In most people’s opinion, the tiger is not an animal that we would ordinarily think of as being chicken. However, one tiger, which lives in an English zoo, turned out to be more cowardly( 胆小的) than his keepers could ever have imagined.

   Tanvir, a two-year-old Bengal tiger, got stuck at the top of a new 5m-high activity tower in the zoo, after climbing it for the first time.

   The wooden tower had been designed to provide mental exercise for Tanvir by testing his ability of dealing with troublesome situations, but after climbing it in just a few seconds, he lost his courage when it came to coming back down. Tanvir went on to spend nearly two days at the top of the tower trying to collect the courage to attempt to get down.

  A spokesperson for the zoo said that several days before Tanvir had taken half an hour to get down a lower tower only 1.5m high, and the taller tower had clearly been too much challenging for him.

 “Every time he got to the edge, he looked out, put a paw over, and thought, ‘no, I cannot make it!’”laughed Samantha Cordrey, Tanvir’s keeper. In the end Tanvir’s hunger defeated his fear, and after almost 48 hours he made his way down. Burying himself in a big meal just like a hungry pig, Tanvir seemed to forget such a shameful experience for a while.

  It appears that his experience would not be the worst in Tanvir’s life if he continued to act like a chicken. It is not known whether he will take courage to go back up his exercise tower again.

  The whole episode(插曲) only serves to show the difficulties faced by zoo staff in creating environments that will improve animals’ living ability in enclosed space.

1.When speaking of Tanvir’s shameful experience, Samantha Cordrey might feel it was_____.

  A. funny      B. surprising    C. exciting     D. unbelievable

2.What made Tanvir get down the 5m-high activity tower at last?

  A. The coldness of the weather.       B. The direction from his keepers.

  C. The sufferings of being hungry     D. The fear of being alone

3. Why does the author say “this experience would not be the worst in Tanvir’s life if…”(Paragraph 6)?

  A. Because Tanvir’s keepers will design more difficult exercise for him.

  B. Because Tanvir is so cowardly that he has little courage to meet greater 

    challenges.

  C. Because Tanvir’s bad health will bring him much trouble in practice.

  D. Because Tanvir is always careless and often causes trouble by accident.

4. The zoo designed the 5m-high activity tower to______.

  A. make Tanvir become brave   

B. improve Tanvir’s performance skills

  C. let tourists watch Tanvir better   

D. improve Tanvir’s living ability

In most people’s opinion, the tiger is not an animal that we would ordinarily think of as being chicken. However, one tiger, which lives in an English zoo, turned out to be more cowardly( 胆小的) than his keepers could ever have imagined.
Tanvir, a two-year-old Bengal tiger, got stuck at the top of a new 5m-high activity tower in the zoo, after climbing it for the first time.
The wooden tower had been designed to provide mental exercise for Tanvir by testing his ability of dealing with troublesome situations, but after climbing it in just a few seconds, he lost his courage when it came to coming back down. Tanvir went on to spend nearly two days at the top of the tower trying to collect the courage to attempt to get down.
A spokesperson for the zoo said that several days before Tanvir had taken half an hour to get down a lower tower only 1.5m high, and the taller tower had clearly been too much challenging for him.
“Every time he got to the edge, he looked out, put a paw over, and thought, ‘no, I cannot make it!’”laughed Samantha Cordrey, Tanvir’s keeper. In the end Tanvir’s hunger defeated his fear, and after almost 48 hours he made his way down. Burying himself in a big meal just like a hungry pig, Tanvir seemed to forget such a shameful experience for a while.
It appears that his experience would not be the worst in Tanvir’s life if he continued to act like a chicken. It is not known whether he will take courage to go back up his exercise tower again.
The whole episode(插曲) only serves to show the difficulties faced by zoo staff in creating environments that will improve animals’ living ability in enclosed space.
【小题1】When speaking of Tanvir’s shameful experience, Samantha Cordrey might feel it was_____.

Ammie Reddick from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was only 18 months old when she had the accident that has scarred her for life. While her mother was away for a moment, the inquisitive baby reached up to a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water all over her tiny body.

An ambulance was called and rushed the baby to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Ammie's body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. The doctors could tell immediately that Ammie's best chance of survival was a specialized burns unit(科) some miles away at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie's body, surgeons performed complex skin grafts（移植）to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie had 12 more operations to repair her body.

When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age four, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn't play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,”she recalls. “Some children refused to become friends because of that.”

Today, age 17, Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further operations. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.

Ammie's parents Ruby, a funeral director and Gibby, a policeman, have been a great support. “They told me if people had a problem with my burns, the problem was theirs not mine,” says Ammie. “They taught me to cope with other people's reactions and constantly reminded me I was valued and loved." Ammie's positive philosophy（人生观） means she is now in demand with burns organizations, helping younger patients build their self-esteem  to live with permanent scars.

“Now she is a member of the Scottish Burned Children's Club, which a charity set up last year.” says Donald Todd, chairman of the club and a senior burns nurse at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, “Ammie provides so much encouragement for younger ones. She is upbeat and outgoing and a perfect role model for them.”

This month, Ammie will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Centre in Cambridgeshire for the charity's first summer camp . "I'll show them how to shrug off  unkind stares from others," she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops and she plans to show the youngsters at summer camp that they can too. "I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars," she says. “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”

Ammie was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary because ____________ .

  A. it was the nearest hospital away from her home

  B. it was a hospital specializing in childhood disease

  C. only there can skin grafts be performed

D. it has more advanced and specialized techniques to cure burns

How many operations will Ammie have to receive altogether?

  A. 12                 B. 13                   C. 14               D. 15

The underlined phrase “shrug off” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ______ .

  A. perform        B. ignore               C. accept           D. tolerate

Which of the following best describes Ammie’s?

  A. Strong-minded, optimistic and helpful

B. Shy, pessimistic and discouraged

  C. Fashionable, sensitive and easygoing

  D. Careful, confident and intelligent

Ammie Reddick from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was only 18 months old when she had the accident that had scarred（留下创伤） her for life. The curious child reached up to grab the wire of a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water over her tiny infant frame.
Her mother Ruby turned round and, seeing Ammie horribly burnt, called an ambulance which rushed her daughter to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Ammie’s body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie’s body, doctors performed complex skin transplants to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie underwent 12 more operations to repair her body.
When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age 4, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn’t play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,” she recalled, “some children refused to become friends because of that.”
Today, aged 17, Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further skin transplants. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.
She is a member of the Scottish Burned Children’s Club, a charity set up last year. This month, Ammie will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Center in Cambridgeshire for the charity’s first summer camp. “I’ll show them how to get rid of unkind stares from others,” she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops, and she plans to show the youngsters at the summer camp that they can too. “I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars,” she says, “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”
【小题1】How many operations has Ammie already had?