1 . Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world-Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey-rats will soon be man's new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can't get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First，the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat's brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat's brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University-New York says, “Robots' noses don't work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark.They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don't need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn't get to and a rat would get out if it wasn't safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).
1. In the world earthquake capitals, rats will become man's best friends because they can ______.| A．take the place of man's rescue jobs |
| B．find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildings |
| C．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings |
| D．get into small spaces |
| A．the noise made by the rat | B．the rat's unusual behavior |
| C．the signal sent by the radio on the rat's back | D．the smell given off by the person |
| A．rats smell better than dogs |
| B．dogs don't need to be trained to smell people |
| C．robots' sense of smell can be affected by other smells around |
| D．rats can not see in the dark |
| A．nowadays rats have replaced dogs in searching for people |
| B．the “rat project” has been completed |
| C．people are now happy to see a rat in a building |
| D．at present people still use dogs and robots in rescues |
2 . Claire Wyatt, a 24-year-old British volunteer, led eight Cambodians living with disabilities on a 155-mile bike ride from Phnom Penh, the nation’s capital, to Siem Reap to raise money and deliver supplies to those in need in the coronavirus pandemic(新冠病毒大流行).
“Leading this trip was an incredibly special experience for me,” said Claire. “Not only was I encouraged by the determination of each and every rider, but also the team taught me every day not to focus on their disability.”
When she was first asked to lead the trip, Claire admitted, she was feeling nervous about her team traveling such a distance in just a few days because cycling with a disability can come with added physical and emotional challenges.
One team member named Dy, who lost an arm in an accident, biked using just one arm to balance. Another named Vulta could only pedal on one side due to polio(小儿麻痹). Despite all the difficulties, Claire realized quickly that she didn’t have to worry about her team. She saw them deal with rough area that she had seen abled cyclists give up on before.
The volunteers covered the distance in just four days, not only helping so many people across the country, but also overcoming huge difficulties to get there.
“The best thing about this ride is that the riders have all volunteered their time to do this. They are so enthusiastic about Cambodia and raising money for others in need,” said Claire. “The money raised will feed 99 families in Siem Reap.”
Claire recalled her favorite moment of the experience, when one of the cyclists pushed an exhausted teammate up a hill for 2 miles. “One moment that stood out for me was when Naret, our only female rider, was feeling tired,” she said. “Her fellow rider gently put his hand on her back and pushed her for 2 miles! They were encouraging each other to push through the tiredness.”
1. Why did Claire and eight Cambodians cycle 155 miles?| A．To challenge themselves. | B．To help out needy people. |
| C．To take part in a competition. | D．To raise money for the disabled. |
| A．She might be injured on the road. | B．She would be unable to lead the team. |
| C．Her team might be looked down on. | D．Her team couldn’t finish the route. |
| A．Confident, calm and friendly. | B．Honest, patient and open-minded. |
| C．Strong-minded, brave and caring. | D．Curious, creative and experienced. |
| A．It could have taken less time. |
| B．It was amazing and inspiring. |
| C．It changed her idea about human nature. |
| D．It was more difficult than she had expected. |
3 . As I stuck in the mud (泥), with my bike on top of me, I wondered what had forced me to come here. Madagascar is not a good place for a cycling holiday: one of the world's poorest countries, only 11 percent of roadway is paved (铺). South of the town of Antalaha, where I started, the road was in worse condition.
I appeared from a week in the wilderness and reached the start of the Route National 5 at Maroantsetra, but my dream of a smooth road and speed was suddenly destroyed by mud. The "worst road in the country" changed my bicycle into a burden (负担) for days. Finally, I was claimed by the road. Tired. Alone.
As I wiped (擦) the mud from my face and looked upwards, I was greeted by a Malagasy man. He helped me stand up and smiled playfully while he pointed to my bike, which sat next to his. I started again. But I fell again in the mud. Angrily, I told him to go on, but if he understood he showed no sign of it. His smile forced me back onto the bike. We continued like this for hours. But I fell less. Studying my quick guide, slowly I learned. As we passed through a village, a group of children saw me and shouted loudly. His only words were: "Their parents tell them while people steal and eat them. Funny, no?"
I tried to ask why, but he had already set off. I tried to catch up; as I got closer, he took it as a challenge and sped up. We raced along the road. I rode a little faster and I was just behind, about to catch up with him. With a smile, he sped up and was away, leaving me breathless.
