高中英语阅读理解 第四部分 动物世界（二）练习.doc

第四部分 动物世界（二）6. how tall is the giraffe? 长颈鹿有多高长颈鹿是非洲的一种特有动物，长长的脖子，抬起头来，最高的雄长颈鹿身高可达6米，因此是陆地上最高的动物。长颈鹿穿一身斑驳耀眼的花衣裳。它有一双锐利的眼睛，观察四方。当长颈鹿发现远处有不怀好意的敌兽时，它最初不动声色，毫不慌张，悠然自得。等到敌兽窜到一定距离时，才腾起四蹄，飞奔而去，时速可高达五六万米，使敌兽望尘莫及。如果遭受偷袭，长颈鹿也毫不示弱，用那铁扫帚似的长腿，给予坚决反击，甚至可以把狮子踢倒。some animals in the world are very, very small, and the others are very big. giraffes are one of the tallest and most interesting animals. male giraffes are usually about six meters tall. half of the giraffes height comes from its neck, which is longer than its legs.a giraffe has big brown eyes which are protected by very thick lashes. since it lives in parts of africa which are usually dry with a great deal of dust, the lashes are an important source of protection. it can also cover its nostrils in order to protect its nose. it has brown spots on tan skin and this coloring helps protect the giraffe. the giraffe also has two short horns on its head.like the camel, the giraffe can go a long way without drinking water. one source of water is the leaves which the giraffe eats from trees. since it is so tall, the giraffe can reach the tender leaves at the top of a tree.giraffes usually live in small herds and often feed with other animals. a baby giraffe is two meters tall at birth. it can stand up by itself within a few minutes and run well in about two days.giraffes have two methods of self-protection. if something frightens an adult giraffe, it can run away at about fifty kilometers per hour or stay to fight with its strong legs.comprehension questions:1. which of the following is the best title for the passage? _a. man and giraffe b. a tiny animalc. a big camel d. the tallest giraffe2. one of the reasons why the giraffe can go a long distance without drinking water is that _ a. they eat dry grass and leaves. b. they can eat the tender leaves of the trees instead.c. they drink a lot of water and milk. d. they eat fruit such as apples and bananas5. according to the passage, giraffes usually live _ a. alone. b. with big animals like horses.c. with other giraffes. d. with birds.(dbbcc)7. the earthworm is a useful animal蚯蚓是有用的动物蚯蚓是改良土壤的能手。蚯蚓能使土壤形成团粒结构，这是农业上最好的土壤结构，系钙离子和腐殖质胶结土粒所形成的土团，遇水不易松散，抗压性较强，疏松多孔，透气性好。一般蚯蚓吞食有机物和泥土，经过砂囊研磨、体内消化酶和微生物的作用，消化分解后合成钙盐，连同蚯蚓钙腺排出的碳酸钙可形成粘粒结构。这种团粒结构土壤具有很强的保水性胶质及水溶性养料，有利于植物生长。达尔文在1881年写道：“这种低等动物对地球历史起的重要作用，恐怕是其它任何一种动物所比不上的”。the earthworm is a useful animal. out of the ground it is food for other animals. in the ground it makes rich soil for fields and gardens.earthworms dig tunnels that loosen the soil and make it easy for air and water to reach the roots of plants. these tunnels help keep the soil well and cause water to run gradually, that is, to keep the soil not too wet and not too dry.earthworms drag dead leaves, grass, and flowers into their tunnelstheir homes. when these plant materials rot away, they become fertilizers.no other animals are so useful in building up the topsoil. it is found that in one year fifty thousand earthworms carry about 18 tons of fine soil to the surface of one acre of land. one worm may add about 340 grams of earth to topsoil.comprehension questions:1. the best title for the passage is _a. soil that is improved by earthworms b. working underground c. how earthworms improve the soil d. how earthworms carry top soil2. by digging tunnels, the earthworms help to _a. hold the soil firmly around the roots of the plants. b. carry water and air to the roots of the plants. c. kill weeds and pests. d. both a and b. 5. the passage says that _a. good crops will grow where there are earthworms.b. earthworms sometimes harm the soil.c. earthworms do more to improve the soil than any other animal.d. earthworms are most useful as food for other animals.(cbacc) 8. the fiddler crab is a clock that tells time招潮蟹就是一台报时钟招潮蟹，体深褐色，足红色。雄蟹一螯很大，重约占总体重的一半。雌蟹两螯均小。招潮蟹成群穴居海滩，退潮时，在港湾、在河口的泥滩上，常常可以看到许多奇异的蟹跑来跑去，忙忙碌碌，活跃非常。它们退潮时在泥滩上奔跑、觅食，涨潮时便迅速钻进洞穴中。这种蟹的活动同海水的潮涨潮落密切相关，故名“招潮”。海洋潮汐主要是由月球引力造成的，而潮汐的高低也受太阳引力的影响。招潮蟹既能根据太阳，又能根据月亮来校准自己的“时钟”。它们按太阳改变颜色，同时又随潮汐涨落，来寻觅食物。它们在潮水即将涌来的10分钟之前，就会安全地藏在洞穴里了。