Ostriches(鸵鸟) have been said to be so stupid that they react to danger by burying their heads in sand. This belief caused the popular phrases to be born: play the ostrich. It’s often used to describe people 1.________ refuse to face painful facts. They prefer to ignore the truth. It is like children sticking their fingers in the ears 2.________ crying, “I can’t hear you!”
But do ostriches really bury their heads in sand when they are in danger? The answer is no for sure! 3._______ ostriches are flightless(不会飞的) birds, they can run as fast as 40 miles per hour. So, if they find 4._______ in danger, they will run very fast.
It’s a false statement we’ve thought of as 5.________ truth for long. So, how did the phrase “play the ostrich” come from? Well,6.______ fact, ostriches swallow sand and pebbles(鹅卵石) to help grind(磨碎) food in their stomachs. This means they have to bend 7._______ and put their heads into sand to collect pebbles. That’s 8._______ a false statement was born
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the cleverest animals. British scientists said last Wednesday human may have underestimated(低估) the woolly creatures. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern. England, have shown that animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces--which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish(区别) 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes(电极) to measure their brain activity, which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years.
"If they can do that with faces, the fact is that they have to have reasonable intelligence, otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering anything else," Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much ind
ividuality and are frightened of just about everything.
All animals, including humans, once they are frightened don't tend to show signs of intelligent action," he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain, which allows them to distinguish between many different faces that look extremely similar.
"The most important findings of the study is that they are able, both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized, to remember a large number of faces of individuals for a very long time," said Kendrick. "It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans. "
From the first paragraph we can find that ______.
A. people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals
B. people used to raise sheep in a wrong way
C. people don't consider sheep as clever animals
D. people have done a lot of research on sheep
From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that ________.
A. scientists have learned a lot about sheep's intelligence
B. scientists have learned little about sheep's intelligence
C. scientists can't do anything more about sheep's memory
D. scientists don't have to research animals' memory
As is shown in the passage _________.
A. sheep are among the weak animals
B. it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups
C. when sheep eat grass in the fields their minds may be active
D. if people feel frightened, they may become more brave
When scientists found that sheep show similar abilities in many ways to humans they may think it _____.
A. worrying B. moving C. frightening D. interesting
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科目：高中英语 来源：安徽省安庆市2010届高三第二学期重点中学联考 题型：完型填空
第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Most people have no idea of the hard work and worry going into the collecting of those fascinating birds and animals that they pay to see in the zoo.One of the questions that is always asked of me is 36 I became an animal collector in the first 37 .The answer is that I have always been interested in animals and zoos. According to my parents, the first word I was able to say 38 was not the conventional “mamma” or “daddy”, 39 the word “zoo”, which I would 40 over and over again with a shrill 41 until someone, in order to 42 me up, would take me to the zoo.When I 43 a little older, we lived in Greece and I had a great 44 of pets, ranging from owls to seahorses, and I spent all my spare time 45 the countryside in search of fresh samples to 46 my collection of pets. 47 I went for a year to the City Zoo, as a student 48 , to get experience of the large animals, such as lions, bears, bison and ostriches, 49 were not easy to keep at home.When I left, I 50 had enough money of my own to be able to 51 my first trip and I have been going 52 ever since then .Though a collector's job is not an easy one and is full of 53 ,it is certainly a job which will appeal 54 all those who love animals and 55 .
36. A.how B.where C.when D.whether
37.A.region B.field C.place D.case
38.A.clearly B.quickly C.feelingly D.proudly
39. A.except B.but C.except for D.but for
40. A.recite B.recognize C.read D.repeat
41. A.sound B.noise C.voice D.tone
42. A.close B.shut C.stop D.comfort
43. A.grew B.was growing C.grow D.is growing
44. A.many B.amount C.number D.supply
45. A.examining B.expanding C.exploiting D.exploring
46. A.devote B.receive C.add D.multiply
47. A.Later B.Thus C.Still D. Yet
48. A.agent B. assistant C.member D.keeper
49. A.who B.that C.as D.which
50. A.luckily B.gladly C.nearly D.successfully
51. A finance B.provide C.allow D. pay
52. A.normally B.regularly C.usually D.often
53. A.expectations B.sorrows C.excitement D.disappointments
54. A.for B.with C.to D.from
55. A.voyage B.travel C.journey D.trip
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科目：高中英语 来源：2014届江苏省沭阳县高二下学期期中调研测试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：完型填空
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Most people think of birds as feathered animals that fly. Scientists, 36 , do not define (给…下定义) birds as animals that fly, because some birds do not. Of the 10,000 or so species of birds, 46 cannot 37 . Flight plays a key role in 38 for most birds. It allows them to find food over a 39 area and to get away from enemies. Ancestors of flightless birds may have 40 their ability to fly because they had no regular predators (捕食者) or did not need to fly to find food. Rather than fly, some of these birds developed other 41 to catch food and avoid enemies. Two examples of 42 birds are penguins and ostriches.
43 birds that fly, penguins do not have wide wings or large feathers. In order to catch the fish they feed on, penguins use their powerful wings to swim 44 . And when they swim, they look as if they are flying through the water. The 45 of penguins’ bodies makes it possible for them to dive deep underwater, 46 their thick feathers protect them from the cold.
