Animal’s “Sixth Sense”

A tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December, 2004. It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa. Wild animals,    1   , seem to have escaped that terrible tsunami. This phenomenon adds weight to notions that¹ they possess a “sixth sense” for

   2   , experts said.

Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast clearly    3   wild beasts, with no dead animals found.

“No elephants arc dead, not    4   a dead rabbit. I think animals can    5   disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening,” H. D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said about one month after the tsunami attack. The    6   washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife    7   and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards.

“There has been a lot of    8   evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven,” said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behavior

   9    at Johannesburg Zoo.

“There have been no＿ 10＿ studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting²,” he told Reuters. Other authorities concurred with this    11   .

“Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain    12   , especially birds … there are many reports of birds

detecting impending disasters,” said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.

Animals   13   rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger slid as predators.

The notion of an animal “sixth sense” — or   14   other mythical power is an enduring one³ which the evidence on Sri Lanka’s ravaged coast is likely to add to.

The Romans saw owls    15   omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special power or attributes.

词汇：

tsunami / tsʊˈnɑmi / n．海啸
trigger / "trɪɡə(r) / v．引发，触发
ravaged / "rævidʒid / adj．被毁坏的
leopard / "lepəd / n．豹
eruption / ɪˈrʌpʃən / n．喷发
migrate / maɪ"ɡreɪt / v．迁移
volcanic / vɒlˈkænɪk / adj．火山的
concur / kən"kɜ:(r) / v．（with）同意，赞成
impending / ɪmˈpendɪŋ / adj．迫近的
predator / "predətə(r) / n．食肉动物
mythical / ˈmɪθɪkl / adj．神话般的
owl / aʊl / n．猫头鹰
omen / "əʊmən / n．预兆，征兆
endow / ɪn"daʊ / v．赋予

注释:

1. adds weight to notions that：更加相信……

2. field setting：field意为“实地，野外”， setting意为“环境”。 field setting可译为“野外环境”。

空6

A:waves  B:tides   C:winds      D:rivers

One Good Reason to Let Smallpox Live

　　It’s now a fair bet that we will never see the total extinction of the smallpox virus. The idea was to cap the glorious achievement of 1980，when smallpox was eradicated in the wild, by destroying the killer virus in the last two labs that are supposed to have it — one in the US and one in Russia. If smallpox had truly gone from the planet, what point was there in keeping these reserves?

　 1   reality, of course, it was naive to   2   that everyone would let   3   of such a potent potential weapon.¹ Undoubtedly several nations still have   4   vials.   5  the last “official” stocks of live virus bred mistrust of the USandRussia,²     6    no obvious gain.

Now American researchers have    7    an animal model of the human disease,opening the   8   for tests on new treatments and vaccines. So once again there’s a good reason to   9   the virus —just in   10   the disease puts in a reappearance.
　　How do we   11   with the mistrust of theUSandRussia?   12   Keep the virus   13   international auspices in a well-guarded UN laboratory that’s open to all countries. TheUSwill object, of course, just as it rejects a multilateral approach to just about everything. But it doesn’t   14   the idea is wrong. If the virus   15   useful, then let’s make it the servant of all humanity — not just a part of it

词汇：
smallpox /"smɔːlpɒks/ n.天花

cap /kaep/vt.结束;覆盖

killer /"kɪlə/ n.杀死物;杀人者

potent /"pəʊt(ə)nt/ adj.有效力的;强有力的

vial /"vaɪəl/ n.小瓶

mistrust /mɪs"trʌst/ n.不信任，怀疑

auspices /"ɔːspɪsɪz/ n.赞助;支持

注释：

1.In reality, of course, it was naive to imagine that everyone would let go of such a potent potential weapon.当然,想象每个人都会放弃这样一种有效的潜在的武器事实上是幼稚的。
2.And the last “official”stocks of live virus bred mistrust of theUSandRussia...:美俄最后的“官方”活病毒储备引起大家对这两个国家的不信任。 

空6

A:since B:for  C:because  D:of

Migrant Workers

　　In the past twenty years, there has been an increasing tendency for workers to move from one country to another.    1   some newly independent countries have understandably restricted most jobs to local people, others have attracted and welcomed migrant workers. This is particularly the case in the Middle East¹,    2     increased oil incomes have enabled many countries to    3    outsiders to improve local facilities.    4     the Middle East has attracted oil-workers from the USAandEurope. It has brought in construction workers and technicians from many countries,     5     SouthKoreaandJapan.
　　In view of the difficult living and working conditions in theMiddle East,²it is not   6     that the pay is high to attract suitable workers. Many engineers and technicians can earn at least     7    money in theMiddle Eastas they can in their own country, and this is a major attraction. An allied benefit is the low taxation or complete lack of it.³ This increases the net amount of pay received by visiting workers and is very popular with them.
　　Sometimes a disadvantage has a compensating advantage.     8    the difficult living conditions often lead to increased friendship when workers have to depend on each other     9    safety and comfort.     10    , many migrant workers can save large sums of money partly     11    the lack of entertainment facilities. The work is often complex and full of problems but this merely presents greater challenge engineers who prefer to find solutions     12    problems rather than do routine work in their home country.
　　One major problem which     13    migrant workers in theMiddle Eastis that their jobs are temporary ones. They are nearly always on contract, so it is not easy for them to plan ahead with great confidence. This is to be expected since no country welcomes a large number of foreign workers as permanent residents.     14    , migrant workers accept this disadvantage, along with others, because of the     15     financial benefits which they receive.