the fiddler crab is a living clock. it indicates the tune of day by the color of its skin, which is dark by day and pale by night. the crabs changing skin colors follow a regular twenty-four hour cycle that exactly matches the daily rhythm of the sun.does the crab actually keep time, or does its skin simply respond to the suns rays, changing to the amount of light that strikes it? to find out why they change color, biologists kept crabs in a dark room for two months. even without daylight the crabs skin color continued to change precisely on schedule.this characteristic is probably evolved in response to the rhythm of the sun, to help protect the crab from sunlight and enemies. after millions of years it has become completely regulated inside the living body of the crab.the biologists noticed that once each day the color of the fiddler crab is especially dark, and that each day this occurs fifty minutes later than on the day before. from this they discovered each crab follows not only the rhythm of the sun but also that of the tides. the crabs period of greatest darkening is precisely the time of low tide on the beach where it was caught.comprehension questions:a. where they can be caught. b. how to use them as clocks.c. whether they change color. d. why they change color.4. when the fiddler crabs were kept in the dark, they _a. did not change color. b. changed color more quickly.c. changed color more slowly. d. changed color on the same schedule. 5. the crabs color changing ability was probably developed _a. in the process of evolution. b. over millions of years.c. by the work of biologists. d. both a and b.(abddd)9. why can the ostrich not fly?鸵鸟为何不会飞鸵鸟，是世界上的最大的鸟(又名非洲鸵鸟)，雄鸟高约2.75米。它们生活在沙漠草原地带。但是它们却不会飞。鸵鸟坚硬的脚爪补偿了这一缺陷，鸵鸟每小时可以奔跑70公里。鸵鸟的腿长而健壮，它的双翼却很小。由于它们象骆驼那样，可以在热带沙漠中奔跑，所以它们被称做“鸵鸟”。鸵鸟的翅膀确实小，但它跑得快，快得如同飞起来一般。有一句谚语叫“一只把头埋在沙子里的傻鸵鸟”，来描述鸵鸟的傻乎劲，但鸵鸟真的那么傻吗？来看看这篇文章吧。the largest bird that cannot fly also happens to be the largest living bird in the world. this is the huge north african ostrich. when the male, or cock, is fully grown, he reaches a height nearly eight feet and many weigh close to three hundred pounds. his wings are very small and the wing feathers are very soft, therefore he does not fly.you have probably heard the old saying about the “foolish ostrich burying his head in the sand”. well, the ostrich is not nearly as foolish as he is said to be. in the daytime, when the hen is sitting on the eggs, she does not want to be seen; but, instead of sticking her long neck up into the air, she bends her neck and head down and presses flat along the sand. that way, she can best protect the eggs and herself.because the ostrich cannot fly up into the air to escape from danger on the ground, he has to remain alert at all times. luckily, he has very sharp eyesight and hearing. as he lives in the desert and open plains, he can stop danger in time to race away. the ostrich can run so fast that it almost seems as if he was flying.a. she is foolish enough to do anything. b. she is shy enough.c. she has to keep herself from being attacked. d. she likes doing so.2. an ostrich has a _ neck, _ wings and _ feathers.a. small, soft, long b. soft, long, smallc. long, small, soft d. long, large, soft3. an ostrich will eat anything under the sun means _a. an ostrich will eat everything when the sun shines. b. an ostrich wont eat anything if the sun hasnt risen.c. an ostrich likes to eat under the sun. d. anything on the earth is what the ostrich eats.4. which of the following statements is not true according to the passage? _a. hatching eggs is not the female ostrichs job.b. an ostrich eats almost all kinds of thing.c. an ostrich lives in north africa.d. an ostrich can run fast.5. when we say “someone eats like a bird”, we mean _a. he eats too much b. he is a bird c. he eats only a little d. he likes eating a bird(ccdac)10. why are spiders our friends?蜘蛛为何是我们的朋友蜘蛛对人类有益又有害，但主要还是益虫。在农田中蜘蛛捕食的大多是农作物的害虫。同时许多中医药中，都有用蜘蛛入药的记载，因此，保护和利用蜘蛛具有重要的意义。蜘蛛不是昆虫，它有八只脚，它吃的食物是我们人类的敌人，所以，蜘蛛是我们的好朋友。不过，蜘蛛的胃口很大，它一天三餐都不会满足。有人做过统计，蜘蛛一年吃掉的所有昆虫的数量，比全部的英国人的体重还沉。下面文章有许多有趣的细节等你挖掘。why, you may wonder, should spiders be our friends? because they destroy so many insects, including some of the greatest enemies of the human race. insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would eat up all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals. unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders never do the least harm to us or to our belongings.pitch. spiders are busy for at least half a year in killing insects. it is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill, but they are hungry creatures, not content with only three meals a day. it has been estimated that the weight of all the insects d