Question

Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters

Among the dead in South Asia’ s tsunami（海啸）were many tourists at Sri Lanka’ s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.

First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound（次声）. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.

A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration（震动）. The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.

But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints（关节）, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.

1.Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?

A．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.

B．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.

C．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings.

D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away.

2.Which of the statements about “Rayleigh waves” is true?

A．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings.

B．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals.

C．Rayleigh waves are vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis.

D．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves.

3.According to the passage, which of the statement is true?

A．We can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger.

B．We ignore the information of tsunami’s coming even though we can also get it.

C．We were so busy on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves.

D．We can feel Rayleigh waves and infrasound so we can escape the danger like animals.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.A

3.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文分析了动物为什么可以逃开自然灾害？尤其分析了在这次的海啸中很多的短文逃生的原因。

1.D 细节题。根据第一段最后一句There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.说明动物似乎已经能够感觉到危险，会早点逃开。D正确。

2.A 细节题。根据文章3,4段We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints（关节）, which exist just for that purpose. 和Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves.说明动物和人都可以感觉到Rayleigh waves.故A正确。

3.B 细节题。根据文章倒数第二行it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it.说明B正确。

考点：考查科普类短文阅读

点评：本文分析了动物能够避开自然灾害的原因，属于科普类短文，此类文章的最大的障碍是词汇以及考生对阅读内容的不熟悉，需要考生在阅读的时候有足够的耐心。要养成在上下文串联中猜测词义的能力，根据上下文中出现的同义词，近义词，反义词，以及词义的解释来理解生词。同时要抓住文章的中心，不要受其他信息的影响。要根据题目及选项以及文章的上下文串联合理的判断推理