Question

    In January 2017, a series of fires in central Chile’s La Maue region burned down over 457,000 hectares (公顷) of forest, leaving behind nothing but burnt ground. Now, three border shepherd dogs(边境牧羊犬) are helping replant it by doing what they love most, running.

Das, Olivia, and Summer, three female border dogs have been working hard to bring the forest burnt by fire back to life since March. They are essentially running and playing, but their work is important. The dogs’ owner, 32-year-old Francisca Torres, takes them to various areas of burnt forest in her truck, equips them with special bags which she fills with seeds of local plants. Then the dogs are sent out to run around and spread as many seeds as they can. When they return, she rewards them with snacks, fills up their bags and sends them out on another run.

Torres, who trains the dogs not to attack any wild animal while on seed spreading tasks, thinks border shepherd dogs are perfectly suited for the job, because of their intelligence, energy and speed. They’ve learned that they have to empty their bags in order to receive their tasty reward when they return, and can cover much more ground than a human ever could. Every day, they can cover up to 30 kilometers and spread around eight kilograms of seeds, while a person on foot could only cover 3 kilometers. Most importantly, they love what they do.

Replanting the vast burned-down forest in just a few days will take years, but Torres hopes that her dogs will bring back enough plants for some of the animals to return. Torres has seen some fields that are now totally green thanks to the work of Summer, Olivia and Das. In some of 15 forests that the three border shepherd dogs have been responsible for, grass is coming back, and small trees are beginning to push through the burnt earth. Hopefully, enough seeds will come up soon for animals to come back.

1.Why does Torres train three shepherd dogs to replant the forest?

A.They are perfectly fit for the job.

B.They would like to spread seeds.

C.They are so kind as not to attack any wild animal.

D.More animals will come back to the forest following the dogs.

2.How do the three dogs help replant the forest?

A.They prevent animals eating plants.

B.They spread the seeds by running.

C.They help dig out seeds from the burnt ground.

D.They lead some animals with seeds to the forest.

3.Which can best describe Torres?

A.Strict but brave. B.Energetic but selfish.

C.Smart and nature-loving. D.Easy-going and honest.

4.What can we learn from the text?

A.The dogs do the jobs without reward.

B.The dogs have finished their tasks so far.

C.Wild animals have come back to the forest.

D.The forest has turned green in some fields.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。32岁的Francisca Torres利用牧羊犬在被烧焦的树林中播撒种子，以帮助树林重生。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Torres, who trains the dogs not to attack any wild animal while on seed spreading tasks, thinks border shepherd dogs are perfectly suited for the job, because of their intelligence, energy and speed”可知，Torres之所以训练三条牧羊犬进行这项任务，是因为她认为这些牧羊犬非常适合这份工作，它们聪明、精力充沛、速度快。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The dogs’ owner, 32-year-old Francisca Torres, takes them to various areas of burnt forest in her truck, equips them with special bags which she fills with seeds of local plants. Then the dogs are sent out to run around and spread as many seeds as they can. When they return, she rewards them with snacks, fills up their bags and sends them out on another run”可知，32岁的Francisca Torres派出四处奔跑，狗装备了装满了当地植物的种子。狗在奔跑的过程中会尽可能多地传播种子。当它们回来的时候，她会奖励它们一些零食，把它们的包装满，然后再送它们出去跑步。综上，这些牧羊犬一边在树林里跑，一边播散种子，这是它们帮助树林重生的方法。故选B。

3.推理判断题。文章介绍了Torres利用牧羊犬帮忙播撒种子的故事。她利用狗，证明她非常聪明。她这么做是为了帮助树林重生，说明她热爱大自然。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Torres has seen some fields that are now totally green thanks to the work of Summer, Olivia and Das. In some of 15 forests that the three border shepherd dogs have been responsible for, grass is coming back, and small trees are beginning to push through the burnt earth”可知，托雷斯看到了一些现在完全是绿色的田地。在这三只边境牧羊犬负责的15处森林中，草已经重新长出来，小树开始在烧焦的土地上生长。由此推知，树林的一些地方已经变绿。故选D。