All living things on the earth need other living things to live. Nothing lives alone. Most animals must live in a group, and even a plant grows close together with others of the same kind. Sometimes one living thing kills another, one eats and the other is eaten. Each kind of life eats another kind of life in order to live, and together they form a food chain(食物链).Some food chains are simple, while others are not. But all food chains begin with the sun, and all food chains become broken up if one of the links disappears.
All life needs sunlight to live on. But only plants can use sunlight directly. Plants are“factories”.They make food from sunlight, water and things in the soil and air.
Plants feed all other living things. Animals can only use the sun’s energy after it has been changed into food by plants. Some animals feed directly on plants, others eat smaller animals. Meat-eating animals are only eating plants indirectly.
What about human beings? We are members of many food chains. We eat wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits and so on. We also eat meat and drink milk. But men often break up the food chains. They kill wild animals. They also make rivers, lakes and seas dirty. When these rivers, lakes and seas are polluted, the fish in them cannot be eaten. If men eat the fish, they will get strange diseases.
Each form of life is linked to all others. Breaking the links puts all life in danger. 
【小题1】How does every living thing on the earth live?
A. Each plant can live alone.
B. Each animal can live alone.
C. Every living thing on the earth cannot live without others.
【小题2】Which living things can use the sun’s energy directly?
A. Animals      B. Plants         C. All living things
【小题3】Who often break up the food chains?
A. Human beings
B. Animals
C. Plant and animals
【小题4】 Which of the following do you think is the best title of this passage?
A. Animals         B. Plants       C. Food Chains    
【小题5】Where can you probably find this passage?
A. In a news report.
B. In your textbook.
C. In a business magazine.

As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse” have negative(消极的) meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的) actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(残酷的)。
The rose is regarded as a symbol (象征) of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.
【小题1】“Every dog has its day.” Means “__________”

A.Everybody in the world is lucky.
B.Each person lives his own way of life.
C.If one works hard, he’s sure to succeed.
D.Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.
【小题2】Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “___________”.
A.a tired person
B.a brave man
C.a homeless person
D.an unkind woman
【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Words show differences in culture.
B.Chinese people prefer dogs to cats.
C.Western people think cats to be good friends.
D.Rose is the national flower of all western countries.
【小题4】What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Negative or Positive
B.Different Countries Have Different Culture
C.Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English
D.What Dog and Cat Mean in English and Chinese

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