Have you seen koalas (考拉) in a zoo? They are very cute. The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling animal, which averages about 9 kilograms in weight. Its fur is thick and usually ash gray. They come from Australia. They do not come from any other place. Today koalas are mainly found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. People in Australia want to protect them.
Now there are about 100,000 koalas in Australia. But there are fewer and fewer of them all the time. Some koalas are getting sick. The sickness makes them not able to see. It also makes it hard for them to have babies. Besides, Koalas also live in societies, just like humans, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas. It is because of this they need to have areas of suitable forest, which are large enough to support a healthy koala population and to allow expansion by raising young koalas.
But People are building more houses and roads too. This means koalas do not have as many places to live. Some people want the government to do more to take care of the koalas.
People should think about animals. They should take care of them. Then the cute animals will stay alive!
【小题1】Koalas look _________.| A．ugly | B．strange | C．cute | D．big |
| A．keep koalas | B．protect koalas• | C．hide koalas | D．hurt koalas |
| A．10,000 | B．1,000,000 | C．1,000 | D．100,000 |
| A．they are sick | B．they have no place to live | C．they all have bad eyes | D．people hurt them |
| A．koala | B．babies | C．sickness | D．see |
| A．Raising koalas | B．Keeping koalas safe |
| C．Taking care of animals | D．Thinking about animals |
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Some heroes, like Lucca, are not even human. Lucca is a 12-year-old US Marine Crops (海军陆战队) dog. On April 5, Lucca received an award for her brave military service, during which she lost one of her front legs. Lucca is now retired and lives in California.
Lucca was in London, England, to receive the Dickin Medal from the British charity People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). The organization provides free medical care to the sick and injured pets of people in need. The PDSA calls the Dickin Medal “the highest award any animal in the world can achieve while serving in military conflict (军事冲突)”.
Lucca is the first US Marine Crops dog to receive the medal. She and her owner, Gunnery Willingham, traveled to London, England, for the award ceremony. “Lucca is very intelligent and had an amazing drive for work.” Willingham said.
Lucca was trained to find hidden weapons and explosive devices. She lost one of her legs in an explosion while on patrol (巡逻) in Afghanistan in 2012.
During her six years of active military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lucca completed more than 400 missions. She was trained to find hidden weapons and explosive devices. She was so effective on duty that no human troops were killed during any of her patrols.
But Lucca did not escape injury. On March 23, 2012, she was on patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. An explosive device was set off under her. Lucca lost her front left leg right away. She also suffered serious burns on her body.
Lucca is the 66th animals to receive the Dickin Medal since it was introduced in 1943. The award has been given to 30 dogs (including Lucca), 32 World War II messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat.
【小题1】We can infer that Lucca ___________.| A．can see nothing with her eyes | B．has some difficulty in walking |
| C．was trained in London | D．is still serving in the US Marine corps |
| A．search dog | B．guide dog | C．hunting dog | D．pet dog |
| A．Brave. | B．Smart. | C．faithful. | D．Creative. |
| A．brave soldiers who protect animals |
| B．Marine Crops dogs working at war |
| C．animals serving in military conflicts |
| D．animals wounded by US Marine Crops |
European researchers are studying bats to understand why they live so long. They hope to make discoveries to fight the aging process (过程) in human beings.
Last week, the group of scientists said they had found important biological qualities in some bat species. The group studied bat chromosomes (染 色 体), a line of genes found in the nucleus(核) ofcells. The scientists were most interested in parts connected to the ends of the chromosomes. They are called telomeres(端 粒). Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes, which shorten each time a cell divides. Scientists believe this shortening process causes cells to break down. .
A report on bats was published this month in the journal Science Advances.
Among the leaders of the study was Emma Teeling, a biologist with University College Dublin in Ireland. Teeling said studying long-living mammals that have developed ways to fight aging “is another way to prove the molecular(分 子) basis of extended ‘health length.’” She added that studying bats made scientists able to learn more about the processes “that drive healthy aging.”
The European researchers studied 493 bats from four bat species. The group used information that had been gathered over more than 60 years. Of these animals, the greater mouse-eared bat generally lived the longest, an average of 37 years.
The scientists said this and a related species, which are grouped together under the name Myotis, had telomeres that did not shorten with age. Another Myotis bat holds the record for oldest age, reaching 41 years.
The scientists’ findings suggest that these bats’ cells have the ability to keep and repair their telomeres. This, they said, helps guard against the aging process. Based on its body size, a bat like the greater mouse-eared bat would be expected to live four years. But, these mammals have been found to live nearly 10 times longer than that.
The scientists found that Eighteen of these are bats. The only exception is an unusual African rodent, the naked mole rat.
【小题1】Which sentence can be put at the end of Paragraph 3?
| A．This makes scientists able to study bats. |
| B．That’s why bats can fly a great distance. |
| C．They say this is what causes aging. |
| D．They discover the cells connected to humans. |
| A．Because they have a line of long-living genes out of the cells. |
| B．Because their cells have the ability to keep and repair their telomeres. |
| C．Because they have another ability to live longer without any food or water. |
| D．Because telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes to stop cells dividing. |
| A．four years | B．body size | C．the aging process | D．the ability to repair |
| A．Differences Between Long-Living Animals |
| B．A Science Report on Chromosomes |
| C．Do Bats Hold the Secret to Long Life? |
| D．Are Humans and Bats Similar in Protecting Themselves? |
In 1990, scientists discovered the fossil (化石) of a T. rex (霸王龙) in the US. They named it Sue.
Gout is a bone disease. When uric acid (尿酸) builds up in someone’s body, it can be bad for bones.
T. rexes were once the scariest meat eaters on Earth. A T. rex could weigh (重) as much as two African elephants. What did T. rexes eat? Well, the answer might be “Anything they wanted”. T. rexes ran fast and they had sharp teeth. So they always won the battle against other animals.
Crazy meat eaters!
| A．So you see, keeping a healthy diet is important! |
| B．Sometimes, their menu even included each other! |
| C．This big dinosaur lived about 67 million years ago. |
| D．Doctors believe meat and wine help uric acid build up. |
| E．However, those dinosaurs paid a price (付出代价) for their love for meat. |
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