Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—animals.
  That’s right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.
  One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”. A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.
  A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of Earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.
  A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.
In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.
【小题1】Through the passage the writer hopes to explore __________.

A.why animals send a danger signal before an earthquake
B.how animals know when an earthquake is coming
C.why animals not men have good sense of danger
D.how much animals know about an earthquake
【小题2】 During an earthquake in China in 1975, _________.
A.chickens refused to go out of their cage
B.snakes were frozen to death in their caves
C.snakes awoke from their winter sleep earlier
D.cows broke their halters and escaped from their sheds
【小题3】Which of the following is one of earthquake nerves according to the passage?
A.An Arabian horse tried to escape from his enclosure.
B.A cougar had an upset stomach unexpectedly.
C.An Australian horse was perfectly calm.
D.A cat acted very strangely in a zoo.
【小题4】The scientists did an experiment with a group of dogs to _________.
A.find out that the machine could record unusual happenings
B.compare the reactions of animals and those of humans
C.prove that animals could sense more than humans
D.find out what exact warnings animals sent


IV. 阅读理解:(共20题,每小题2分,共40分)
(A)
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."
36. The house the writer's family lived in was ________.
A. the best they could afford           B. right for their social position
C. for showing off                   D. rather small
37. His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
A. it made him feel uneasy            B. it was too old to work well
C. it was too expensive to possess       D. it was too cheap
38. The writer's father enjoyed being in the middle class because ________.
A. it drew attention to him                   B. it didn't bring him in arguments
C. it was understood as a joke             D. he disliked showing off
39. What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
A. He was very unhappy.                B. He didn't believe it.
C. He was delighted.                    D. He had mixed feelings.
40. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Children who can go to Eton are very famous
B. Children can go to Eton if they will
C. It is very difficult for a child to get a chance to go to Eton
D. Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton


As we drove along, my spirits went up again, and I turned, with pleasure, to the thought of the new life which I was entering. But though it was not far past the middle of September, the heavy clouds and strong north-easterly wind combined to make the day extremely cold; and the journey seemed a very long one, so that it was nearly one o’clock before we reached the place of our destination. Yet when we entered the gateway, my heart failed me, and I wished it were a mile or two farther off. For the first time in my life I must stand alone: there was no retreating now. I must enter that house, and introduce myself among its strange people. But how was it to be done? True, I was near nineteen; but, thanks to the protecting care of my mother and sister, I well knew that many a girl of fifteen, or under, was gifted with a more womanly address, and greater ease and self-possession, than I was. Yet, anyway. I would do very well, after all; and the children, of course, I should soon be at ease with them.
"Be calm, be calm, whatever happens," I said within myself; and truly I was so fully occupied in steadying my nerves and keeping down the rebellious beat of my heart that when I was admitted into the hall and into the presence of Mrs. Bloomfield, I almost forgot to answer her polite greeting; and it afterwards struck me that the little I did say was spoken in the tone of one half-dead or half-asleep.
With due politeness, however, she showed me my bedroom, and left me there to take a little refreshment for a little while and led me into the dining-room. Some beefsteaks and potatoes were set before me; and while I dined upon these, she sat opposite, watching me (as I thought) and trying to keep something like a conversation— consisting chiefly of commonplace remarks. In fact, my attention was almost wholly absorbed in my dinner: not from appetite, but from the toughness of the beefsteaks, and the numbness of my hands.
“I have had so little time to attend to their education myself, but I think they are clever children, and very willing to learn, especially the little boy; he is, I think, the flower of the flock— a generous, noble-spirited boy, one to be led, but not driven, and remarkable for always speaking the truth.” “His sister Mary Ann will require watching,” continued she, “but she is a very good girl on the whole, though I wish her to be kept out of the nursery as much as possible, as she is now almost six years old, and might acquire bad habits from the nurses. I have ordered her bed to be placed in your room, and if you will be so kind as to look after her washing and dressing, and take charge of her clothes, she needs to have nothing further to do with the nursery maid.”
I replied I was quite willing to do so; and at that moment the children entered the room. Tom Bloomfield was a well-grown boy of seven. Mary was a tall girl, for her age of six, somewhat dark like her mother. The second sister was Fanny, a very pretty little girl, looking little younger than Mary. The remaining one was Harriet, a little broad, fat, merry, playful thing of scarcely two, whom I had more desire for than all the rest — but with her I had nothing to do.
【小题1】Which of the following statements best describes how the writer felt when she entered Mrs. Bloomfield's home?

A.She was nervous, dissatisfied with her manners but still confident.
B.She was cold, hungry but eager to see all the children in the family.
C.She was frightened, nervous and regretful about her decision.
D.She was calm, confident and very happy with all the family.
【小题2】What job would the writer take in Mrs Bloomfield's home?
A.A nursery maid.B.A house cleaner.C.A home cook.D.A family teacher.
【小题3】Which of the following was TRUE according to the passage?
A.The writer had some difficulty with her lunch because of the tough food and the cold.
B.The delicious food took the writer's attention away from Mrs. Bloomfield’s words.
C.All the children were well educated before the writer came to the family.
D.All the children in the family were looked after by Mrs Bloomfield herself.
【小题4】From the passage, we can infer that ___________.
A.Mrs Bloomfield would treat the writer kindly and help her a lot
B.The youngest girl Harriet would be the writer’s favorite student
C.the writer would take on more responsibilities than she should
D.Tom Bloomfield would be the cleverest of all the children

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