1 . Animal appear to predict earthquakes by sensing electricity in the air — the first study to find reliable evidence of the phenomenon has shown.

Cameras revealed an “amazing” drop in the number of animals up to 23 days before a major quake hit their rainforest home at Yanachaga National Park in Peru. Lead scientist Dr Rachel Grant, from Anglia Ruskin University, said, “The results showed that just before the earthquake, animals’ activity dropped right down.”

On a normal day the cameras placed around Yanachaga National Park record between 5 and 15 animals. But in the 23 days before the earthquake, the number of animals dropped to five or fewer per day. No animals were photographed at all on five of the seven days immediately before the quake.

Another study showed that animal activity remained normal in the park over a different period when seismic (地震的) activity was low. Co-author, professor Friedemann Freund, said, “The cameras were located at an altitude of 900 meters. If air ionization occurred, the animals would escape to the valley below, where there were fewer positive ions ( 离子). With their ability to sense their environment, animals can help us understand small changes that occur before major earthquakes.”

Other evidence suggested that before the earthquake, the air around the high mountain sites filled with positive ions that can be produced when rocks are placed under stress. Positive ions have been known to cause ill effects in humans as well as animals. Scientists believe the animals were made to feel uncomfortable by the positive ions, leading them to avoid the area. They are thought to have escaped to lower ground, where the air was less ionized. The findings may help experts develop better short-term seismic forecasts.

1. How did scientists conduct the study?

A．By comparing different animals’ habits.

B．By observing animals in high mountains.

C．By explaining the positive ion phenomenon.

D．By analyzing images of animals they obtained.

2. What can be inferred from animal activity before earthquakes?

A．The ground at a lower altitude is less ionized.

B．Cameras normally record more animals per day.

C．Earthquake warnings can be detected in lower places.

D．The activity of animals and earthquakes is consistent.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．The findings make for accurate seismic forecast.

B．Animals tend to be uneasy with more positive ions.

C．Positive ions make humans and animals depressed.

D．All the animals remain abnormal before the earthquake.

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

A．Negative Influence of Positive Ions.

B．Ions’ Destruction to the Environment.

C．Animals’ Behavior Before Earthquakes.

D．Creatures’ Ability to Predict Earthquakes.

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

One day, while Sutter surfed the Internet watching some videos of cute animals with his mom, he came across a story posted by the local animal shelter (收容所). It explained that there was a cat, which was named Hazel by the workers, living in the shelter and needing help.

The workers found the cat at a transfer station where garbage and other waste are sorted. At first, the workers thought Hazel was just looking for food. But they later discovered that the back legs of the cat were injured. What was worse, after a physical examination, they found the bones of the cat were broken and that necrosis — meaning the death of cells in some part of the body — had set in. The workers thought Hazel would need surgery (手术) to get better. So they called on the community to raise money for the cat.

That was when Sutter got to work. After he knew the story about the poor cat in his community, the nine-year-old cat lover said to his mom,“I just can’t stop thinking about the cat. It is in urgent need of surgery. I want to raise money to help the cat.”Hearing those words, Sutter’ s mother was happy that her son was a kind-hearted boy and decided to help him.

Then Sutter came up with a good idea: making use of the power of cinnamon buns ( 肉桂卷). He knew if there was anything that could get the community members to empty their pockets, it would be this sweet treat: cinnamon buns. Then he and his mom started baking cinnamon buns, and his mom posted Sutter’s efforts on a social media page. Knowing Sutter’s good intention, the whole community reached out and donated money to Sutter. Finally, Sutter was able to raise $850 in total. Then Sutter and his mom gladly went to the animal shelter and dropped the money there.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

With the money, Hazel was able to receive the surgery.

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Since adopting Hazel, Sutter has done a lot to help it recover.

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4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Neesha, an 8-year-old golden retriever, is a lucky dog. After spending a fortnight on her own without food or real shelter, the tough dog was accidentally spotted by a couple, who in spite of the cold weather, were hiking the range and came across her.

Two weeks earlier, Neesha’s owners had taken her and their other dog, a German shepherd named Harley, for some outdoor exercise. Frightened by a deer, both dogs ram away. Harley found his way back to the parking lot the next day, but Neesha did not.

The family made a thorough search. They left a laundry basket of unwashed clothing near the spot where they’d last seen Neesha in the hope that she’d head straight towards the familiar smell marker. They even turned to the Internet for help in finding Neesha—but there was still no sign of her.

“We posted our experience on social media. Then a weekend later, we were still looking for her. We were starting to give up hope,” said the pet’s owner Erina O’Shea Goetelen told The Irish Times.

Eventually, the family began to accept that Neesha might not be coming home. “We just thought she is 8, and it’s been two weeks. There was no way she could survive.“

Doctors Ciara Nolan and Jean Francois Bonnet must truly be crazy hikers. They braved the elements on the freezing day when the couple decided to reach one of Wicklow’s peaks. As they neared the top, Nolan was shocked to see a dog shaking in the snow.

“She was frightened, freezing cold. She didn’t have enough energy to bark or stand, ”Bonnet said in an interview. “We tried to get her to walk, but she couldn’t stand. So we covered her with our spare clothes and gave her some food.”

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Bonnet lifted Neesha onto his back for the long path down the mountain.

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Neesha’s owners could hardly believe it when they learned their dog had been found alive.

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