Question

Oink! The Year of the Pig is coming. Many people believe that pigs are naturally fat, lazy and dirty. But are any of those things true?

It is true that pigs are fat. They eat a lot. But they are useful to us. We get more than just pork from pigs. We can use their skin to make shoes. We can use their hair to make brushes. Pigs also provide us with ingredients for drugs like insulin (胰岛素) . Insulin can treat diabetes (糖尿病).

People sometimes say, “You are as stupid as a pig.” But pigs are not stupid. In fact, pigs are one of the 10 smartest animals. They have a good memory and can tell different shapes apart. Many experts think pigs are easier to train than dogs or cats. In France, people teach pigs to find something. With their good sense of smell, they can find it even faster than dogs.

When you see pigs, they are usually in dirty water or mud. That’s because pigs have no sweat glands (汗腺). On hot days, they have to cool themselves in water or mud. This keeps insects off of them as well. Mud can also protect their skin from sunburns.

These opinions of pigs often make us have wrong ideas about the animal. For example, if someone eats a lot, we say that they have “pigged out”. If someone’s room is very messy, we might say his or her room looks like a pigsty.

But people in ancient China really liked pigs. People thought the pig’s big head and ears were a symbol of good luck. If someone had a round and full face, he or she was thought to be blessed (有福气的). People also believed the animal stood for wealth, as humans used every part of the pig. Piggy banks are a symbol of this. Most children have a piggy bank that they can use to save money.

1.According to Paragraph 2, which of the following is TRUE about pigs?

A. We can make shoes with pig’s hair.

B. Pig’s skin can be used to make brushes.

C. Pigs can only provide pork for people.

D. Pigs are useful in helping treat diabetes.

2.Why do pigs usually stay in dirty water or mud?

A. Because they like being dirty.

B. Because they have no sweat glands.

C. Because they want to clean their skin.

D. Because they like to play with dirty water and mud.

3.What does the underlined phrase “pigged out” in Paragraph 5 mean in Chinese?

A. 出栏 B. 节食 C. 暴饮暴食 D. 逃跑

4.According to the last paragraph, we can know the following EXCEPT____________.

A. pigs were thought to stand for wealth

B. people in ancient China really liked pigs

C. pig’s big head and ears were thought to be a symbol of good luck

D. people who had a round and full face were thought to be unlucky

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Pigs are fat, lazy, dirty and stupid.

B. Pigs are neither useful nor smart.

C. Pigs can not tell different shapes apart.

D. Pigs have a good memory and a good sense of smell.

Answer 1