Many different tribes live in the Ituri rain forest of Africa, but the Pygmies are the most unusual. Most of the men are not much more than four feet tall. They weigh only about eighty pounds. The women are even smaller and thinner. But in spite of the fact that they are small, these people are perfectly formed men and women.

      It is an exciting experience to visit a Pygmy encampment for the first time. Before you go, you must send word ahead that you are coming. Some friendly native or trader must take the message to the Tiki-Tikis. Otherwise the whole tribe will disappear into the depths of the jungle long before you have come close enough to be welcomed.

      The great Ituri rain forest seems cut off from the rest of the earth. There are living, dead, and dying trees on every side. Except where a clearing has been burned and chopped out, a man may live his whole life in the Ituri and never see farther than twenty yards.

      It takes sharp eyes to discover the almost hidden path to the Pygmy camp. The path is no wider than a small man’s foot. No sound breaks the silence in this part of the forest. There are no signs of people.

      The stranger must walk carefully. What appears to be a bent branch may prove to be a deadly snake. A spotted gold patch of sunlight may be a crouching leopard(豹).

Even the Pygmy camp comes as a surprise. The leafy shelters in which the little people live are hardly three feet high. They look so much like the surrounding undergrowth that they might easily be passed by. These houses contain no furniture of any sort. The beds are merely plantain leaves spread out on the earth floor. There are no cooking pots: food is eaten raw or smoked over a fire. Spears, bows and arrows are the only possessions of these people. When the tribe moves to a new camp there is nothing to carry except these weapons and babies too small to walk.

According to the passage, we can conclude _____.

    A. the Pygmies are the shortest tribe worldwide

    B. the Pygmies are short but normal in mentality

    C. most of the Pygmy men are more than four feet

    D. the Pygmies live in the forest of America

Paragraph 2 mainly suggests that the Pygmies ______.

    A. are unwilling to communicate with people outside

    B. are very cruel and they will kill you with the spears

    C. are friendly to the tourists visiting them for the first time

    D. move so fast and often that can’t be caught up with easily

Which of the following word can describe the life of Pygmy?

    A. Quiet.        B. Active.     C. Hard.        D. Busy.

Which of the following is TRUE of the Pygmy?

    A. Their houses can’t be easily found in the hurt rain forest.

    B. Their houses, which are three feet high, are made of wood.

    C. Weapons and cooking pots are their most valuable possessions.

D. They are living in harmony with dangerous animals around.

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

下面是一篇应用文及其应用场合,请阅读下列应用文和相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。

首先,请阅读下列应用文:

Great Swimming Adventures

     If you’re a keen swimmer, this could be for you — great swimming adventures around the world including swimming in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, the Greek Cyclades islands, or with seals in the Hebrides.

The Magic of Romania’s Mountains on Foot — & with a Donkey

     Explore the fantastic scenery, sites and sounds f the Apuseni Mountains in Romania on a walking and hiking holiday. Suitable for families and groups. The holidays are accompanied with one donkey per adult to carry luggage!

Vocation, Vocation

     Why not test-drive your dream job on your holiday? It could be the start of a whole range of different opportunities. Travel to the USA, where jobs to try include a sports announcer in Tennessee, a boot maker in Oklahoma or an architect in Boston.

Out of space

     Get a unique insight into space with a visit to Russia on a space tour — including a visit to the Star City Training Center, where astronauts are trained. The itinerary (行程) is tailored to meet your interests — an incredible experience for any space fans.

Go Wild on an Art Safari

     Perfect for art lovers, this is a painting holiday in a fantastically unspoiled setting — Malawi. With good tuition and surrounded by the beautiful scenery, sites and sounds of this African country art holidays don’t get much better.

Exploring the Deep Blue Sea

     If you love the ocean why not take a deep water expedition, with trips in submersibles (潜水器) to wrecks (失事船) such as the Bismark, the Titanic and the HMS Breadalbane under the Arctic. Plus see amazing marine life — for holidays offering real adventure these are hard to beat.

    请阅读以下度假者的信息,然后匹配他或她适合的假期生活:

Glen has always shown his strong attraction to the sea. His father used to be a sailor and often tells him some interesting stories on wrecks. Glen wishes he would become a sailor just like his father and that he could take real water adventures some day. Perhaps he will have a chance to refloat those famous wrecks in history.

Melvin, a born “artist”, enjoys painting very much. His parents give him much support and encourage him to study hard so as to be successful as painter.

While others go to school by bike or by bus, Wendy always goes to school on foot, which she thinks is important and necessary to keep fit. This summer, her family are planning to take a holiday abroad without taking any vehicles. The destination is likely to be a country of southeast Europe to enjoy the beautiful scenery there.

Boris is always dreaming of flying to the moon one day in the future. He always worships those who have ever had an adventure in space. Of course, it is, as he himself knows, not so easy to realize such a big dream, for that needs to be athletic enough to get trained in all ways before going into space.

Emma likes drawing very much, but she has hardly considered to be an artist one day. Instead, she wishes to be admitted to a famous university and learn the science of designing and constructing buildings, which also needs one’s ability of drawing.

It was the first mow of winter -- an exciting day for every, child but not for most tether. Up until now, l had been able to dress myself for recess(课间休息), but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days ,tony times in her long career, but I think struggled still remember this one.

I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I straggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots. In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on own boots. “ I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.

I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do an the work. After mush wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.

I announced,“They’re on the wrong feet.”With the grace that only experience can bring,she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.Then I said,“These aren’t my boots.you know.”As she pulled the offending boots from my feet,she still managed to look both helpful and interested.Once they were off.I said,“They are my brother’s boots.My mother makes me wear them,and I hate them!” Somehow,from long years of practice,she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl.She pushed and shoved.less gently this time,and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet.With a great sigh of relief,seeing the end of her struggle with me,she asked,“Now,where are your gloves?’’

I looked into her eyes and said.“I didn’t want to lose them.so I put them into the toes of my boots.”

60.According to the passage,the little girl got      from her brother.

A.the wool snow pants and the jacket    B.the jacket and the boots

C.the jacket and the hat                D.the boots and the gloves

61.What made it so hard for the teacher to help the little girl put her boots on?

A.The gloves in the toes of the boots.    B.The slowness of the teacher.

C.The wrong size of the boots.              D.The unwillingness of the girl.

62.It can be inferred that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter,the teacher had to help her put on her boots       .

A.once    B.twice    C.three times  D.four times

63.Which of the following sentences from the text BEST indicates that the teacher is very considerate?

A.In her calm,motherly voice she said,“By the end of winter,…”(Paragraph 2)

B.With the grace that only experience can bring,she struggled to…(Paragraph 4)

C.….she still managed to look both helpful and interested.(Paragraph 4)

D.…,she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl.(Paragraph 4)

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages?  The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway.  This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders(火蜥蜴)and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.  You might see an animal overpass!
【小题1】 The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that __________.

A.wild animals have become more dangerous
B.the driving condition has improved greatly
C.an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
D.the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
【小题2】From the story, we know an eco-passage is __________.
A.an underground path for cars
B.a fence built for the safety of the area
C.a bridge for animals to get over a river
D.a path for animals to cross the road
【小题3】 When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on” (Para. 6), he means __________.
A.animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B.animals are crossing the road in groups
C.animals are increasing in number
D.animals begin to learn to use eco-passages
【小题4】 The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because __________.
A.wild animals may attack carsB.they may see wild animals on eco-passages
C.they may see wild animals in the parkD.wild animals may jam the road
【小题5】 The best title for the passage is __________.
A.Special bridges help animals cross the road
B.Endangered animals increase because of roadkill
C.Animals fail to cross the road
D.Take steps to protect animals in danger

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