2 . Max’s Best Friend

Max wasn’t feeling well one morning after a snow. So when it was time to walk his three year old dog named Cal, he ______ to a nearby field and let her out.

But then Max found himself short of ______ and decided to walk back to his car. The 58-year-old man was ______ a mild heart attack. After only a few steps, he ______.

For about an hour Max lay face-down in the snow, taking a quick deep breath for ______. His body ______ dropped to 32℃. Although he was almost unconscious(失去知觉的), he was still ______ of Cal running ______ him, barking loudly.

______, about 180 meters away, Cal found Mike, who was removing the ______ from a backyard ice rink (溜冰场) that he had made for his kids. She ______ to him barking.

“She was jumping back and forth (来回) at me,” Mike says, “going one way, ______ the other, as if to say ‘Come on. Let’s go’. But I didn’t know what she was ______ that for.”

The dog wouldn’t stop barking. Looking around, Mike could see ______ in the distance. So he ran with Cal back to where Max ______. Seeing that Max needed ______, Mike ran home to call 911, then returned with a blanket, ______ Max and waited for the medical aid. Max was taken to a local ______ and later sent to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He ______ eight days later.

“Without the ______ and Mike, I wouldn’t be here,” Max says.

1.

A．swam

B．drove

C．walked

D．rode

2.

A．minds

B．hands

C．breath

D．warmth

3.

A．treating

B．watching

C．suffering

D．preventing

4.

A．fell down

B．broke up

C．sat down

D．looked up

5.

A．wind

B．air

C．stop

D．rest

6.

A．weight

B．shape

C．temperature

D．size

7.

A．fond

B．afraid

C．proud

D．aware

8.

A．around

B．above

C．below

D．with

9.

A．Recently

B．Generally

C．Actually

D．Finally

10.

A．snow

B．earth

C．wood

D．rubbish

11.

A．climbed

B．traveled

C．ran

D．stepped

12.

A．skating

B．flying

C．turning

D．arriving

13.

A．thinking

B．doing

C．throwing

D．catching

14.

A．everything

B．anything

C．nothing

D．something

15.

A．lay

B．stood

C．sat

D．waited

16.

A．money

B．help

C．water

D．food

17.

A．raised

B．covered

C．carried

D．pushed

18.

A．cinema

B．hotel

C．café

D．clinic

19.

A．retired

B．replied

C．moved

D．recovered

20.

A．dog

B．car

C．telephone

D．blanket

3 . Women facing breast cancer (乳腺癌) report that their cats rank among the most important supporters, alongside parents and siblings (兄弟姐妹) they rely on to help them through their treatment.

Fish, a breast cancer survivor, relied on the companionship of her two cats, Phoebe and Jack, during her treatments. “They were the perfect companions when I needed them most,” Fish says. “They gave silent strength.” Fish is far from the only breast cancer survivor to show the power of her cat. A recent Purina Cat Chow national survey of breast cancer survivors with cats points out this important relationship.

Dr. Karen Sueda, at the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, says, “Whether pet owners are fighting diseases such as breast cancer or going through a rough period in life such as job loss or some stress, their cats often display intuitive (直觉的) behavior of knowing when they need extra support.”

Hearing countless stories from breast cancer patients and survivors of how they have been emotionally supported by their cats, Purina Cat Chow honors this exceptional relationship and is doing its part to help the fight against breast cancer. This year, in a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Purina Cat Chow will donate more than $200,000 to the cause and invites consumers to help us raise awareness of breast cancer.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to find the cures. The organization has invested (投资) $1.3 billion in ending breast cancer, becoming the world’s largest source of non-profit funds (资金) devoted to the fight against breast cancer.

1. To many women with breast cancer, cats can _______.

A．bring strength and support to them.

B．teach them how to relax

C．know about what they think about.

D．help the patients to be optimistic

2. According to the text, Purina Cat Chow _______.

A．often collects cancer patients’ information

B．hopes to find more breast cancer patients

C．will help spread the knowledge about breast cancer

D．aims to find the best treatment for breast cancer

3. What is Purina Cat Chow’s attitude towards the role of the cat during breast cancer treatment?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Supportive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Surprised.

