Question

Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world—Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey—rats will soon be man’s new best friends.

What happens after an earthquake? We sent in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.

How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal (信号). This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.

Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “‘Robots ’noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity(电)!

The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to and a rat would get out of it if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).

1.In the world earthquake capitals, rats will become man’s best friends because they can    .

A．take the place of man’s rescue jobs

B．find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildings

C．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings.

D．get into small spaces

2.In doing rescue jobs,        .

A．rats smell better than dogs

B．dogs don’t need to be trained to smell people

C．robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells around

D．rats can see in the dark and smaller than robots

3.Rats have all the following advantages EXCEPT that       .

A．they are more fantastic than other animals

B．they are less expensive to train than dogs

C．they don’t need electricity

D．they are small and can get into small places

4.After reading the passage we can know       .

A．at present rats have taken the place of dogs in searching for people

B．the “rat project” has been completed

C．people are now happy to see a rat in a building

D．now people still use dogs and robots in performing rescues

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4. D

【解析】

试题分析：1.B 推理题。根据文章第二段说明老鼠也可以用来解析救援任务，来确定受伤的人的位置等，故B正确。

2.C 细节题。根据第四段第二行‘Robots ’noses don’t work well when there are other smells around.说明机器人的嗅觉有时候会受到其它气味的影响。故C正确。

3.A 细节题。根据文章倒数第二段最后两行Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity(电)!说明BC正确。根据第二段后两行But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.说明D也是老鼠的优势。A文章没有提及。

4.D 推理题。根据文章最后一句Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).说明现在还没有投入使用，是将来的事情，故使用将来时。故D正确。

考点：常考科普类短文阅读