1. What was in the author's mind when he was in the mud?| A．He considered his experience a special pleasure. |
| B．He made up his mind to continue challenging himself. |
| C．He tried to think out a new road for cycling in Antalaha. |
| D．He regretted having the cycling holiday in Madagascar. |
| A．The author chose another road. |
| B．The author decided to ask for help. |
| C．The author lay on the road for a rest. |
| D．The author had no confidence to ride on. |
| A．By showing him the right way. |
| B．By wiping the mud from his bike. |
| C．By riding in front of him all the way. |
| D．By teaching him how to ride in the mud. |
| A．A lonely trip |
| B．A bicycle race |
| C．A lesson in cycling |
| D．A road in Madagascar |
4 . There is proof that, in the past, large comets（彗星）or asteroids（小行星）have struck the Earth. Thirty-five million years ago, a three-kilometer-wide rock hit the ocean floor, 160 kilometers from what is now Washington, D. C., leaving an 85-kilometer-wide crater（坑）buried beneath Chesapeake Bay. Another giant rock, called Titan, ten kilometers in diameter smashed into the Gulf of Mexico around 65 million years ago, giving off thousands of times more energy than all the nuclear weapons on the planet combined. "The whole Earth burned that day," says Ed Lu, a physicist and former astronaut. "The chaos and destruction were unimaginable. Three-quarters of all life forms, including the dinosaurs, died out."
Astronomers have found numerous asteroids big enough to cause a disaster for the whole planet. None is on course to do so in our lifetimes, but there are many smaller asteroids that could strike in the near-future, with destructive effects. On June 30, 1908, an object as big as a 15-story building fell in Tunguska, a remote part of Siberia. The object, an asteroid or a small comet, exploded several kilometers before impact, burning and blowing down trees across 2, 000 square kilometers. Clouds of dust and ice filled the sky. The particles reflected the surfs light onto the Earth, and for days people in Europe could read newspapers outdoors at night. More recently, in 2013, a 20-meter meteor（流星）exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, injuring dozens of people on the ground. It was the largest object to enter the Earth's atmosphere since Tunguska.
The next time a large object falls out of the sky, we may be taken by surprise. Currently, there is no early-warning system for near-Earth objects. However, over the next decade, sky surveys, like the one being done by Tholen should begin filling that gap. Astronomers are making a list of thousands of asteroids to help us predict the next strike. "Every couple of weeks," says Lu, "we're going to be finding another asteroid with, like, a one-in-a-thousand chance of hitting the Earth."
1. When did the largest object mentioned in the text enter the Earth's atmosphere?| A．65 million years ago. | B．35 million years ago. |
| C．In 1908. | D．In 2013. |
| A．The recent findings of rare stars. | B．The significance of disaster prevention. |
| C．The new knowledge of space travel. | D．The threat of comets and asteroids. |
| A．The chance of the earth being hit is decreasing. |
| B．Titan destroyed most life forms on earth. |
| C．The dinosaurs died out due to a nuclear explosion. |
| D．We have already had mature warning systems. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Neutral. |
5 . In the U. S., speaking more than one language fluently is not very common except in Los Angeles, California.
The city has one of the largest population in the U. S. of young people between the ages of 18 and 34. This generation is often called millennials (新千年一代). More than half of millennials in Los Angeles are bilingual (双语的), which means they speak more than one language.
Maria Elena Burgos is cooking a Mexican breakfast. She says making Mexican food is just one of the many traditions in her home. Another is speaking Spanish to her children.
“We want them to be bilingual. We want to keep the Spanish somewhere in their learning too, not only at home.”
When Ms Burgos first came to the United States from Mexico, she learned English. She knew her children would learn English quickly. So she wanted them to speak Spanish at home and study the language at school.
She says being bilingual will give them more opportunities in the future. Knowing Spanish also means the children can talk with their relatives in Mexico.
“When we had our children, one of the decisions we as parents made was to name them with a name that was easily pronounced in English and Spanish.”
Elizabeth wants to know her family’s culture.” “The culture-to go back to our roots because that’s part of who we are.”
Monica wants to pass on the culture to her children.
“It’s nice to know our culture and then to be able to pass it onto our children and grand- children and everyone to let them know where we come from.”
And, Monica says she does not speak only English and Spanish. She has even learned some Korean in school.
1. Which of the following is a tradition of Maria?| A．Cooking breakfast for her relatives. |
| B．Talking with her children in Spanish. |
| C．Talking with her relatives in Spanish. |
| D．Forcing her children to speak Spanish. |
| A．She doesn’t care where she comes from. |
| B．She looks forward to learning Spanish. |
| C．Everyone should know his own culture. |
| D．She doesn’t like American culture. |
| A．It can give children more chances in the future. |
| B．It can make children feel proud before their friends. |
| C．It can give the children a chance to go to a good college. |
| D．It can let children go to the places where they want to go. |
| A．To entertain the readers with a funny story. |
| B．To inform the readers of a shocking experiment result. |
| C．To encourage more persons to learn a second language. |
| D．To tell a truth that many people in Los Angeles are bilingual. |