4 . Bats (Firefly Books, 2011)by Phil Richardson helps to show readers the truth about bats. While bats get a bad name for their connection to mysterious vampires (吸血鬼）and their nightly habits, Richardson shines light onto the species and shows that bats are amazing and complex creatures for various reasons. The following is information about bat protection.

Bats are under threat in many areas of the world. Some have gone down to such a level that the remaining numbers may not be enough to keep the species. Threats to bat populations matter not just because bats are attractive creatures in their own right.Our increasing familiarity with the term biodiversity from television, newspapers, magazines and other media reflects the importance biologists place on this kind of protection.

The easiest way to appreciate what is included is to recall the idea of food chains and webs from biology lessons at school. It all starts with the producers,the plants that produce the food in their leaves by photosynthesis (光合作用）. Animals such as caterpillars then join the chain and eat the leaves, other animals such as birds eat the caterpillars, and so on up the chain.If a species dies out, then there is a break in the chain, and predators (捕食者）that relied on that species could also die or grow weaker as there is less food available.

There is another important point,a single insect-eating bat may eat hundreds of insects a night. So bats help to keep a balance in the natural world.Besides, they are a great help to humans,as farmland, gardens and house wooden structures all suffer attacks from injurious insects and bats are useful in keeping down their numbers.

1. What is the general impression people have of bats?

A．Bats are not related to mysterious vampires.

B．Bats are often active during the day.

C．Bats are not good creatures.

D．Bats are helpful to humans.

2. What does the underlined word “caterpillars” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Animals that feed on birds.	B．Animals that produce the food.
C．Animals that are under threat.	D．Animals that feed on leaves.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．Bats only eat insects.	B．Bats can help balance nature.
C．Bats are helpless to humans.	D．Bats can reduce the number of people.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．Bat protection needs attention.	B．Bat population is increasing.
C．Bats are insect-eating animals.	D．Bats are short of food.

5 . Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

◆Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔）, their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can't find. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around grasslands, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

◆Whale says thanks

In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and jumped into the air about 40 times.

◆Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies: They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. A panda is shy by nature for its shy behavior such as covering its face with a paw or burying its head when facing a stranger.

◆A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three- year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner lozzelli Renzo's grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo brought Toldo home from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed people to the grave, and now “stands guard” at the grave for hours at a time.

1. How do horses tell tastiest grasses from bad ones?

A．By touching them.	B．By tasting them.
C．By smelling them.	D．By observing them.

2. What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the text?

A．They are clever.	B．They have a grateful heart.
C．They are active and lovely.	D．They have a good sense of smell.

3. Which of the following acts like a human baby?

A．The baby panda.	B．The baby whale.
C．The baby horse.	D．The baby cat.

6 . There are many gardening tips. Some suggest playing music for your house plants, having conversations with them, or even giving them a gentle touch now and then. Most of these practices are probably more for the benefit of the gardener than the garden, and generally harmless enough but except the last one. Your plants really dislike it when you touch them.

A new study out of the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food has found that most plants are extremely sensitive to touch, and even a light touch can significantly stunt(阻碍) their growth. “The lightest touch from a human, animal, insect, or even plants touching each other in the wind, can cause a huge gene response in the plant,” Jim Whelan, who led the new study, said. “Within 30 minutes of being touched, 10% of the plant’s genome(基因组) is changed. This involves a huge expenditure(消耗) of energy which is taken away from plant growth. If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30%.”

Whelan and his team are still trying to find out why plants respond, at the genetic level, so strongly. They do have some theories, however. We know that when an insect lands on a plant, genes are activated(激活) preparing the plant to defend itself against being eaten ,” said Dr. Yan Wang, co-author of the study.

Until more research is done, it’s just a guess at this point. Still, the findings might already lead to new methods for how agriculturalists deal with their crops, to best promote healthier growth.

It’s worth noticing that while the study found that plants often respond to just a single touch in negative ways, it’s really repeated touching that causes lasting stunted growth. That’s because the plants are looking for patterns in the touching, to tell harmful touch from random touch. So it doesn’t matter if you accidently brush up against a bush during a walk through the woods.

1. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By comparing

B．By giving examples

C．By listing numbers

D．By showing results of studies

2. Why can touching stunt a plant growing according to the study?

A．It leads to the plant’s energy expenditure.

B．It makes the plant sensitive to threats.

