Suppose you discovered an unusual animal, one not described in any present zoology book. How would you begin to identify a creature that may一or may not—exist? Or suppose you came upon an animal that scientists thought had died thousands of years ago. These are exactly the kinds of puzzling situations that crypto—zoologists deal with every day.

    Crypto comes from the Greek words kryptos, which means hidden, and zoology, the study of animals. Of course, crypto—zoologists must acquire a thorough and complete knowledge of all kinds of animals, both living and extinct, such as dinosaurs. In addition, they must be able to tell the difference between a real discovery and a case of mistaken identity.

    You may have heard of people who claim they’ve seen the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Most crypto-zoologists doubt that proof of either Nessie or Bigfoot will ever be found. But they have many discoveries of 1ess impressive creatures, like the pseudoryx, to investigate（調(diào)查）.

The pseudoryx, from the Vietnamese rain forest, looks like a goat, but it is really more closely related to the ox. The evidence for the pseudoryx was pieced together from the villagers’ collection of bones, and hides. Even though the researchers could not find an actual pseudoryx, a talented Vietnamese taxidermist was able to reconstruct a model from the parts the researchers brought to him. Scientists also analyzed the genetic material from a pseudoryx’s bones. Their analysis confirmed that the pseudoryx was certainly a unique new species, unlike any that had been identified before.

      Other crypto-zoologists are presently working to prove the existence of a small ape called the orang-pen-dek on the island of Sumatra. Still others are looking into sightings of the moa, a flightless bird which was thought to be extinct for hundreds of years.

      New types of animals are continuing to be discovered. The crypto-zoologist is constantly analyzing the facts and trying to solve the mysteries. For every mystery that is solved, a new one is likely to appear.

1．From the second paragraph, we know that          .

      A．crypto-zoology is a science coming from Greece

      B．doing research in crypto-zoology is a demanding task

      C．crypto-zoologists try to determine whether animals really exist

      D．crypto-zoologists are skillful at distinguishing between theory and assumption

2．Which of the following is true about the pseudoryx?

      A．An artificial copy was made from the parts collected.

      B．Evidence from the villagers helped to find a real pseudoryx.

      C．The genetic material is compared with that of a goat and an ox.

      D．It’s doubtful whether pseudoryx is different from the existing animals.

3．What is the best title of the passage?

    A．Uncovered truth in animals

    B．Looking for unknown animals

    C．Crypto-zoology--a new field of science

    D．Crypto—zoologists--the detectives in science

4．The examples of animals in the passage are used to           .

       A．a(chǎn)ppeal readers to solve mysteries

       B．show how crypto—zoologists work

       C．inform people that many animals are in great danger

       D．show the importance of preserving the balance of nature

Ⅴ.Reading

A.

A holidaymaker in Australia was awakened by a “horrible, animal-like” noise outside her hotel window. When she went out, she saw a giant, hairy creature crossing the garden. “It was the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen and it smelled awful,” Tania Smith told investigators. She described the creature as “at least two and a half meters tall and covered with long, dark hair”. When the creature saw her, it roared like a bear and escaped into the woods. “It looked almost human with sad, frightened eyes,” she said.

According to Aborigine legend, a kind of ape man called the Yowie once populated Australia but when the Aborigines arrived thousands of years ago, they exterminated it. However, many people believe that the Yowie didn’t completely die out and may still survive in remote parts of Australia.

B.

A fisherman claims to have seen a flying creature which he later identified as a Ropen or “demon-flyer”. Ralph, who is a native of the remote Rambutyo Island of Papua New Guinea, was fishing at nightfall. “It flew out of the jungle, diving into the sea right by my boat. I was too terrified to move,” he told our reporter.

There have been several recent sightings of these mysterious bird-like animals. It is reported to have two leathery wings, a long tail, a long beak filled with sharp teeth and claws. The creature has a wing-span of up to two meters. Experts think it might be a kind of pterodactyl, making it the only surviving dinosaur. The natives say the Ropen is aggressive and eats fish.

