Question

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami(海嘯), adding weight to ideas they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters, experts said on Thursday.

Sri Lanka wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.

“No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening,” H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.

The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants. “There has been a lot of evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven,” said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.

“There have been no specific studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting,” he said.

Other authorities agreed with this conclusion.

“Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters,” said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.

Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators(食肉動物).

The idea of an animal “sixth sense” is a lasting one that the evidence on Sri Lanka’s damaged coast is likely to add to.

This passage is mainly about________.

A. the damage that was caused in the Indian Ocean tsunami

B. why animals can save them from natural disasters

C. how to protect the wildlife when disaster happens

D. the different opinions about animals’ natural power

Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. It has been proved that animals have a “sixth sense”.

B. Research has been made on the special movements of animals before disasters.

C. It’s generally considered that animals can sense the coming of disasters.

D. Animals have depended on the known senses to escape the Indian Ocean tsunami.

What does the term “sixth sense” in the text means?

A. It is the natural ability of animals that can save them from danger.

B. It is the animal’s imagination in the brain.

C. It is some hidden power to say in advance that something will happen.

D. It is a kind of sense that is the same as smell or hearing.

Which section does the text most probably appear in a newspaper?

A. News Report.        B. Discovery.       C. Science Fiction.      D. Culture.

Answer 1

【小題1】B

【小題2】C

【小題3】C

【小題4】B

解析:

 【小題1】B 主旨大意題。短文第一段提出了這樣一個事實：野生動物們似乎躲過了印度洋的海嘯。作者接下來極力想要揭示其中的奧秘，是不是真的因為動物有神秘的“第六感”呢？由此判斷可知。

【小題2】C 事實細節(jié)題。短文中列舉一些權(quán)威人士的講話，如：斯里蘭卡負責野生動物的官員說，野生動物似乎都幸免于難，目前尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)一具動物的尸體；斯里蘭卡野生動物保護局副局長H·D·拉特納亞克說，“沒有大象喪生，甚至連野兔和兔子都活得好好的。動物們可以感覺到災(zāi)難即將來臨。它們有第六感，能夠知道海嘯發(fā)生的時間”。南非約翰內(nèi)斯堡動物園的動物行為專家馬太·范倫內(nèi)普說，“每當火山爆發(fā)或地震發(fā)生前，動物們的行為就會發(fā)生許多異常，比如犬吠或鳥類遷徙”。其他權(quán)威人士同意這一看法。綜上所述：人們普遍持這種觀點。

【小題3】C 詞義推測題。字面上的意義為“第六感”，根據(jù)短文第三段“I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening”進行推測，其含義為：動物的某種神秘力量能預(yù)測將要發(fā)生的事。

【小題4】B 邏輯推理題。這次印度洋海嘯目前已造成成千上萬的人喪生，而動物卻能幸免，其中的奧秘有待去探究。由此推測此文可能是在報紙的“發(fā)現(xiàn)”版面上。而science fiction是“科幻”的意思，有較大的干擾性。