C．It causes a genetic disorder in the plant.

D．It prevents the plant absorbing nutrients.

3. What’s the importance of the study by Whelan and his team?

A．It gives us more useful gardening tips.

B．It helps find ways to ensure plants’ healthy growth.

C．It contributes to the further study on genes.

D．It uses data to warn people not to touch plants.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Something is done to help plants grow.

B．Plants’ genome can be changed easily.

C．Plants don’t really like to be touched.

D．What we do every day may destroy plants.

7 . For a few months twice a year, the waters off California are home to gray whales moving north or south between the coast of Mexico and the Bering Sea. This year, however, it seems that fewer whales are surviving the journey north. So far this year, a total of 30 dead gray whales have washed up on the West Coast: Eight in Washington, one in Oregon and 21 in California. Those numbers are unusually high.

In Northern California, three out of four of the dead whales that have been examined so far appear to have died of starvation and the fourth was killed by a ship strike, said Barbie Halaska, a research assistant at The Marine (海洋的) Mammal Center (TMMC), a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates (使康复) marine mammals in California. Halaska and her colleagues examined the four whales—three young whales and one adult male — and planned to examine the remaining dead whales in the region in the next couple of days.

Gray whales were once severely threatened by whalers. Only around 2,000 of them lived in the ocean in 1946, so an international agreement to stop gray whale hunting was signed in order to help the population recover. Gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994 when the population reached 23,000 individuals and TMMC predicts there are now around 26,000 gray whales in the Pacific Ocean, which is about the number before the whaling boom got up steam almost 200 years ago.

Although the gray whale population has recovered to a certain degree, the number of dead whales washing up this year is alarming, Halaska said. Climate change and declining fish stocks are likely key factors in the whales’ poor health, she said .

Halaska stressed that boaters and beachgoers on the West Coast should watch out for gray whales this time of year.

1. What are the statistics in paragraph 3 about?

A．Severe conditions facing gray whales.

B．An agreement to stop killing whales.

C．The evolving development of gray whales.

D．The number of gray whales in different times.

2. What’s Halaska’s attitude towards the population of gray whale?

A．Worried.	B．Discouraged.
C．Optimistic.	D．Uncaring.

3. What may be talked about following the last paragraph?

A．The importance of gray whales.

B．Gray whales’ living environment.

C．Things to do to help gray whales .

D．Ways to increase gray whales’ population.

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

A．Gray Whales Are Threatened by Whalers

B．Why Many Gray Whales Died on California’s Coast?

C．Gray Whales Are in Great Danger of Dying Out

D．Where Gray Whales Move to Avoid Being Hunt?

8 . A group of scientists trained dogs to detect(发现)a crop disease called citrus greening. The disease has affected orange, lemon and grapefruit trees in the American states of Florida, California and Texas. The dogs can detect the disease weeks to years before it appears on tree leaves and roots, the researchers report. Using dogs is also faster, less costly and more exact than having people collect hundreds of leaves for lab analysis.

Timothy Gottwald is a researcher in the study. He said, “This technology is thousands of years old — the dog's nose. We^’ve just trained dogs to hunt new prey：the bacteria that cause a very damaging crop disease.^”

Citrus greening is caused by a kind of bacteria that are spread by a tiny insect that feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus trees. Once a tree is infected(感染)，there is' no cure. The disease has also hurt citrus crops in Central and South America and Asia. In one experiment involving grapefruit trees in Texas, trained dogs were correct 95 percent of the time in telling the difference between newly infected trees and healthy ones. “The earlier you detect the disease, the better chance you have at stopping healthy trees being infected by removing infected ones,” Gottwald said.

Professor Matteo Garbelotto says the new research shows that dogs can detect an infection well before present methods. He has been involved in similar research but had no part in the new study.

Laura Sims is a plant scientist. She praised the steps taken to find out if the dogs were detecting the bacteria itself or a plant's reaction to an infection. To do that, the researchers infected different kinds of unrelated plants with the bacteria in a laboratory. The dogs were still able to pick out the infected plants.

Gottwald said, "You've seen dogs working in airports, detecting drugs and explosives. Maybe soon you will see them working on more farms."

1. What does the text say about citrus greening?

A．It mainly damages tree branches.

