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 said 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 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 birds) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.

So what kind of vibrations (震动) were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough said 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 thinks the “P” wave might be what sets the animals off.

Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith said 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 animal seems unable to sense quake?

A. A giant panda.    B. A flamingo.

C. A lemur.    D. A lizard.

4.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. A

4. C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。这篇文章主要讲了在地震前动物们的表现，有些动物对地震敏感，而有些动物对地震没有察觉。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen.可知一天，Mandara表现得很奇怪因为它感觉有一些不同寻常的事情要发生，选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段“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.”可知Brandie Smith认为许多动物的听觉很敏锐，选A。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith said the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began.可知在地震之前，大熊猫并没有表现异常，由此推断出大熊猫不能感知地震，选A。

4.主旨大意题。这篇文章主要讲了在地震前动物们的表现，有些动物对地震敏感，而有些动物对地震没有察觉，故选C。