Early one morning the sub-inspector at a station at the other end of the town rang me. An elephant was damaging the town. Would I please come and do something about it? I did not know what I could do, but I got onto a horse and started out. I took my gun, maybe too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might scare him. Various local people stopped me on the way and told me about the elephant's doings. It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one. It had been chained up but last night it had broken its chain and escaped. Its owner had set out to run after it, but had taken the wrong direction. He was now twelve hours' journey away, and in the morning the elephant had suddenly appeared in the town. It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut (棚屋), killed a cow and turned over fruit¬stalls. I came round the hut and saw a man's dead body sprawling in the mud. He was an Indian, and he could not have been dead many minutes. The people said that the elephant caught him with its trunk, put its foot on his back and   grounded him into the earth. This was the rainy season and he was lying on his stomach in the soft mud, the peacebreaker standing beside, looking innocent. As I lifted my gun, I hesitated a few seconds. Then I fired. That was a shot for him. You could see the pain of it knocking the last strength from his legs. But in falling he seemed for a moment to rise, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, with a crash that shook the ground.

1.Which of the following statements about the author is TRUE?

2.The elephant made so much trouble because ________.

3.The underlined words “the peacebreaker” in Paragraph 4 refer to ________.

4.It can be inferred that the author felt ________ when he shot the elephant.

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments---mostly for entertainment purposes --- is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely and far from their natural homes.

Zoo claims to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leaves zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behaviour, intelligence, or beauty. Zoo keeps animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and another species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we still save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1.How would the author describe the animals’ life in Zoos?

A．Dangerous        B．Unhappy          C．Natural           D．Easy

2.In the state of zoochosis, animals _______________.

A．remain in cages                         B．behave strangely

C．attack other animals                     D．enjoy moving around

3.According to the passage what point of view does the author hold?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

4.The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by________.

A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do

B．using evidence he has collected at zoos

C．exploring the way animals are protected

D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats

5.Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that___________.

A．zoos have to keep animals in small spaces

B．most animals in zoos are endangered species

C．some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos

D．it’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats

The African elephant,the largest land animal remaining on earth,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统).Unlike other animals,the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives,therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).

It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat.In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day,it kills small trees and underbushes,and pulls branches off big trees.This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example.In their natural state,the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor.By pulling down trees and eating plants,elephants make open spaces,allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor.In such situations,the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species.If the elephant disappears,scientists say,many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna,greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.Disappearance of African elephants.

B.Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.

C.The effect of African elephants’ search for food.

D.The eating habit of African elephants.

2.What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?

A.Fixing the time.

B.Worsening the state.

C.Improving the quality.

D.Deciding the conditions.

3.What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?

A.They result from the destruction of rain forests.

B.They provide food mainly for African elephants.

C.They are home to many endangered animals.

D.They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds.

4.The passage is developed mainly by ______.

A.showing the effect and then explaining the causes

B.pointing out similarities and differences

C.describing the changes in spare order

D.giving examples

To wash yourself, you take a bath(洗澡) or a shower. Animals need to keep clean, too. How do animals clean themselves?

Cats lick（舔）themselves to keep their fur clean. Have you ever watched a pet cat clean itself?

Elephants take baths much as you do. But instead of jumping into the tub（浴缸）, they walk into a river or lake.

Pigs also like to roll around in water. This keeps them clean and cool. If there is no clean water, they will roll in mud（泥）on a hot day. They do this to cool off. Pigs do not really like mud. They are happier in a nice, clean pond(水池).

Bats have a funny way to keep clean. They lick their thumbs to clean their ears!

Guess how polar bears clean themselves. They use snow, of course!

Some animals take baths in dust instead of water! The wombat(毛鼻袋熊) is an Australian animal with lots of fur. To get clean, it lies down. Then it covers itself with sand!

Birds clean themselves in many ways. Sometimes they wash in water. That’s why some people put birdbaths in their yard. At other times birds take dust baths, just like wombats. Birds also use their beaks（喙）to keep their feathers clean. They use their beaks the way you use a comb.

Sometimes a bird has itchy bugs（发痒的虫子）in its feathers. Birds may use ants to help them clean off the bugs. A bird will lie down on an ant nest. Then the ants will crawl on the bird. The ants make a kind of bug spray（喷雾）on the feathers;. Then the itchy bugs die!

Birds take baths in something else besides dust and ants! Some birds take “smoke baths” They sit on chimneys. They wave their wings in the smoke!

This passage mainly tells us       .

A. why some people put birdbaths in their yard  B. why birds allow ants to crawl on their body

C. how animals cool off on hot days           D. how some animals keep clean

What is a pig’s favorite way to get clean?

A. Licking itself.               B. Lying down on ants.

C. Rolling in nice, thick mud.     D. Taking a bath in clean water.

Which of the following animals use dust to clean themselves?

A. Cats.         B. Bats.       C. Wombats.           D. Ants.

“Everybody loves a bargain.” Is a well-known saying. One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away.  They put them outside their house.  They put on a "For Sale" sign.  And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.

The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper.  It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn.

Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight -- like tired guests at a party -- waiting for someone to take them home.

Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs. Then there are objects called "white elephants."  A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.

Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special.  They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.  They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object.  Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought.

1.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?

    A．Cheap and ugly things．                            B．Things people no longer use．

    C．Things out of season．                             D．Things of great value．

2.A white elephant refers to ______ ．

    A．something that can cause n feeling of pain

    B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others

    C．something sold at the lowest price

    D．a toy shaped like a fish

3.Most people go to yard sales to ______ ．

    A．find Valuable paintings                            B．look for something special

    C．find a bargain                                     D．kill their time

4.Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?

    A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold．

    B．It can last for a whole day．

    C．It is usually held with a party．

    D．It is held outdoors．

5.We can infer from the last paragraph that ______ ．

    A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale

    B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income

    C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot

    D．most people who go to yard sales want to make money