Ostriches are known for their long legs, long necks, and large size. To 47 themselves, they stay in groups and use their excellent sight and hearing to 48 enemies. As soon as 49 approaches, they can run at a speed of more than 65 kilometers per hour to 50 . In addition to using their strong legs to run, they can kick powerfully.
Not all flightless birds have been 51 in protecting themselves. Flightless birds on some islands had no enemies until people 52 . These birds were hunted and easily caught by people and the animals 53 by people. Human land development has 54 the habitats of some birds. A number of flightless birds 55 because they were unable to adapt to new conditions and new enemies.
1. A．thus B．however C．therefore D．otherwise
2. A．stand B．fly C．hear D．sing
3. A．growth B．communication C．health D．survival
4. A．wide B．familiar C．crowded D．special
5. A．developed B．improved C．lost D．proved
6. A．parts B．habits C．ways D．tools
7. A．wild B．interesting C．rare D．flightless
8. A．Instead of B．Because of C．Besides D．Unlike
9. A．quickly B．carefully C．differently D．gradually
10. A．shape B．color C．bone D．skin
11. A．if B．and C．but D．so
12. A．help B．feed C．protect D．hide
13. A．kill B．notice C．confuse D．frighten
14. A．dawn B．darkness C．danger D．food
15. A．look B．escape C．move D．fight
16. A．successful B．natural C．unusual D．positive
17. A．realized B．acted C．stopped D．arrived
18. A．brought B．found C．bought D．hunted
19. A．provided B．formed C．destroyed D．controlled
20. A．flew away B．watched out C．gave away D．died out
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科目：高中英语 来源：河南省郑州市2010届高三模拟考试英语试题 题型：阅读理解
第三部分 阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Birds are the only animals with feathers, although some other animals, such as insects and bats, also have wings. Nearly all birds can fly, and even flightless birds, such as ostriches (鸵鸟), penguins, evolved from flying ancestors.
Birds are found worldwide in many habitats. They can fly over some of the highest mountains on earth as well as both of the earth’s poles, dive through water to depths of more than 250m, and occupy habitats with the most extreme climates on the planet, including arctic tundra (冻土地带) and the Sahara Desert. Certain kinds of seabirds are commonly seen over the open ocean thousands of kilometers from the nearest land, but all birds must come ashore to raise their young.
Highly developed animals, birds are sensitive and responsive, colorful and graceful, with habits that excite interest and inquiry. People have long been fascinated by birds, in part because birds are found in the same habitats in which humans live. And like people, most species of birds are active during daylight hours. Humans find inspiration in birds’ capacity for flight and in their musical calls. Humans also find birds useful---their flesh and eggs for food, their feathers for warmth, and their companionship. Perhaps a key basis for our friendliness with birds is the similarity of our sensory worlds: Both birds and humans rely more heavily on hearing and color vision than on smell. Birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment, because the health of bird populations mirrors the health of our environment. The rapid decline in birds populations and the accelerating extinction rates of birds in the world’s forests, grassland, wetlands, and islands are therefore reasons for great concern.
1.Which of the following would be the best title of the text?
A. Animals with Feathers and Wings
B. Our friendliness with birds
C. An introduction to Birds
D. Bird’s life
2 What does the second paragraph mainly tell us ?
A. Bird’s friendship B. Bird’s habitats
C. Bird’s raising D. Bird’s environment
3.Which of following is NOT true according to the passage ?
A. Bird’s flying abilities and musical calls inspire humans greatly.
B. Birds live in the same surroundings in which humans live.
C. Both birds and humans rely more heavily on hearing and smell than on color vision.
D. Bird’s flesh and eggs for food, bird’s feathers for warmth, and their companionship are useful to us.
4.From the text it may imply but NOT state that __________.
A. the environment is being damaged seriously
B. if you want to raise birds, you should pay attention to environment
C. the environment affects the human beings
D. bird populations decrease rapidly
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科目：高中英语 来源：20102011学年度辽师大附中高二下学期期中考试英语试题 题型：阅读理解
Sheep Smarter than Thought
London—Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the most clever animals. British scientists said last Wednesday humans may have underestimated the woolly creature. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern England, have shown that the animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces—which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes (电极) to measure their brain activity , which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years .
“If they can do that with faces, they have to have reasonable intelligence; otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering faces and not remembering anything else?” Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb (unable to speak, unintelligent) animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much individuality and are frightened of just about everything.
“All animals, including humans, once they are frightened, don’t tend to show signs of intelligent action,” he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain which allows them to distinguish between many different faces which look extremely similar.
“The most important finding (of the study) is that they are able , both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized , to remember a large number of individuals for a very long time,” said Kendrick. “It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans.”
1.From the first paragraph we can find that______. .
A．people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals
B．people used to raise sheep in a wrong way
C．people don’t consider sheep as clever animals
D．people have done a lot of research on sheep
2.From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that_____. .
A．scientists have learned everything about sheep’s intelligence
B．scientists have learned a little about sheep’s intelligence
C．scientists can’t do anything more about sheep’s memory
D．scientists do not have to research animals’ memory
3.As is known in the passage,__________.
A．sheep are among the week animals
B．it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups
C．when sheep eat grass in the field their minds may be active
D．if people feel frightened, they may become braver
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