题目内容
B. will attack
C. have attacked
D. are being attacked
We human beings haven’t been good friends to animals. For thousands of years, we have been polluting the environment, making it hard for animals to live on the planet. We have been killing animals for their fur, feathers or meat, or simply because they are dangerous. As a result, many kinds of animals have disappeared forever. Hundreds more are on the endangered list today.
Should we care about animals? Of course we should. If animals of a certain kind all disappear, they will never come back again. Animals are more than just resources of things we need. Every kind of animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying any kind of animal can lead to many problems. For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks, the corn and grain that the farmers stored were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With less and less hawks to keep down their numbers, rats and mice multiplied quickly. And if people kill too many birds, more and more insects will eat the crops.
Luckily, we’ve realized that we shouldn’t kill animals any more. And people are working hard to save those animals that would disappear soon. The government also passed laws to protect the endangered animals. In fact, quite a few countries have passed such laws. These laws forbid the killing of any kind of animal on the endangered list. We should try our best to protect and save the endangered animals.
【小题1】The text calls on us to__________.
| A.keep animals at home | B.protect the environment |
| C.protect the endangered animals | D.know more about the balance of nature. |
| A.Animals cause many serious problems. |
| B.They kill animals for something they need. |
| C.Animals destroy their natural resources. |
| D.They kill animals to protect the environment |
| A.there were too many rats and mice |
| B.hawks are the most important in the nature |
| C.animals are good food resources |
| D.every kind of animal is important in nature |
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noises with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle (奇迹) it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing. Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing pos
itions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
【小题1】According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is .
| A.our ability to use language | B.the miracle of technology |
| C.our ability to make noises with mouth | D.the amazing power of nature |
| A.Lifting heads when sad. | B.Keeping long faces when angry. |
| C.Bowing heads when willing to obey. | D.Bristling hair when ready to attack. |
| A.Body language is unique to humans. |
| B.Animals express emotions just as humans do. |
| C.Humans are no different from animals to some degree. |
| D.Humans have other powers of communication. |
| A.the development of body language |
| B.the special role humans play in nature |
| C.the difference between humans and animals in language use |
| D.the power to convey information to others |
Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn’t forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin’s footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands.
The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be.
The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself.
Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.
Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time.
【小题1】What do we know about Darwin’s visit to the islands?
| A.He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands. |
| B.He completed his famous book on the islands. |
| C.He was touched by the geography of the islands. |
| D.He studied different creatures on the islands. |
| A.People cannot visit the islands as they wish. |
| B.Local government forbids killing wildlife. |
| C.Animals on the islands feed on grass. |
| D.Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals. |
| A.a closer view of animals | B.Darwin’s inspiring trip |
| C.The beautiful sea views | D.various daring activities |
| A.Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures |
| B.A Unique Attraction for wildlife Lovers |
| C.Charles Darwin as a symbol of Galapagos |
| D.A successful Example of wildlife protection |