1 . A large flood caused by heavy rains and melting mountain snow recently hit America’s Yellowstone National Park. It caused widespread damage and resulted in many changes.
It changed the path of a river popular for fishing and also devastated hundreds of homes, bridges and roadways in nearby communities. It drove more than 10, 000 visitors out of the park. Luckily, no one was reported hurt. However, the park could remain closed for up to one week. The water also washed away camp structures, flooded small towns and cut power to parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.
The Yellowstone River was running at a historically high level of 4. 9 meters as it flowed past Billings, Montana’s largest city. The city got its water from the river and was forced to close its treatment plant (工厂) because it couldn’t operate effectively with water levels that high. Billings officials said the city only had a 24-hour supply of water. They were asking people to save water until the river could drop and the plant could restart operations.
Yellowstone officials said, “The northern half of the park is likely to remain closed over the summer. This will greatly affect local economies that depend on summer tourists. But we have faith in the park repairs and economic recovery.”
1. What does the underlined word “devastated” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Ruined. | B．Promoted. | C．Challenged. | D．Demanded. |
| A．The flood lasted quite long. | B．The flood left bad effects. |
| C．The flood was caused for some reasons. | D．The flood killed 10, 000 visitors. |
| A．It needed new equipment to supply water. | B．It cut down the city’s water supply for 24 hours. |
| C．It was forced to operate in 24 hours. | D．It stopped working. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Curious. |
| A．She is frightened of dogs. | B．She already has fish as a pet. | C．She can’t take good care of it. |
3 . Ruby was a police dog with the Rhode Island State Police, but she didn’t always work with them. Ruby was once a handful who was in and out of the sheller. She was returned five times by different families. She was considered unadoptable because of her high energy and she was just unmanageable
The shelter workers thought her energy may be put to work. They reached the state police, who wanted to give Ruby a second chance and decided to try her out as a rescue dog. O’Neil was picked to be her handler (驯犬员) .
“We have something in common. When I was younger, I couldn’t focus and I wasn’t good at school. But no one really ever gave up on me,” O’Neil said. “I think that’s why we were bound to be together.” A normal dog could be trained in months. For Ruby, it took a year and a half, but O’Neil didn’t want to give up on her. Finally, she was a certified police dog. Six years later, she became even more than that -a hero.
“We got a call stating there was a missing boy, and we just went out and started searching. After eight hours, Ruby ran down a hill. I looked over the hill and saw the injured boy,” ONeil recalled.
O’Neil went to tell the mother that the boy was found alive and told her a police dog helped save her son. Then they realised a surprising connection: the boy’s mum once worked at an animal shelter. “There was a dog that I heard became a state trooper (兵) a few years ago. The dog was named Ruby. She was the sweetest thing,” she told him.
“Are you kidding?” O’Neil said. “That dog that you helped for all those times to get adopted just saved your son’s life.”
1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “handful” in paragraph 1?| A．Popular dog. | B．Good helper. | C．Troublemaker | D．Intelligent dog |
| A．A shelter dog. | B．A rescue dog. | C．A guard dog. | D．A pet dog. |
| A．ONeil’s guidance. | B．Ruby’s high energy |
| C．Ruby’s determination. | D．ONeil’s perseverance |
| A．The mother once helped Ruby in the shelter. | B．The mother was Ruby’s former handler |
| C．Ruby was once adopted by the mother. | D．Ruby saved the mother before. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Rainy. | C．Cloudy. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Windy. | C．Rainy. |
6 . 
Panda Ya Ya returns home
Ya Ya the giant panda has just arrived in Shanghai, east China on Thursday after 20 years of stay at the Memphis Zoo in the U.S. The flight was around 15.5 hours. Both Chinese and American vets are with Ya Ya.
Ya Ya was born at Beijing Zoo on August 3, 2000. She arrived at Memphis Zoo in April, 2003. Ya Ya has become a bridge of friendship between Chinese and foreign people. She will spend a month in Shanghai before returning to her birthplace, Beijing Zoo.
We do hope all pandas that are in foreign countries can be healthy and happy.
Did you know…?
Baby pandas are born pink and measure about 15cm-that’s about the size of a pencil
Giant pandas spend up to 12 hours a day eating bamboo.
Pandas live for about 20 years in the wild, but in the zoos they can live for up to 35 years.
1. Ya Ya was born in _______.| A．Beijing | B．Chengdu | C．Shanghai ` | D．Guangzhou |
| A．Black and white. | B．Pink. | C．Yellow. | D．Gray. |
| A．Ya Ya spend up to 10 hours a day eating bamboo. | B．Shanghai Zoo is Ya Ya’s final home. |
| C．Ya Ya had a short flight coming back home. | D．Ya Ya helps foreigners know more about China. |
| A．a piece of news | B．an ad | C．a diary | D．a letter |
Nearly a
| A．A famous writer. | B．A story of a dog. | C．An amazing trip. |
| A．Hot. | B．Warm. | C．Cold. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Windy. | C．Rainy. |
