To wash yourself, you take a bath(洗澡) or a shower. Animals need to keep clean, too. How do animals clean themselves?

Cats lick(舔)themselves to keep their fur clean. Have you ever watched a pet cat clean itself?

Elephants take baths much as you do. But instead of jumping into the tub(浴缸), they walk into a river or lake.

Pigs also like to roll around in water. This keeps them clean and cool. If there is no clean water, they will roll in mud(泥)on a hot day. They do this to cool off. Pigs do not really like mud. They are happier in a nice, clean pond(水池).

Bats have a funny way to keep clean. They lick their thumbs to clean their ears!

Guess how polar bears clean themselves. They use snow, of course!

Some animals take baths in dust instead of water! The wombat(毛鼻袋熊) is an Australian animal with lots of fur. To get clean, it lies down. Then it covers itself with sand!

Birds clean themselves in many ways. Sometimes they wash in water. That’s why some people put birdbaths in their yard. At other times birds take dust baths, just like wombats. Birds also use their beaks(喙)to keep their feathers clean. They use their beaks the way you use a comb.

Sometimes a bird has itchy bugs(发痒的虫子)in its feathers. Birds may use ants to help them clean off the bugs. A bird will lie down on an ant nest. Then the ants will crawl on the bird. The ants make a kind of bug spray(喷雾)on the feathers;. Then the itchy bugs die!

Birds take baths in something else besides dust and ants! Some birds take “smoke baths” They sit on chimneys. They wave their wings in the smoke!

This passage mainly tells us       .

A. why some people put birdbaths in their yard  B. why birds allow ants to crawl on their body

C. how animals cool off on hot days           D. how some animals keep clean

What is a pig’s favorite way to get clean?

A. Licking itself.               B. Lying down on ants.

C. Rolling in nice, thick mud.     D. Taking a bath in clean water.

Which of the following animals use dust to clean themselves?

A. Cats.         B. Bats.       C. Wombats.           D. Ants.

 In Africa, listening is a guiding principle .It’s a principle that’ been lost in the constant chat of the Western world .From my own past experience , I noticed how much faster I had to answer a question during a TV interview .It is as if we have completely lost the ability to listen .We talk and talk , and we end up frightened by silence .

Everywhere, people on the African continent write and tell stories. Even the nomads(流浪者)who still live in the Kalahari Desert are said to tell one another stories on their daylong wanderings, during which they search for roots and animals to hunt.

A number of years ago I sat down on a stone bench outside the Teatro Avenida in Maputo, Mozambique, where I worked as an artistic consultant. It was a hot day, and we were taking a break, hoping that a cool gentle wind would move past. Two old African men were sitting on that bench, but there was room for me, too. In Africa people share more than just water. Even when it comes to shade, people are generous.

I heard the two men talking about a third old man who had recently died. One of them said, “I was visiting him at his home. He started to tell me an amazing story about something that had happened to him when he was young. But it was a long story. Night came, and I decided that I should come back the next day to hear the rest. But when I arrived, he was dead.”

The man fell silent. I decided not to leave that bench until I heard how the other man would respond to what he’d heard. Finally he, too, spoke. “That’s not a good way to die—before you’ve told the end of your story.”

What separates us from animals is the fact that we are storytelling creatures and we can listen to other people’s dreams, fears, joys, sorrows, desires and defeats—and they in turn can listen to ours.

Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening.

Many words will be written on the wind and the sand, or end up in store. But the storytelling will go on until the last human being stops listening. Then we can send the great record of human out into the endless universe.

Who knows? Maybe someone is out there, willing to listen…

1.From the very beginning of the passage, we can know Europeans ________.

A. actually lose the ability to listen

B. seldom chat constantly with each other

C. feel frightened when they are alone and silent

D. tend to talk more and listen less

2. It can be inferred from the passage that if you are in Africa, you will _______.

A. suffer hot weather and lack of water      

B. be certainly helped when in trouble

C. often hear the stories told by strangers    

D. have no choice but to listen during a talk

3.According to the last three paragraphs, we can know _________.

A. no one knows exactly why Africans are willing to listen

B. information is hard to understand without interpretation

C. listening makes the difference between information and knowledge

D. the existence of humans’ recordings totally depends on the way of storytelling

4.The passage mainly talks about __________.

A. the experience of the author         

B. the art of listening in Africa

C. the importance of storytelling        

D. the life styles of Africans

 

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。注意:涂卡时,如答题卡上没有E、F、G选项,请按如下方式填涂:选E涂AB;选F涂AC;选G涂AD。

Watching a sporting event with family and friends under the sun is a great experience in summer.   1.   In the United States, heat exposure led to 8,000 deaths between 1979 and 2003. Luckily, a little prevention can go a long way towards making sure of an enjoyable day.

Know the danger

Heat-related illnesses do not require record-breaking temperatures to occur.   2.  The body’s temperature can reach 106 or 107 degrees Fahrenheit on a 90-degree day, creating a potentially deadly situation. Factors such as age, weight or a medical condition can influence people.

Drink plenty of water

  3.   Sweating is your body’s key way to keep cool, so drink water to stay well hydrated(含水的) before you feel thirsty. A cool beer may sound perfect on a hot day, but drink responsibly. Alcohol stops the body’s cooling system and causes you to go to the bathroom frequently.

   4.   

Wear light-colored and loosely fitting clothing, so air can go around your body and help keep you cool. A hat is a must to help you keep cool, since your head contains many blood vessels(血管), and sun block(防晒乳) is always a good idea.

Take action

What should you do if you are suffering from the heat while watching your favorite event?

Get up and go. It is a simple piece of advice, but could make the difference between a quick recovery and something more severe that requires medical attention. The ideal thing is to move yourself from the position you’re in to an area that is a little cooler.  5.  

A. Dress for the occasion

B. Weather-related causes

C. In hot weather, it is essential to stay hydrated.

D. You may miss a little of the action, but it beats missing a lot.

E. But when you add sun exposure to the crowds, the results can be deadly.

F. It is also important to take advantage of services the equipment provides.

G. Temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit can be dangerous.

 

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