Question

Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.

“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual.”

But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”

Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.

So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves — a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She said she thinks the “P” wave might be what set the animals off.

Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.

1.Why did Mandara act strangely one day?

A. Because it sensed something unusual would happen.

B. Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.

C. Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.

D. Because an earthquake had happened.

2.According to Brandie Smith, _____.

A. many animals’ hearing is sharp

B. earthquakes produce two types of waves

C. primates usually gather together before a quake

D. humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake

3. Which word in the passage has a close meaning to the underlined word “cover”?

A. vibration                          B. shelter                              C. quake                               D. range

4. Which animal seems unable to sense a quake?

A. A giant panda.           B. A flamingo.            C. A lemur.                      D. A lizard.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A. How animals survive a quake.

B. How animals differ from humans.

C. How animals behave before a quake.   

D. How animals protect their young in a quake.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.C

【解析】

試題分析：人們能夠在地震發(fā)生前15分鐘看到或聽到地震嗎？回答是否定的。但是科學家們發(fā)現(xiàn)動物們卻能夠提前對地震有所感知。在文中作者介紹了地震前一些動物們的反常表現(xiàn)，但同時提出并不是所有的動物都有這種感知力，比如大熊貓只能在地震發(fā)生時才會感覺到。

1.A細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第一段和第二段的內(nèi)容可知Mandara在地震發(fā)生前有所感知，舉止反常，所以A選項正確。

2.A推理判斷題。根據(jù)第四段But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal.可知動物在地震發(fā)生前15分鐘就能感知到，判斷A選項正確。

3.B詞意猜測題。A震動；B遮蔽物；C顫抖；D范圍，射程。根據(jù)常識可知當發(fā)生危險時 ，動物都會四處亂竄尋找安全的地方躲起來，由此判斷意思為“遮蔽處” 所以B選項正確。

4.A細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章末段Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began.可知大熊貓不會提前感知到地震，所以A選項正確。

5.C主旨大意題。文章講述了各種動物在地震前的不同表現(xiàn)，說明了有些動物能預感到地震的發(fā)生，由此判斷C選項正確。

考點：考查社會知識類短文閱讀。