From a young age, it was my dream to go to Africa and work with animals. Everybody laughed at me, but my mother, Vanne, told me never to give up, and that I could always find a way.

So, when I was 23, after saving up my earnings from working as a waitress, I went to wild, untamed (野性的) Africa and began my work. In 1960 I went to the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve. At that time, we knew nothing of the behavior or social structure of chimps (黑猩猩), and I was to go there and see what I could find out. Usually, when you wake up, you leave your dreams behind you, but I found myself waking up to my dream.

As the British government wouldn’t let me go without older women’s company, my amazing mother came with me and stayed for four months. We shared a second-hand army tent, and we used the stream for fresh water and washing. We could swim in the lake, although there were crocodiles.

It was beautiful there, although both my mother and I nearly died of malaria (疟疾). I was scared I wouldn’t be able to do what I had set out to, because, at first, the chimps ran away from me in fear. I spent my days watching, listening, tracking and in the evenings writing up my notes.

For my mother, who stayed back at the camp, it must have been terrifying, and very lonely. There were snakes and spiders, as well as an old leopard who would come by. But she had an amazing way with people, and would hand out medicines to the fishermen, who saw her as a witch doctor.

In my fifth month there, I finally saw one of the chimps, which I called David Greybeard, stripping (剥光) straw to “fish” for termites (白蚁). It proved that man wasn’t the only toolmaker, and that everything had to be redefined.

What does the author mean by saying “I found myself waking up to my dream” in the second paragraph?

A. She lacked sleep due to busy work.

B. She found her dream was hard to realize.

C. She had more new dreams about her work.

D. She tried to realize her dream every day.

The author was afraid at the Reserve in the beginning because _____.

A. there were crocodiles in the lake    B. she could not get close to the chimps

C. it was hard to get clean water   D. the chimps attacked her sometimes

The author’s mother was thought of by the local people as _____.

A. helpful and warm-hearted         B. funny and selfish

C. romantic and talkative  D. honest and hardworking

Which of the following is the author’s important discovery?

A. She found a new kind of termite.

B. Chimps can communicate with each other.

C. Some other animals can also make tools.

D. Chimps can find medicines to cure themselves.


They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(骡子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early; my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.
As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed, As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤) us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.
The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon – by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转) the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.
As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?

A.They made a careful preparation before the trip
B.They children were more joyful than their parents.
C.Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected.
D.The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view.
【小题2】The underlined expression “Our legs were like jelly” probably means            .
A.we were weakB.we were unhappy
C.we were dissatisfiedD.we were disappointed
【小题3】Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?
A.It proved to be frightening.B.It was more comfortable
C.It turned out to be excitingD.It made each of them tired.
【小题4】We can infer from the passage that          .
A.experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way
B.one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon.
C.the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion.
D.the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident.

Dogs may not know exactly what you are doing especially when you’re trying to figure out a square root or diagram a sentence. But according to a new study, dogs can understand what we’re thinking and feeling by reading our facial expressions and body language and following our eyes.

Researchers studied 29 dogs. The dogs were shown a movie where a woman looked directly at them and said “Hi dog!” Then, the woman looked at a flowerpot sitting next to her. The researchers found that when the woman looked at and spoke directly to a dog, the dog usually followed her eyes to the flowerpot. It proved that the dogs knew that the woman was thinking about the flowerpot.

“By following the eye movements of dogs, we were able to get a first-hand look at how their minds are actually working,” said Jozsef, the senior researcher.

Later in the movie, the woman said “Hi dogs” in a low voice and didn’t look at the dog before looking at the flowerpot. In that situation, the dogs didn’t seem to understand what the woman was thinking. There was no eye contact, and the woman didn’t appear to speak to the dogs directly.

That comes as no surprise to dog trainer Jones. “Dogs normally speak through nonverbal signals. It’s more natural to them,” she said. “If you’ve ever watched dogs at a dog park, you’ve seen it. Within 30 seconds they enter the park, much information has passed between the new dog and the ones already in the park. They’re exchanging looks, observing eyes and body posture. On the other hand, when you speak to a dog, they are learning a foreign language.”

Picking up your nonverbal signals seems more natural. So, if you were hoping that all this means your dog could help you solve your math problems, you’re probably out of luck. But he or she might be a lot more in tune with what you’re thinking than you previously thought.

1.How could the researchers find that the dogs understood the woman’s intention?

A.By speaking to them directly.

B.By reading their eye movements.

C.By following their facial expressions.

D.By asking the dog trainer questions.

2.According to the text, Jones finds that ______.

A.dogs usually speak through verbal signals

B.dogs learn a great deal more at a dog park

C.dogs can understand humans’ words easily

D.dogs speak through eyes and body language

3.It is implied in the text that dogs can read your emotions only if ______.

A.you manage to get their attention

B.you like making friends with them

C.you are familiar with their behavior

D.you can pick up their verbal signals

4.What does the underlined phrase “be in tune with” in the last paragraph mean?

A.refuse

B.approve

C.understand

D.love

 

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

   

A.opportunity

B. reality

C.impossible

D.importantly E. ordinary

F. achieve       G.. view      H. fame        I. laughed at     J. formed

 

This I Believe

I believe in the challenge to accomplish something out of the ordinary. I have ___41__ this belief from the Guinness Book of World Records. That book showed me the value of equal ____42__and competition. It proved to me, early on, that I could rise above anonymity and ___43___ remarkable things.

The Guinness Book of World Records taught me to believe in the “accessibility of the “___44__”. I was attracted by the descriptions in the book: the fastest, the longest, the widest, the most …whatever you can imagine. It opened up the possibility of what I might be able to do.

The Guinness Book of World Records taught me tenacity and perseverance and, more __45___, the desire to do something unexpected. So many people in the book were __46___ by family and friends for what they were doing. Yet they did it. I see them as success stories --- the ___47____ people who did something extraordinary.

I am not saving the world. I am not the best at what I do, but I am only 24 --- there is still time.

The Guinness Book of World Records helped give me a different ___48___ on the impossible, and encouraged me to try something unusual. I believe in making the “dream ” a ___49____, and I hope to someday break a few records myself.

 

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