Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee（黑猩猩）.
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn’t see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
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The correct object was chosen in seven out of 10 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination（排除法）.A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed（品种）known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It’s hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can’t talk back. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1．From paragraph 2 we know that .
A．animals are as clever as human beings
B．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D．dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children
2．Both experiments show that .
A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right
B．Rico can recognize different things including toys
C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D．Rico won’t forget the names of objects once recognizing them
3．Which of the following statements is true?
A．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie’s mental abilities.
B．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.
C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.
D．Rico is born to understand its owner’s commands.
4．What does the writer want to tell us?
A．To train your dog.
B．To command your dog to do something.
C．To be friendly to your dog.
D．To be careful with your dog.
Have you ever heard of Paynes prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21,000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park Service manage the preserve.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by marsh（沼泽）and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10,000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land . It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.
Willam Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first person who portrayed （described）nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."
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The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.
Paynes Prairie is part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida.
1．How was the Paynes Prairie basin formed?
A．By the Seminole Indians.
B．By the Florida Park Service.
C．From dissolved limestone and the ground settling.
D．From lots of flooding and wet prairie vegetation.
2．The underlined word "diversity" means “ .”
A．variety B．society C．population D．area
3．All of the following are true EXCEPT that __.
A．Paynes Prairie has changed little through time
B．Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie vegetation
C．there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie
D．William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie
4．The purpose of the passage is to .
A．call on people to protect wildlife
B．attract people to this preserved park
C．show you the formation of Paynes Prairie
D．introduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie