1 . Very few animals except dolphins, chimpanzees (黑猩猩)，and elephants have ever passed the mirror test for self-recognition. Scientists believe they have found a fish able recognize itself in a mirror. The result is surprising because this ability is usually only found in animals with bigger brains. Even humans don't usually pass the mirror test until they are about a year and a half old.

To test the wrasse (隆头鱼), a small fish in the sea, scientists put each wrasse in a tank with a mirror. They gave the fish a chance to get used to the mirror and watched their reactions. At first, the wrasses challenged the "other fish" by swimming up to the mirror and "fighting" them with the mouth. But soon the wrasses seemed to understand that something funny was happening. They began to swim toward the mirror upside down or in other unusual ways. It was like they were testing whether the fish in the mirror were really themselves.

Once the wrasses seemed used to the mirror, the scientists gave the wrasses a mark by putting the fish to sleep and injecting something under their skin. Some of the fish got a brown mark. Other fish got a clear "mark" that didn't have a color and couldn't be seen in a mirror.

After looking in the mirror, the wrasses with the brown marks would rub the area with the mark against the sand in the bottom of the tank. Then they would go back and look in the mirror again, as if checking if the mark was still there. But when wrasses with brown marks were put in tanks without mirrors, they didn't try to rub their marks away. And wrasses with clear "marks" didn't either, even when they could see themselves in the mirror.

The unexpected results are making some people look hard for other ways to explain how the wrasses reacted. So even though the wrasses seem to have passed the mirror test, the scientists will need some time to reflect on exactly what that means.

1. Why do the scientists feel surprised about the result?

A．The fish has a big brain.

B．Elephants failed to pass the mirror test.

C．Chimpanzees are as clever as dolphins.

D．The fish succeeded in passing the mirror test.

2. What did the scientists take notice of about the wrasses at first?

A．They swam in unusual ways.

B．They were unaware of themselves in the mirror.

C．They thought the mirror interesting.

D．They wanted to challenge themselves.

3. How did the fish with brown marks react in the mirror test?

A．They would rub the area with the mark against sand.

B．They would pay no attention to marks.

C．They would rest in the bottom of the tank.

D．They would swim upside down to the mirror.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Why Are Fish Smarter than Expected?

B．Do Colors Affect the Experiment?

C．How Is the Mirror Test Conducted?

D．Can Fish Recognize Themselves in the Mirror?

3 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入所缺的单词。

    1    amazing is the Incas’ dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to     2    sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the    3    fit of the stones.

5 . An elephant and a crocodile were once standing beside river. They were disputing which was the better animal.

“Look at my strength,” said the elephant. “I can pull up a tree, roots and all with my trunk”

“Ah! But your skin is not nearly so thick as mine,” replied the crocodile. “No knife or tooth can cut through it.”

Just as they were coming to blows, a lion happened to pass.

“My dear friends!” said the King of all animals, going up to them. “Let me know the cause of your disagreement.”

“Will you kindly tell us which is the better animal?” cried both at once.

“Certainly”, said the lion, pointing across the river. “Do you see the soldiers’ metal hat on that wall?”

“Yes!” replied the beasts.

“Well, then,” continued the lion, “go and get it, and bring it to me, and I shall be able then to decide between you.”

Upon hearing this, off they started. The crocodile, being used to the water, reached the opposite side of the river first, and was soon standing beside the wall.

Here he waited till the elephant came up. The elephant, seeing that the crocodile had no way of reaching their goal, raised his long trunk, and took down the hat quite easily.

They then made their way together back again across the river. The elephant was trying to keep up with the fast-moving crocodile in the water and became careless. When he was forced to turn sharply to avoid a floating tree branch, the elephant dropped the hat and it fell to the river bottom. The crocodile noticed the accident, so down he dived, and brought it up in his huge mouth. They then returned, and the crocodile laid the metal hat at the lion's feet. The King took it up, and turning to the elephant, said: “You, because of your size and trunk, were able to reach the hat on the wall but, having lost it, you were unable to get it back. And you,” said the lion to the crocodile, “although unable to reach the hat, were able to dive for it and save it. You are both wise and able in your own ways. One is no better than the other.”

1. The underlined word "disputing" in Paragraph 1 means____.

A．playing

B．quarrelling

C．complaining

D．deciding

2. What did the crocodile think was the best about himself?

A．His big mouth

B．His strong skin

C．His swimming skill

D．His dangerous teeth

3. How did the lion deal with the animals’ disagreement?

A．He ordered them to fight.	B．He made a quick decision.
C．He suggested a competition	D．He asked them to describe themselves

4. What caused the elephant to drop the hat?

A．The hat got wet in the river.	B．He hit a floating tree
C．He was trying to swim too fast	D．He wanted to fight the crocodile

5. How were the elephant and the crocodile able to complete their task?

A．By working together	B．planning carefully
C．By sharing their ideas	D．By listening to the lion

8 . 书面表达
目前，街头出现了越来越多的猫与狗，对此你们班同学们组织了一场讨论：城市内是否可以饲养宠物。根据下表所提供的信息，介绍讨论情况，并说明自己的观点和建议。

支持饲养宠物	反对饲养宠物	你的观点
1． 安慰孤寡老人 2． 人与动物和谐相处，增添生活情趣	1． 造成环境污染 2． 吵闹声，甚至伤人	……

注意：1．词数100左右。2．可以适当增减细节，以使行文连贯。
3．开头语已为你写好。
Recently we have had a heated discussion on whether people should keep pets at home in cities.
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9 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入所缺的单词。

There is strong and     1     evidence that the rise in temperature has led to an     2     in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide, not only     3     serious damage, but also costing human lives. Climate scientists have     4     that if we do not take     5     actions, this warming     6     will probably continue and there will be a higher     7     to pay.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

On a spring day around 1,300 years ago, WangWei, a poet from the Tang Dynasty, was on his way to a border town in northwestern China. Impressed by the     1     (beautiful) of a desert beside the Yellow River, he stopped off and     2     (write) a timeless classic poem.

Most people think of Ningxia     3     a dry and remote place. This is true in some ways. However, what makes Ningxia unique is     4     it is both rough, like much of northern China, and also delicate, like southern China. The Yellow River provides Ningxia with wide plains and rich soil, which enables people     5     (grow) rice there. Unlike most northerners, rice is the     6     (big) crop in Ningxia.

Although Ningxia is old-fashioned and     7     (tradition) in many ways, it is also making new technological     8     (achievement) as well. For example, Ningxia is developing     9     (it) cloud computing industry. The city of Zhongwei is home     10     the Western Cloud Base. Poor transportation has limited Ningxia’s development for some time, as the area is landlocked. But that is starting to change as well. The three high-speed railways built in Ningxia connect the region with other provinces.