Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern-day horse breeds(种类) come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds— typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                           B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs                      D. used to carry people

The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B. horses used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shapes than others

D. horses were of less variety before domestication

Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads                      B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport        D. advancing agriculture in different areas

The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses    

B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

“Human influenza viruses can survive and be infectious for several days when they are deposited on banknotes,” according to the latest study by Yves Thomas and his colleages in Switzerland. Scientists put different types of flu virus onto Swiss franc notes and found that they could survive from a few hours to more than a week. The results depended on the type of flu virus.
According to the study, Swiss-banknotes are mostly cotton covered by a nonporous resin(无孔树脂). Banknotes from other countries may be composed of different materials, and this could affect viral transmission. “Whether similar results would be obtained with banknotes from other countries and with different characteristics needs to be studied.” the authors wrote. In an interview with Reuters, Thomas said. “Our studies have convinced us that it is possible to catch the flu from banknotes, but the chances are very, very small and there is no cause for concern among the gneral population,” To be sure, many kinds of frequently touched surfaces could temporarily hide the flu virus. Broadly speaking, scientists consider the risk of transmission in this way to be low. Particularly if hand-washing and other hygiene measures are practiced.
Three things must happen for a flu virus to be transmitted from one person to another via money. First, a person who is infected with the flu virus must sneeze or cough onto the banknote. Next, an uninfected person would need to touch the money while the virus si still present. Finally, that person would need to put his hand in his mouth or pick his nose, says Thomas. The best defense against infection: follow public health guidelines and wash your hands frequently.
49. What does the underlined word “this” refers to in the second paragraph?
A. The time when people stay in a bank.
B. The fact that banknotes may consist of deferent materials.
C. The bank where people draw their money.
D. The country where the banknotes are in circlation.
50. From the last paragraph, we can know that an infected person should ________.
A. pay attention to his personal hygiene    B. wash his hands after leaving a bank
C. be monitored at a bank                D. not cough at a bank
51. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Any person who touches banknotes will become infected.
B. Different flu viruses stay on the surface of banknotes for different lengths of time.
C. The bank should not allow any infected person to enter.
D. Only banknotes in Switzerland can transmit the flu virus.
52. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Is it Dangerous to Stay in a Bank?
B. How to Avoid Being Infected with the Flu Virus?
C. Can You Catch the Flu from Handling Money?
D. Why Do People Refuse to Use Banknotes in Switzerland?

For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy’s father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santiago worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.

On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits(饵) were fresh tunas(金枪鱼) the boy had given him, as well as sardines(沙丁鱼) to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water.

    As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphins were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune.

    Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of the surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to be tired.

    It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped(抽筋的). The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly.

That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon.

Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon(鱼叉). The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor.

    An hour later, he sighted the first shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust(刺) it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to beat them with the tiller(舵柄) from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he heard them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin.

   All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on. In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep.

1.The above story is adapted from __________.

A. Treasure Island                  B. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

C. The Old Man And The Sea          D. The Son Of The Sea

2.Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time?

A. Because a small tuna took the hook on his line.

B. Because he dreamed about the American lions.

C. Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins.

D. Because a lot of sharks followed his boat.

3.According to the text, which statement is NOT true about the boy?

A. The boy had mercy on Santiago.

B. The boy often shared his stories with Santiago.

C. The boy showed his great concerns to Santiago.

D. The boy was Santiago’s adopted son.

4.Why does Santiago let the marlin lead his boat instead of pulling the big fish up?

A. He wanted to kill the marlin first before he pulled it up to the boat.

B. He was too tired and hungry to pull the big fish up.

C. His experience told him not to do so before the fish was tired out.

D. He wanted to use the marlin as a bait to catch the sharks.

5.Which sentence below can be used to best describe Santiago’s character?

A. “He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.”(Para 1)

B. “Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks.”(Para4)

C. “Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon.”(Para7)

D. “Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on .”(Para 9)

6.According to the text, what will be talked about in the next paragraph?

A. the man’s action to realize his dream about the lions.

B. people’s reflection when they saw the giant marlin outside.

C. people’s discussion about how they ate the giant marlin.

D. a funeral held by the boy and the local people after his death.

 

Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30 and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door , she nearly tripped over (被绊倒)Sheba.

“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医).

When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.

“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”

“Sure.” said the doctor.

Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.

“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately, ”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”

At that moment, a police car screeched (发出尖锐的声音)to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.

“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.

“She’s fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now. ”

Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white—faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.

“My God, ” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”

“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat:it turned out to be three human fingers.”

1.What was Joanne supposed to do at 6:30?

A.To walk her dog.

B.To see her doctor.

C.To attend a club meeting.

D.To play tennis with her friends.

2.Joanne wanted to get back to her home again __________ .            .

A.to dress up for the meeting

B.to phone the police station

C.to catch the badly hurt burglar

D.to wait for her dog to be cured

3.From the passage, we can infer that________ .

A.Sheba fought against the burglar

B.the police found the burglar had broken in

C.Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting

D.the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog

4.In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is _________  .

A.clever            B.friendly           C.frightening         D.devoted

5.The underlined word “a burglar” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A.a cleaner          B.a physician         C.a thief            D.a murderer

 

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