Question

【題目】JOHANNESBURG—They say cats have nine lives. Now a Chinese toad(蟾蜍) has joined that club of clever survivors.

South Africans are shocked at the endurance of a toad that got trapped in a cargo shipment from China to Cape Town, after jumping into a porcelain(瓷器) candlestick（燭臺(tái)） that was made there. South African officials reportedly planned to put down the creature, fearing it would cause harm as an invasive species if it were let go in the wild.

But the toad got a last-minute pardon. Mango Airlines, a South African airline, transported the toad on Friday to Johannesburg for delivery to an animal shelter, after officials decided to find a way to let the toad live. The two-hour fight was a breeze compared to the trip from China, a long way of many weeks and thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean.

Airline spokesman Hein Kaiser said the toad got “first-class treatment”, sitting in a transparent plastic container with escort Brett Glasby, an animal welfare inspector. There was even a ceremony, in which the toad’s boarding pass was handed to Glasby.

“He was the star of the show on the flight,” Kaiser said of the amphibious(兩棲的) passenger. “I think every passenger stopped to have a look.”

On landing in Johannesburg, the toad was brought out of its container for a celebrity-style photo shoot. Observers said the brown toad seemed like a cool customer. It belongs to the Asian Toad species, which breeds during the monsoon(季風(fēng)) season. It is believed to have survived the trip from China by hardening its skin to prevent it from drying out, and also by slowing its breathing and heart rate—methods that help the species survive in times of drought.

“We’ve had snakes in imported timber and scorpions(蝎子) in fruit. We were called because the toad was right inside the candlestick, and we had to break it to get it out” Glasby, the inspector, told The Star, a South African newspaper.

【1】What is the passage mainly about

A. An Asian toad gets a new home in South Africa.

B. Asian toads can’t get used to the life in South Africa.

C. Workers shipped a toad to South Africa on purpose.

D. South Africa ignores the protection of animals.

【2】What would/might happen if the toad were released into the wild?

A. It would make the locals feel shocked

B. It might harm the native species

C. It would lose its life in the wild

D. It might flee into another country

【3】Why was the toad able to arrive in South Africa alive?

A. Because it escaped all attacks and hunts

B. Because it used to stop its breath in winter

C. Because it formed hard skin to protect itself

D. Because it was lucky to be given a chance

【4】What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Sometimes animal are transported accidentally

B. No one has seen such a big toad in Africa

C. A candlestick is the best place for a toad

D. Droughts make toads live longer.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】B

【3】C

【4】A

【解析】本文講的是一只亞洲蟾蜍在從中國飛往開普敦的飛機(jī)上因?yàn)樽约旱挠财つw能防止干燥，并減緩其呼吸和心率則頑強(qiáng)的生存下來，加入了聰明的幸存者的俱樂部，并且在南非有了自己的新家。

【1】主旨大意題。中國的一只蟾蜍被困在一個(gè)從中國飛往開普敦的飛機(jī)上，在這趟“免費(fèi)旅途”中它展示了自己非凡的生命力，并找到了自己的新家。故選A。

【2】 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段中“South African officials reportedly planned to put down the creature, fearing it would cause harm as an invasive species if it were let go in the wild.”可知，南非官員計(jì)劃將這種生物放生，但是擔(dān)心如果它被放在野外會(huì)對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)匚锓N造成傷害。故選B。

【3】 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段中“It belongs to the Asian Toad species, which breeds during the monsoon(季風(fēng)) season. It is believed to have survived the trip from China by hardening its skin to prevent it from drying out, and also by slowing its breathing and heart rate—methods that help the species survive in times of drought.”可知，這只蟾蜍之所以能夠在長途中存活，主要是因?yàn)槠溆不�皮膚能防止干燥，并減緩其呼吸和心率有助于生存。故選C。

【4】 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段中“South Africans are shocked at the endurance of a toad that got trapped in a cargo shipment from China to Cape Town, after jumping into a porcelain candlestick(燭臺(tái)) that was made there.”可知，這只蟾蜍被困在一個(gè)從中國飛往開普敦的飛機(jī)上，所以動(dòng)物有時(shí)候也會(huì)得到“免費(fèi)旅游”的機(jī)會(huì)。故選A。