Over time, animals have developed many ways to stay away from predators(食肉动物).Hiding is one of the best ways to stay alive.
Master of disguise(伪装)
Some animals hide by looking like the places where they live.Let's look at the leafy sea dragon.It is a master of disguise.
The sea dragon is covered with skin that looks like leaves.The skin helps the dragon look like a piece of seaweed.A hungry meat-eater would stay away from anything that looks like seaweed.
Skin is just one part of the sea dragon's disguise.Its fins(鳍)make another part.They are small.They slowly push the dragon through the water.So the dragon looks like it's floating-just like seaweed.
Show the colors
The leafy sea dragon hides to stay safe.Other animals stay safe by showing their colors.They want other animals to see them.Scientists call these bright colors warning colors.The colors tell predators to stay away.Think, for instance, what happens when a yellow bug flies in your face? Yellow is a warning colour.It tells you that it might be a bumblebee(大黄峰).You don't want to disturb those insects.
Blending in
Many animals use colors to match the place they live in.Some even change colors with the seasons.
The snowshoe hare has brown fur in summer.It blends in with the colors of fields.In fall, the hare loses its brown fur.It grows thick white fur.The new fur matches the snow in winter.
On the ball
The armadillo(犰狳)is only about two feet long and weighs 15 pounds.It has small teeth.So it cannot even bite to protect itself.
When an armadillo recognizes a predator, it first tries to run away.A scared armadillo rushes for the safety of its underground home.If an armadillo cannot get away, it hides in its shell (the armadillo has an armored shell).Most hungry hunters cannot bite to eat a living ball.
(1)
The best title of this passage might be ________.
[ ]
A.
Kinds of Animal Disguise
B.
Various Animal Self-protection
C.
What Animals Live on
D.
Various Ways of Animal Attack
(2)
How does a leafy sea dragon protect itself from being eaten by other animals?
[ ]
A.
It moves slowly in the sea.
B.
It has small fins.
C.
Its skin looks like leaves.
D.
Making other animals think it is only a seaweed.
(3)
Compared with the leafy sea dragon, what does a yellow bug do to protect itself?
[ ]
A.
It does the same as the leafy sea dragon.
B.
It does the opposite.
C.
It develops a special colour.
D.
It acts as if it can eat other animals.
(4)
Which of the following animals can change its colour with seasons in order to protect itself?
[ ]
A.
The armadillo.
B.
The leafy sea dragon.
C.
The yellow bug.
D.
The snowshoe hare.
阅读理解
When I was in junior high school, I was really a bad boy.My history teacher-Mr Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty in his class.
By the end of the first semester, I’d had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge on him.
The opportunity arose one morning when Mr.Oven was called to the office for a certain reason.While Mr.Oven left, my company Billy and I grabbed Mr.Oven’s lunch bag from under his desk.I opened his sandwich and placed a bug in between the two slices of bread.We put it back and closed it.To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process.We laughed for weeks over this.
Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break.Billy’s mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from.Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr.Oven was informed.Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team.Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000- word essay on what I did and why I did that.I really felt embarrassed every time I saw Mr.Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year.I felt a little regret that Mr.Oven left our school the next year.
(1)
Mr.Oven criticized me a lot because _________.
[ ]
A.
I disobeyed his rules in class
B.
I didn’t go to his class
C.
I didn’t answer his questions
D.
I was naughty in my homework
(2)
How can you imagine Mr.Oven when he had his lunch?
[ ]
A.
He would be glad to eat his delicious sandwich with the bug.
B.
He would eat it as usual when he had his sandwich.
C.
He would cry because he was afraid of the bug in his sandwich.
D.
He would be very angry when he found the bug in his sandwich.
(3)
The underlined sentence “Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break.” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
[ ]
A.
It was until Thanksgiving break that the secret was let out.
B.
All the students left on Thanksgiving break.
C.
All the students went south on Thanksgiving break.
D.
Billy and I went south during Thanksgiving break.
(4)
Which one was NOT true according to the article?
[ ]
A.
He had to be punished to leave school for two weeks.
B.
He was kicked off the football and basketball team.
C.
He had to eat the sandwich he had made for Mr.Oven.
D.
He had to write a 1000- word essay to acknowledge his mistake.
阅读理解
We have met the enemy and he i s our s.We bought him at a pet shop.When monkey-pox, a di sea se u sually found in the African rain fore st suddenly turn s up in children in the American Midwe st, it' s hard not to wonder of the di sea se that come s from foreign animal s i s homing in on human being s.“Mo st of the infection s we think of a s human infection s started in other animal s, ” say s Stephen Mor se, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedne s s at Columbia Univer sity.
It' s not ju st that we're going to where the animal s are; we're al so bringing them clo ser to u s.Popular foreign pet s have brought a whole new di sea se to thi s country.A strange illne s s killed I sak sen' s pet s and she now think s that keeping foreign pet s i s a bad idea, “I don't think it' s fair to have them a s pet s when we have such alimited knowledge of them.” say s I sak sen.
“Law s allowing the se animal s to be brought in from deep fore st area s without stricter control need changing.” say s Peter Schantz.Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call.Re searcher s believe infected animal s may infect their owner s.We know very little about the se new di sea se s.A new bug(病毒)may be kind at fir st.But it may develop into something harmful.Monkey-pox doe sn't look a major infectiou s di sea se.But it i s not impo s sible to pa s s the di sea se from per son to per son.
(1)
We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may ________.
[ ]
A.
come from Columbia
B.
prevent u s from being infected
C.
enjoy being with children
D.
suffer from monkey-pox
(2)
Why did I sak sen advi se people not to have foreign pet s?
[ ]
A.
Becau se they attack human being s.
B.
Becau se we need to study native animal s.
C.
Becau se they can't live out of the rain fore st.
D.
Becau se we do not know much about them yet.
(3)
What doe s the phra se “the wake-up call” in Paragraph 3 mo st probably mean?