Question

Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.

“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual.”

But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”

Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.

So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves — a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She said she thinks the “P” wave might be what set the animals off.

Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.

1.Why did Mandara act strangely one day?

A. Because it sensed something unusual would happen.

B. Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.

C. Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.

D. Because an earthquake had happened.

2.According to Brandie Smith, _____.

A. many animals’ hearing is sharp

B. earthquakes produce two types of waves

C. primates usually gather together before a quake

D. humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake

3. Which word in the passage has a close meaning to the underlined word “cover”?

A. vibration                          B. shelter                              C. quake                               D. range

4. Which animal seems unable to sense a quake?

A. A giant panda.           B. A flamingo.            C. A lemur.                      D. A lizard.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A. How animals survive a quake.

B. How animals differ from humans.

C. How animals behave before a quake.   

D. How animals protect their young in a quake.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：人们能够在地震发生前15分钟看到或听到地震吗？回答是否定的。但是科学家们发现动物们却能够提前对地震有所感知。在文中作者介绍了地震前一些动物们的反常表现，但同时提出并不是所有的动物都有这种感知力，比如大熊猫只能在地震发生时才会感觉到。

1.A细节理解题。根据文章第一段和第二段的内容可知Mandara在地震发生前有所感知，举止反常，所以A选项正确。

2.A推理判断题。根据第四段But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal.可知动物在地震发生前15分钟就能感知到，判断A选项正确。

3.B词意猜测题。A震动；B遮蔽物；C颤抖；D范围，射程。根据常识可知当发生危险时 ，动物都会四处乱窜寻找安全的地方躲起来，由此判断意思为“遮蔽处” 所以B选项正确。

4.A细节理解题。根据文章末段Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began.可知大熊猫不会提前感知到地震，所以A选项正确。

5.C主旨大意题。文章讲述了各种动物在地震前的不同表现，说明了有些动物能预感到地震的发生，由此判断C选项正确。

考点：考查社会知识类短文阅读。