B．It' s impossible to detect at an early stage.

C．Dogs can better detect it than humans.

D．Humans have to analyze tree roots to detect it.

2. How does a dog detect citrus greening?

A．By tasting.	B．By touching.
C．By observing.	D．By Sniffing.

3. Early detection of citrus greening enables farmers to ______.

A．help infected trees to recover	B．keep it from spreading further
C．improve the quality of fruit.	D．better protect infected trees

4. Which of the following statements reflects Gottwald's opinion?

A．Dogs will take the place of humans to conduct risky jobs.

B．Trained dogs make no mistakes in citrus greening detection.

C．Dogs use plants' reaction to an infection to help with their detection.

D．Using dogs for citrus greening detection will be more widespread.

9 . Have you ever thought that music can have an effect on animals? Dr. Fisher has put music in over 1,100 animal shelters, saying that it makes dogs and cats quiet and even cuts down on barking. Fisher asked artists around the world to share dog-and-cat friendly music. She gives it free to animal shelters.

One fan was Tina. Winter temperatures at the rural shelter for six dogs and six cats usually ran below zero and the wind blew nearly every day. To calm the animals, Tina tried the radio. Besides poor reception, the news and sports had people shouting and crying loudly. “The difference is great. ” she said. So she and her husband had to buy a second player for the cats. “When we play songs they like, they go and sit by the speakers. ” Tina said.

No one has studied the impact of Fisher’s music idea. But others have looked at how music and noise in general affected animals. A study found that animals were more likely to sleep and less likely to bark when Mozart, Beethoven and other similar music were playing, but not when heavy metal and other sounds were.

A survey of more than 500 shelters guided by Fisher validated her idea, finding barking reduced by half and animals more relaxed. It just destresses them.

Beyond the music, the shelter staff do what they can to reduce stress for the dogs, including toys, food and spending time with them. “Reducing their stress helps them show off their personalities and they can get adapted more quickly,” said Fisher. “The music also helps relax staff members and that benefits the animals too.”

1. When dogs listen to dog friendly music. They will _______.

A．calm down	B．get excited
C．become clever	D．never bark

2. The underlined word “validated” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “_______.”

A．doubted	B．refused.
C．proved	D．changed

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Reducing stress is of great benefit to the dog.

B．The dogs in the shelter are fond of toys.

C．It is hard for the dogs to be adapted.

D．The staff members also like classical music.

10 . Monster Zoo

Monster Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, covering more than 15 km squares. It is home to more than 50 species of rare and native animals. The zoo is located 70 km from the city New South Australia.

Monster zoo was founded in 1983 as a breeding area (繁殖区). Officially open to the public in October 1993, Monster Zoo is now home to more than 500 animals.

Opening Hours

Monster zoo is open daily from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm with last entry at 3:00 pm. The zoo is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day and all public holidays. The exception to this is if the forecast temperature for Monster Zoo is 40 degrees or above, it will be closed.

To get the most out of your visit we recommend setting aside a minimum of four to five hours to fully enjoy the Monster zoo.

Tickets

Child (4-14 years old) : AU $28.50

Adult (15 years old and over) : AU $ 51.75

Family / Mini Group: AU $132.75

Meet the Keeper

Monster zoo offers various daily zoo keeper talks and animal feeds that give guests the chance to interact (互动) with our friendly workers and learn about the zoo’s unique residents.

Looking for a more unique animal experience? Consider booking a Behind the Scenes Animal Experience to come face to face with some of our special animal residents.

Café

Ketabi Café is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm daily and offers a variety of tasty treats, small snacks and hot meals.

Picnics

For those who prefer to bring their own meals, special picnic areas are available close to the Visitor Center. Please note that due to fire risk, the zoo does not allow for the use of BBQs.

1. What can we learn about the zoo from the text?

A．It is the largest zoo in the world.

B．It is open daily all year except Christmas Day.

C．It is open to the public ten years after it was founded.

D．It is home to 500 species of animals.

2. If three young men aged 12, 14 and 19 visit the zoo, how much will they pay?

A．AU $155.25.	B．AU $108.75.
C．AU $85.25.	D．AU $132.75.

3. Where does this text most probably come from?

A．A health newspaper.	B．An animal book.
C．A travel website.	D．A fashion magazine.