Question

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami(海啸), 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(食肉动物).

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

【小题1】B

【小题2】C

【小题3】C

【小题4】B

解析:

 【小题1】B 主旨大意题。短文第一段提出了这样一个事实：野生动物们似乎躲过了印度洋的海啸。作者接下来极力想要揭示其中的奥秘，是不是真的因为动物有神秘的“第六感”呢？由此判断可知。

【小题2】C 事实细节题。短文中列举一些权威人士的讲话，如：斯里兰卡负责野生动物的官员说，野生动物似乎都幸免于难，目前尚未发现一具动物的尸体；斯里兰卡野生动物保护局副局长H·D·拉特纳亚克说，“没有大象丧生，甚至连野兔和兔子都活得好好的。动物们可以感觉到灾难即将来临。它们有第六感，能够知道海啸发生的时间”。南非约翰内斯堡动物园的动物行为专家马太·范伦内普说，“每当火山爆发或地震发生前，动物们的行为就会发生许多异常，比如犬吠或鸟类迁徙”。其他权威人士同意这一看法。综上所述：人们普遍持这种观点。

【小题3】C 词义推测题。字面上的意义为“第六感”，根据短文第三段“I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening”进行推测，其含义为：动物的某种神秘力量能预测将要发生的事。

【小题4】B 逻辑推理题。这次印度洋海啸目前已造成成千上万的人丧生，而动物却能幸免，其中的奥秘有待去探究。由此推测此文可能是在报纸的“发现”版面上。而science fiction是“科幻”的意思，有较大的干扰性。