词汇：

migrant /"maɪgrənt/ adj.移民的

allied /"ælaɪd; ə"laɪd/ adj.与此相关的

taxation /tæk"seɪʃən/ n.税，税款

compensate /"kɒmpenseɪt/ v.补偿

routine /ruː"tiːn/ adj.日常的

注释：

1.This is particularly the case in the Middle East...：中东地区目的情况尤为如此……
2.In view of the difficult living and working conditions in the Middle East...：由于中东地区艰苦的生活和工作条件……in view of 是个短语，表示原因或理由。
3.An allied benefit is the low taxation or complete lack of it. 一个相关的好处是这里的税收低，或者根本就不收税。

空6

A:surprised  B:surprisingly   C:surprise D:surprising

One Good Reason to Let Smallpox Live

　　It’s now a fair bet that we will never see the total extinction of the smallpox virus. The idea was to cap the glorious achievement of 1980，when smallpox was eradicated in the wild, by destroying the killer virus in the last two labs that are supposed to have it — one in the US and one in Russia. If smallpox had truly gone from the planet, what point was there in keeping these reserves?

　 1   reality, of course, it was naive to   2   that everyone would let   3   of such a potent potential weapon.¹ Undoubtedly several nations still have   4   vials.   5  the last “official” stocks of live virus bred mistrust of the USandRussia,²     6    no obvious gain.

Now American researchers have    7    an animal model of the human disease,opening the   8   for tests on new treatments and vaccines. So once again there’s a good reason to   9   the virus —just in   10   the disease puts in a reappearance.
　　How do we   11   with the mistrust of theUSandRussia?   12   Keep the virus   13   international auspices in a well-guarded UN laboratory that’s open to all countries. TheUSwill object, of course, just as it rejects a multilateral approach to just about everything. But it doesn’t   14   the idea is wrong. If the virus   15   useful, then let’s make it the servant of all humanity — not just a part of it

词汇：
smallpox /"smɔːlpɒks/ n.天花

cap /kaep/vt.结束;覆盖

killer /"kɪlə/ n.杀死物;杀人者

potent /"pəʊt(ə)nt/ adj.有效力的;强有力的

vial /"vaɪəl/ n.小瓶

mistrust /mɪs"trʌst/ n.不信任，怀疑

auspices /"ɔːspɪsɪz/ n.赞助;支持

注释：

1.In reality, of course, it was naive to imagine that everyone would let go of such a potent potential weapon.当然,想象每个人都会放弃这样一种有效的潜在的武器事实上是幼稚的。
2.And the last “official”stocks of live virus bred mistrust of theUSandRussia...:美俄最后的“官方”活病毒储备引起大家对这两个国家的不信任。 

空6

A:since B:for  C:because  D:of

A Powerful Influence

    There can be no doubt at all that the Internet has made a huge difference¹ to our lives. Parents are worried that children spend too much time playing on the Internet, hardly (1) ______ doing anything else in their spare time. Naturally, parents are (2) ______ to find out why the Internet is so attractive, and they want to know if it can be (3) ______ for their children. Should parents worry if their children are spending that much time (4) ______ their computers?

    Obviously, if children are bent over their computers for hours², (5) ______ in some game, instead of doing their homework, then something is wrong. Parents and children could decide how much use the child should (6) ______ of the Internet, and the child should give his or her (7) ______ that it won’t interfere with homework. If the child is not (8) ______ to this arrangement, the parent can take more drastic (9) ______ dealing with a child’s use of the Internet is not much different from (10)______ any other sort of bargain about behaviour.

    Any parent who is (11) ______ alarmed about a child’s behaviour should make an appointment to (12) ______ the matter with a teacher. Spending time in front of the screen does not (13) ______ affect a child’s performance at school. Even if a child is (14) ______ crazy about using the Internet, he or she is probably just (15) ______ through a phase, and in a few months there will be something else to worry about!

词汇：

drastic /ˈdræstɪk / adj．严厉的，极端的

phase /feɪz / n．阶段，时期

arrangement /əˈreɪndʒmənt /n．安排

注释：

1．…make a huge difference…：……造成巨大改变……

空6

A:do  B:have C:make D:create

把下面的6个图形分为两类，使每一类图形都有各自的共同特征或规律，分类正确的一项是         ①                 ②                  ③                   ④                 ⑤                ⑥

A:①③⑥，②④⑤  B:①③④，②⑤⑥  C:①③⑤，②④⑥  D:①④⑥，②③⑤