C

Kate Brow was driving home from a day’s hiking when she saw a thylacine near the road. “At first I thought it was a cat because of the stripes on its back but it was much bigger,” she said. “I noticed its tail. It was like a kangaroo’s, long and thick near the body.” The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial which once lived in Tasmanian, part of Australia. They were hunted by farmers because they attacked sheep and are now thought to be extinct. However, every year there are several unofficial sightings in remote areas of the island so it may not have disappeared completely.

D

There has been another sighting of the mysterious orang pendek in a national park of Indonesia. A local policeman claimed to have seen two orang pendeks, which is also called the “l(fā)ittle man of the jungle”. “It was a small creature, only about a meter tall with short legs, broad shoulders and a hairy body.” When shown photographs of other primates, the man said it looked a bit like a gorilla but, he said “Orang pendek is more handsome than this animal, and its face is more like a human’s.” There have been so many similar sightings that the park director believes it may be an unknown species.

1.      Answer the questions.

2)                 What do the creatures in article A and D have in common?

3)                 Which creature do we know for certain existed in the past?

4)                 Which creature may rally exist?

5)                 Which eye-witness report is the most convincing?

 

2.      Complete the chart.

	Tasmanian tiger	Ropen	Yowie	Orang pendek
body
head
size
behavior
sightings
home

 

Ⅴ.Reading

A.

A holidaymaker in Australia was awakened by a “horrible, animal-like” noise outside her hotel window. When she went out, she saw a giant, hairy creature crossing the garden. “It was the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen and it smelled awful,” Tania Smith told investigators. She described the creature as “at least two and a half meters tall and covered with long, dark hair”. When the creature saw her, it roared like a bear and escaped into the woods. “It looked almost human with sad, frightened eyes,” she said.

According to Aborigine legend, a kind of ape man called the Yowie once populated Australia but when the Aborigines arrived thousands of years ago, they exterminated it. However, many people believe that the Yowie didn’t completely die out and may still survive in remote parts of Australia.

B.

A fisherman claims to have seen a flying creature which he later identified as a Ropen or “demon-flyer”. Ralph, who is a native of the remote Rambutyo Island of Papua New Guinea, was fishing at nightfall. “It flew out of the jungle, diving into the sea right by my boat. I was too terrified to move,” he told our reporter.

There have been several recent sightings of these mysterious bird-like animals. It is reported to have two leathery wings, a long tail, a long beak filled with sharp teeth and claws. The creature has a wing-span of up to two meters. Experts think it might be a kind of pterodactyl, making it the only surviving dinosaur. The natives say the Ropen is aggressive and eats fish.

C

Kate Brow was driving home from a day’s hiking when she saw a thylacine near the road. “At first I thought it was a cat because of the stripes on its back but it was much bigger,” she said. “I noticed its tail. It was like a kangaroo’s, long and thick near the body.” The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial which once lived in Tasmanian, part of Australia. They were hunted by farmers because they attacked sheep and are now thought to be extinct. However, every year there are several unofficial sightings in remote areas of the island so it may not have disappeared completely.

D

There has been another sighting of the mysterious orang pendek in a national park of Indonesia. A local policeman claimed to have seen two orang pendeks, which is also called the “l(fā)ittle man of the jungle”. “It was a small creature, only about a meter tall with short legs, broad shoulders and a hairy body.” When shown photographs of other primates, the man said it looked a bit like a gorilla but, he said “Orang pendek is more handsome than this animal, and its face is more like a human’s.” There have been so many similar sightings that the park director believes it may be an unknown species.

Answer the questions.

What do the creatures in article A and D have in common?

Which creature do we know for certain existed in the past?

Which creature may rally exist?

Which eye-witness report is the most convincing?

Complete the chart.

 

	Tasmanian tiger	Ropen	Yowie	Orang pendek
body
head
size
behavior
sightings
home