains, rivers” and the second one covers “flowers, birds, insects or fishes”. Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums (梅兰竹菊) are good symbols to choose.
Plum blossoms are highly praised for their beauty. And also, Chinese people think they are brave and not afraid of the heavy weather in the cold winter when other flowers wither (凋谢). In addition, they are a symbol of good luck for the coming spring.
Orchids are known for their sweet smell. They’re much loved by people because of a clean and beautiful look. In China, the true friendship is often compared to “the orchid friendship”.
Bamboos can also deal with the cold winter. In the ancient tradition, it was a custom to set off fireworks, which were made of bamboos, to say goodbye to the old and bring peace to the new. So bamboos are used as a symbol of peace and safety in Chinese paintings.
Chrysanthemums bloom (开花) in late fall. No matter how strong the wind is. they don’t drop a petal(花瓣). The ancient poets always used them to describe pure people. The famous poet Tao Yuanming in the Eastern Jin Dynasty described his peaceful life through his best-known poem “While picking chrysanthemums’ neath the Eastern fence, my gaze upon the Southern mountain rests.”
To Chinese, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums not only mean four plants, but also mean the personality and behavior that Chinese admire. That’s why they are known as “Four Gentlemen” in traditional Chinese art and literature.
1. What things does the “landscape painting” usually cover?2. Do the plum blossoms bloom in fall?
3. Which is a better way to praise the friendship, drawing a picture of orchids or bamboo?
4. How did Tao Yuanming describe his peaceful life?
5. Why are plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums called “Four Gentlemen”?
For thousands of years, dogs have held a special place in people’s hearts. They are known as “ man’s best friend” . This is because they can be so brave, lovely, and loyal（忠诚）. Dogs are used to living in groups and following the leader. Now humans are their leaders. Dogs depend on people for food— mostly meat— and perform services in return.
Long long ago, dogs worked for people. They ran after wild animals, caught them on land and water, and protected houses. They are used to send messages, look after sheep, and even save people in snow. They help police find out what they want. Fast-runningdogs are used in races.
Dogs have many abilities that make them useful. Sharp teeth are only one of these. Most dogs can smell something human can’t smell and hear higher notes than any person. And although dogs don’t see many colors, they are very good at noticing movements.
Dogs come in many shapes, sizes, and characters. A big Irish dog stands about 32 inches tall. However,some dogs stand about only 5 inches tall. Dogs that can guard homes are intelligent. Police dogs are usually quite brave. But many different kinds of dogs now make playful family pets.
Dogs have been kept to work for human for a long history. When Pompeii— the ancient Italian city that was buried about 1900 years ago— was dug out, a dog was found lying across a child. It was trying to protect the child.
1. Why are dogs known as “ man’s best friend” ?2. What do dogs depend on people for?
3. Do dogs have many abilities to help people?
4. How tall is a big Irish dog when it stands?
5. When was Pompeii buried?
Pandas are not bears(熊). There are not very many pandas living in the wild(野外). In the world the number of pandas in the wild is less than five hundred. They live only in a small part of China, a country in Asia. Chinese people want to protect them best. Until October, 2011, pandas in the wild could live for eighteen to twenty years. Pandas in the zoo could live for more than thirty years. To save pandas, Chinese people keep them in the zoo.
You might see pandas in the zoo. Pandas are covered with fur. They are white with black legs. They have black fur around their eyes. Their ears are black，too. They have short tails(尾巴). Pandas weigh(重量为) about ninety kilograms. Pandas eat a kind of plant called bamboo. Pandas have strong jaw(下颚). They usually eat bamboo with their large teeth. Sometimes they also eat meat. They spend at least twelve hours each day eating. Pandas like to live and play alone. They do not live in groups. Baby pandas are very small. When they are born, they are about as big as a stick of butter(一条黄油).
1. How many pandas are there in the wild all over the world?2. How long do pandas in the wild can live?
3. Which pandas can live over thirty years?
4. What do pandas usually feed on?
5. Do pandas like to live and play in groups?
There are about forty-seven different kinds of kangaroos(袋鼠) in the world. The smallest are about a fourth of a meter long; the biggest are taller than a man. Kangaroos have very long strong back legs. These are for jumping. They also have long strong tails(尾巴) to rest on. Kangaroos’ front legs are much shorter, and are almost like arms. Kangaroos’ heads are quite small, but their ears are quite large.Mother kangaroos have a pocket at the front. They have one baby each year. When the baby is born, it is straight into its mother’s pocket. The baby kangaroos stay there for six months.The biggest kangaroos stand more than two meters tall, and their legs are so strong that they can jump more than nine meters. They are very fast, and can travel at more than 50 kilometers an hour. They are very strong, but they only eat fruit, leaves and grass.
1. How many kinds of kangaroos are there in the world?___________________________________________________________
2. Are their front legs as long as their back legs?
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3. How long do baby kangaroos stay in their mothers’ pockets?
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4. Why can the biggest kangaroos jump more than nine meters?
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5. What do kangaroos eat?
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10 . Many kinds of birds live in the United States, but the number of the birds is becoming smaller every year. One of the leading reasons is the growing number of pet cats. By keeping your pet cats in your home, you can help give birds a better possible chance to live.
Of the 90 million pet cats in this country, about two-thirds are allowed to go outside. It is said that these cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, as well as billions of small animals such as rabbits and field mice.
They can also bring illness to the animals that live in people’s yard(院子), further weakening the health of the natural populations.
Allowing pet cats to go outside is not just bad for birds and wildlife, it’s also bad for the cats themselves. Outdoor cats can get sick very easily. They are in danger from traffic and attacks(攻击) from other animals. In fact, outdoor cats usually don’t live past the age of five, while indoor cats often live to be 17 or older.
Keep your pet cat inside! If you raise a young cat, it’s your duty to let it play inside.
| Problem | The number of birds is becoming |
| Reason for the problem | Pet cats are |
| What to do | People who |
