Question

According to some predictions, human beings will die out in 2012. Nearly all people think it’s impossible, but there are some more earthquakes in recent years.

Animals can predict the weather or other natural events. It may sound strange, but farmers living in the countryside think so. For hundreds of years , they have observed animals.

“Animals ’ behavior can be connected to future weather conditions or events.” They say. For example, if cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming. There are many traditional stories connecting animals and natural events. Many people think that these stories don’t have scientific evidence( 根據 ) at all. Scientists, however, are beginning to take another look at some of these ideas.

A Japanese earthquake researcher named Kiyoshi Shimamura noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquake hit. Then he did research on twelve public health centers in Kobe, Japan. These health centers treated people after the 1995 earthquake . He got some interesting information about the month before the big earthquake:  treatment for animals’ bites had increased . In fact, aggressive(侵略的)behavior in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly , jumped 60 percent.

There are also other changes in animals’ behavior before the earthquake. For example, fish began swimming together in large groups , but only in the middle of the water and not near the edges. Birds flew away from their nests for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected . These animals’ behavior suggests that animals may be able to predict natural events better than people.

1.What would cows behave before a rainstorm?

A．Running          B．Biting             C．Lying down        D．Sleeping

2.What do dogs begin to do just before an earthquake?

A．They leave their homes.                  B．They hurt people.

C．They lie down in grass.                   D．They stay together in large groups.

3.Which of the following animals behave strangely before an earthquake according to this passage?

A．Fish              B．Cows             C．Pigs              D．All of the above.

4.In Kiyoshi Shimamura’s investigation(調查)，before the big earthquake, treatment for animals’  bites had _________.

A．disappeared       B．increased         C．been the same as before.  D．never changed.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Natural events and animals’ actions.

B．What animals do during earthquakes

C．Many earthquakes of Japan.

D．Some stories about animals.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.B

5.A

【解析】

試題分析：這篇文章講述的是動物的行為與天氣和自然事件之間的特殊關系。

1.細節題。根據文章For example, if cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming.可知，暴風雨來臨之前，牛就會躺下。故選C

2.細節題。根據文章an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquake hit.可知，地震之前，狗就會傷害人。故選B

3.細節題。根據文章可知，在地震之前，很多動物的習性都會變得很奇怪。故選D

4.細節題。根據文章treatment for animals’ bites had increased .可知，在大地震來臨之前，對動物咬傷的治療數量就會增加。故選B

5.主旨題。這篇文章講述的是在大自然或者天氣發生大的變化之前，動物的習性會變得很奇怪。故選A

考點：科普類說明文

點評：對于說明文的閱讀，學生要把握所說明的核心內容，文章往往通過對這個主題全方位的介紹而設置題目，所以學生可以首先對說明核心的各方面進行簡單的瀏覽，而后結合題目進行仔細的解答，即可迎刃而解。