There are many kinds of heroes. Even animals can be heroes. This passage tells about three amazing animals. Each one is a hero!
Thumper, the Dog

Thumper was a dog that lived with a family which had a three-year-old son named Benjamin. One day Benjamin wandered(闲逛) into a large field. The grass in the field was taller than he was, so he could not find his way out. Hundreds of people began to search for Benjamin. When they found him, they saw Thumper stayed with Benjamin and kept him warm. So Benjamin had stayed safe.
Lulu, the Pig

The Altsmans had a pet pig named Lulu. One summer the couple went camping and took Lulu with them. The husband went fishing one morning. The wife didn’t feel well, so she and Lulu stayed in the camper. Suddenly Mrs. Altsman fell to the floor. Lulu pushed the camper door open and climbed out for help. When a car came by, she lay down in front of it. When the driver got out, Lulu led him back to the camper. The man called for help and Mrs. Altsman was taken to hospital.
Sugar, the Cat

Sugar was a beautiful cat. Three years ago she wandered onto the Woods’ farm in California and Mrs. Woods began feeding her. Mrs. Woods noticed something wrong with the cat’s left leg, but this didn’t make Sugar any less special. Mrs. Woods loved Sugar. Later the couple moved to a new farm in Oklahoma. They gave Sugar to a neighbor who would take good care of her, because they knew she wouldn’t like riding in cars for days. However, Sugar walked across deserts and mountains and traveled more than 1,500 miles to the Woods’ new farm! Mr. and Mrs. Woods could hardly believe their eyes. No one knows how Sugar found her way to Oklahoma.
【小题1】How did Thumper help Benjamin?

词汇应用

1.Here ______(be) the four home pages.

2.I live in a __________(wood) house.

3.I climb a ladder ______(get)into my house.

4.A garden is the best place ____________(grow) flowers.

5.There are two _________(balcony) in my house.

6.We will study _______________(thirty) lesson tomorrow.

7._________(colour) these pictures is very interesting.

8.There’s a dog ______(lie) on the grass.

9.He is one of the best ___________(run) in the school.

10.Fruit is ______ ( help ) to us all.

According to some predictions, human beings will die out in 2012. Nearly all people think it’s impossible, but there are some more earthquakes in recent years.

Animals can predict the weather or other natural events. It may sound strange, but farmers living in the countryside think so. For hundreds of years , they have observed animals.

“Animals ’ behavior can be connected to future weather conditions or events.” They say. For example, if cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming. There are many traditional stories connecting animals and natural events. Many people think that these stories don’t have scientific evidence( 根据 ) at all. Scientists, however, are beginning to take another look at some of these ideas.

A Japanese earthquake researcher named Kiyoshi Shimamura noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquake hit. Then he did research on twelve public health centers in Kobe, Japan. These health centers treated people after the 1995 earthquake . He got some interesting information about the month before the big earthquake:  treatment for animals’ bites had increased . In fact, aggressive(侵略的)behavior in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly , jumped 60 percent.

There are also other changes in animals’ behavior before the earthquake. For example, fish began swimming together in large groups , but only in the middle of the water and not near the edges. Birds flew away from their nests for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected . These animals’ behavior suggests that animals may be able to predict natural events better than people.

1.What would cows behave before a rainstorm?

A．Running          B．Biting             C．Lying down        D．Sleeping

2.What do dogs begin to do just before an earthquake?

A．They leave their homes.                  B．They hurt people.

C．They lie down in grass.                   D．They stay together in large groups.

3.Which of the following animals behave strangely before an earthquake according to this passage?

A．Fish              B．Cows             C．Pigs              D．All of the above.

4.In Kiyoshi Shimamura’s investigation(调查)，before the big earthquake, treatment for animals’  bites had _________.

A．disappeared       B．increased         C．been the same as before.  D．never changed.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Natural events and animals’ actions.

B．What animals do during earthquakes

C．Many earthquakes of Japan.

D．Some stories about animals.