阅读理解专项练习一:Do dogs un dersta nd us?Be careful what you say around your dog. It might un dersta nd more tha n you think.A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog alsoappears to be able to lear n new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-lear ning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee （黑猩猩）.In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 comma nds right. As the dog could n't see anyone to get clues, the scie ntists believe Rico must un dersta nd the meanings of certa inwords.In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toyswhose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.The correct object was chose n in seve n out of l0 tests, suggesti ng that the dog had workedout the answer by process of elimination （ 排除法）.A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed （ 品种）known forits men tal abilities. In additi on, the 9-year-old dog has bee n trained to fetch toys by their n ames since the age of nine mon ths.It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, itwould n't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and the n. You might just get a big, wet kiss in retur n!60. From paragraph 2 we know that _________ .A. ani mals are as clever as huma n beingsB. dogs are smarter tha n parrots and chimpa nzeesC. chimpa nzees have very good word-lear ning skillsD. dogs have similar 'learni ng abilities as 3-year-old childre n61. Both experime nts show that ____________ .A. Rico is smart eno ugh to get all comma nds rightB. Rico can recog nize differe nt things in cludi ng toysC. Rico has developed the ability of lear ning mathematicsD. Rico won't forget the n ames of objects once recog nizing them62. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is true?A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities.B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.C. The border collie is world-famous for recog nizing objects.D. Rico is born to un dersta nd its own er's comma nds.63. What does the writer want to tell us?Paynes Prairie （used ） Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. PaynesPrairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21 000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park ServiceA. To train your dog.C. To be frien dly to your dog.B. To talk to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog.man age the preserve.The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by marsh（沼泽）and wet prairie vegetati on. There are areas of ope n water. During brief periods it has flooded eno ugh to be con sidered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have bee n n amed after King Payne, a Semi nole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land . It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.Willam Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first pers on who portrayed （described ）n ature through pers onal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sandhill cranes, hawks and waterfowl are here in wi nter. The ani mal diversity is in creased by the prese nce of pi ne flatwoods, hammock, swamps and pon ds.The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opport un ities for recreati on. At the park you can camp and pic nic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.Paynes Prairie is a part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida.64. How was the Paynes Prairie bas in formed?A. By the Semi nole In dia ns.B. By the Florida Park Service.C. From dissolved limest one and the gro und settli ng.D. From lots of flood ing and wet prairie vegetati on.65. The underlined word "diversity " means 二_____________ .”A. varietyB. societyC. populati onD. area66. All of the followi ng are true EXCEPT that _________ .A. Paynes Prairie has changed little through timeB. Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie grassesC. there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes PrairieD. William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie67. The purpose of the passage is to _______ .A. call on people to protect widlifeB. attract people to this preserved parkC. show you the formati on of Paynes PrairieD. in troduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie5NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in ni ghtmares.Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories.The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase（抹去）,the effect of painful memories.In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releas ing chemicals that fix memories in the brai n. So far the research has suggested that on ly the emoti onal effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.The research has caused a great deal of argume nt. Some think it is a bad idea, While others support it.Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories."Some memories can ruin people's lives . They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream ornightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that sufferi ng."But those who are aga inst the research say that cha nging memories is very dan gerous because memories give us our identity （特质）.They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past."All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.68. The passage is mainly about ______________ .A. a new medical inven ti onB. a new research on the pillC. a way of eras ing painful memoriesD. an argume nt about the research on the pill69. The drug tested on people can __________ .A. cause the brain to fix memoriesB. stop people rememberi ng bad experie ncesC. preve nt body produci ng certa in chemicalsD. Wipe out the emoti onal effects of memories70. We can infer from the passage that __________ .A. people doubt the effects of the pillsB. the pill will stop people's bad experie ncesC. tak ing the pill will do harm to people's healthD. the pill has probably bee n produced in America71. Which of the follow ing does Rebecca Dresser agree with?A. Some memories can ruin people's lives.B. People want to get rid of bad memories.C. Experie ncing bad events makes us differe nt from others.D. The pill will reduce people's sufferi ngs from bad memories.6What's your dream vacati on? Watchi ng wildlife in Ken ya? Boat ing dow n the Amaz on? Sun bath ing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world. So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices ,and pay our mon ey.We know what our vacati on costs us. But do we know what it might cost some one else? It's true that many poorer coun tries now depe nd on tourism for foreig n in come. Un fortun ately, though, tourism ofte n harms the local people more than it helps them.It might cost their homes and Ian ds. In Myanmar, 5,200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas（佛塔）in Baga n so that tourists could visit the pagodas.Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity. Local workers often find only menial（卑微的）jobs in the tourist in dustry. And most of the profits do not help the local economy. In stead, profits retur n to the tour operators in wealthier coun tries, When the Maasai people in Tanzania were drive n from their Ian ds, some moved to city slums. Others now make a little money sell ing souve nirs or pos ing for photos.Problems like these were Observed more that 20 years ago. But now some non-government organizations, tour operators and local gover nments are work ing together to beg in correct ing them. Tourists, too, are putt ing on the pressure.The result is responsible tourism, or “ ethical tourism. EthicOltourism has people at its heart. New international agreeme nts and codes of con duct can help protect the people's Ian ds, homes, econo mies and cultures. The begi nnings are small, though, and the problems are complex.But take heart . The good n ews is that every one, in clud ing us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit.Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reas on ablewages.They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel, restaurants and guide services. They can share profits fairly to helpthe local economy. And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourism.What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citize ns. We can the n make our choices and tell them why. And while we're abroad, we can:Buy local foods and products, not imported on es.Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price.Avoid flaunting wealth.Ask before tak ing photographs of people.They are not just part of the Ian dscape!Let's enjoy our vacati on and make sure others do, too.72. What is probably the best title for the article?A. Tourism Causes Bad Effects.B. Tourism Calls for Good Behavior.C. Vacati ons Bring a Lot of Fun.D. Vacatio ns Cost More Tha n You Thi nk73. Which of the follow ing is not men ti on ed?A. Local people were well paid to leave their Ian ds.B. Tourists may stay in hotels ope ned by local people.C. Local people are mainly provided with low-pay ing work.D. Tourists could barga in with local people for a reas on able price.74. The un derl ined phrase "take heart" means" _____ ".A. pay atte nti onB. take careC. cheer upD. calm dow n75. Accord ing to the passage, the writer thinks _________ .A. tourism is not a promis ing in dustryB. dream vacati ons should be spe nt abroadC. the problems caused by tourism are easy to settleD. tourists should respect local customs and culture7Robert Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owe n was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nin etee n he was give n the job of superi ntendent（监工） at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland.When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid any attention to the workers' houses or their children's education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. There was a lot of crime and the men spe nt most of their wages on alcoholic drin ks.Owen improved the houses. He en couraged people to be clea n and save mon ey. He ope ned a shop and sold the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his mind on the children's education. In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain.People came from all over the country to visit Owen's factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and more efficie nt tha n in other tow ns. Their childre n were better fed and better educated. Owe n tried the same experime nt in the Un ited States. He bought some land there in 1825,but the com munity was too far away. He could not keep it un der con trol and lost most of his mon ey.Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He was a practical man and his ideas were practical. "If you give people good work ing con diti on s," he thought, "they will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better people."56. For Owe n, his greatest achieveme nt in New Lanark was ___________ .A. improvi ng worker's housesB. help ing people to save moneyC. preve nting men from gett ing drunkD. providi ng the childre n with a good educati on57. From the passage we may infer that Owen was born __________ .A. i nto a rich familyB. i nto a n oble familyC. i nto a poor familyD. i nto a middle class family58. Owen's experime nt in the Un ited States failed because _____ .A. he lost all his moneyB. he did not buy eno ugh landC. people who visited it were no t impressedD. it was too far away for him to organize it properly59. We may infer form the passage that no children in Britain could enjoy free education until ___ .A. 1771B. 1816C. 1825D. 18608Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack of concentration (注意力)is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results.If so, use these tips to help you.Study Tech niq uesYou should always study in the same place. You shouldn 'sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, whe n you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don 'watch TV while you are study ing. Experts warn that your concen trati on may be reduced by 50 perce nt if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipme nt you n eed.Apart from your textbooks, pens, pen cils and kni ves, make sure you have a dict ion ary.If your study desk or table is n eeded whe n you are not study ing, store all your equipme nt in a box beside it. _Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.Be realistic and don 'try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before _beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minu tes, but try not to teleph one a friend or have someth ing to eat.Test-tak ing SkillsAll your hard work will be for nothing if you are too n ervous to take your test. Gett ing ple nty of rest is very importa nt. This means do not study all ni ght before your test! It is a better idea to have a Ion g-term study pla n. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few mon ths.Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concen trati on. Eat healthy food too.When you arrive in the exam in ati on room, find your seat and sit dow n. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock duri ng the test, but not too ofte n. Above all, take no no tice of every one else and give the test paper your un divided atte nti on.65. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is true accord ing to the passage?A. You should study in a different place every day, so you don 'tget bored.B. Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.C. Check the time during the exam at a certain time.D. Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method.66. What does the underlined word “ ” refer to?A. Your study desk or table.B. Your textbook.C. Your dict ion ary.D. The equipme nt you n eed.67. What can be in ferred from the passage?A. You should n 'look at every one else duri ng the test.B. You will have eno ugh en ergy to deal with your study and exams by eati ng healthy diet.C. You 'lie oncen trate more if there is nothing to distract you.D. If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes.9On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were in vited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the n ext day they refused the offer as follows:We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of lear ning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of liv ing of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced that you mean to do us good by your proposal; and we tha nk you heartily. But you must know that differe nt n ati ons have differe nt ways of look ing at thin gs, and you will therefore not be offended if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experie nee of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the college of the northern provi nces: they were taught all your scie nces; but whe n they came back to us, they were bad mann ers, ig norant of every means of liv ing in the woods -they were totally good for nothing.We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them all we know, and make men of them.68. The passage is about __ .A. the talk between the Indians and the officialsB. the colleges of the northern provincesC. the educational values of the IndiansD. the problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteen century69. The Indian chief 's purpose of writing the letter seems to be to _ .A. politely refuse a friendly offerB. express their opinions on equal treatmentC. show their prideD. describe Indian customs70. According to the letter, the Indians believed that __ .A. it would be better for their boys to receive some schoolingB. they were being insulted by the offerC. they knew more about science than the officialsD. they had better way of educating young men71. Different from the officials 'view of education, the Indians thought ___ .A. young women should also be educatedB. they had different goals of educationC. they taught different branches of scienceD. they should teach the sons of the officials first10Never go into a supermarket hungry! Th is is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn 't enough for consumers t shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don 'heat pbeury anyththan usual! “ Newand Improved! ”or “All Natural ”on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list ofingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don 't spend much money on packing or quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren ract'ivet,vaenryd athttey usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.72. All the following statements are true about the phrase “ ordinary items ” in Paragraph 2 except ____ .A. ordinary items never say “New and Improved ” or “All Natural ”B. ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brandsC. producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary itemsD. the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands73. What does the writer think about ads?A. They are believable.B. They are attractive.C. They are full of misinformation.D. They are helpful to consumers.74. One of the author 's suggestions to coinss_u_m_e_r.sA. to make use of adsB. not to buy items with words like “ New and Improved ” or “ All NaturalC. to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunchD. to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands75. The author implies that __ .A. going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan toB. the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively lowC. discount clothing stores are good places to go toD. ads sometimes don ' t tell the truth11Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners .Most children will “ obey ” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child .Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can ' t be said to show the baby ' s intention to communicate, they ceadnahsaerdalrylybfeorrmegsaorfd language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation （模仿）leads on to deliberate （有意的）imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.It is a problem we need to get out teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven mon ths of “ mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.51. Before children start speaking _____ .A. they need equal amount of listeningB. they need different amounts of listeningC. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructionsD. they can 't understand and obey the adult 's oral instructions52. Children who start speaking late _____ .A. may have problems with their listeningB. probably do not hear enough language spoken around themC. usually pay close attention to what they hearD. often take a long time in learning to listen properly53. A baby 's first noises are ________ .A. an expression of his moods and feelingsB. an early form of languageC. a sign that he means to tell you somethingD. an imitation of the speech of adults54. The problem of deciding at what point a baby 's imitations can be considered as speech ________ .A. is important because words have different meanings for different peopleB. is not especially important because the changeover takes place graduallyC. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with ageD. is one that should be completely ignored （忽略）because children' s use of words is often meaningless55. The speaker implies _____ .A. parents can never hope to teach their children new soundsB. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speakC. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quicklyD. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating12The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world ' s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibitsmore lifelike. The museum ' s most popular display was the ske骷髅n）（of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthedon a New York farm in 1801.Three of Peale ' s seve ntee n childre n were also famous artists. Paphaelle Peale ofte n pain ted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembra ndt studied un der his father and pain ted portraits of many no ted people, in cludi ng one of George Wash ington. Ano ther brother, Rube ns Peale, pain ted mostly Ian dscapes and portraits.James Peale, the brother of Charles Wills on Peale, specialized in mi niatures （小画像）.His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professi onal female portrait pain ter in America.。