牛津版：八年级下册Unit 5 Save the endangered animals 同步课文话题

Unit 5 Save the endangered animals

同步课文话题阅读

时文精选

A

As we all know, the giant panda is a symbol of China. And people all over the world like this cute

animal. During these years, our government has taken action to protect it. Thanks to our governments efforts,

the animal is growing in number and already not on the endangered species (物种)list. However, it doesn’t

go far enough. Now the government is trying hard to help more giant pandas live in the wild. Not long ago,

two giant pandas, Ba Xi and Ying Xue, caught many people's eyes because they became the eighth and ninth

pandas to be sent back to the wild.

Ba Xi and Ying Xue were both two years old. They were born at Wolong Hetaoping Wild Training

Base and had got the back-to-nature training since they were born. Ba Xis mother, Xi Mei, taught him how

to climb trees when he was just four months old. And Ying Xue's mother started bringing her to the forest

to find food when she was little. After two years of training, they grew well and learnt basic survival (生存)

skills. Experts all agreed to send them back to nature.

On the day when the two pandas left, a ceremony (仪式)was held at Liziping Nature Reserve and many

reporters were invited to experience the important moment together. Ba Xi and Ying Xue left their cages(笼子) and quickly ran into the bamboo forest. With the GPS put on them, experts said they would keep an eye

on their activities and study how well the two pandas would get used to the wild life.

1. How many pandas have been sent back to the wild so far?

A. 8. B. 9. C.10. D.11.

2. Who taught Ba Xi to climb trees?

A. Ying Xue. B. Xi Mei. C. The experts. D. The trainers.

3. According to the passage, the followings are the pandas’ survival skills EXCEPT __________.

A. finding bamboos B. climbing trees C. living in forests D. leaving the cages

4. What is the purpose of putting the GPS on Ba Xi and Ying Xue?

A. To help them live in the wild. B. To follow and protect them.

C. To show us how they live in the wild. D. To bring them to the forest to find food.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A. People all over the world pay attention to Ba Xi and Ying Xue.

B. Ba Xi and Ying Xue have the same mother.

C. Ba Xi and Ying Xue would get used to the wild life well.

D. The gaint panda likes living in the wild better.

答案：BBDCC

B

During the Ice Age, the mammoths(猛犸象) lived both in Asia and America. But by about 4,000 years

ago, the large and hairy elephants had disappeared.

Some scientists want to clone (克隆) a mammoth, and the first need is some mammoth DNA. Since

1900s, scientists have been digging up remains (残骸)of mammoths in the cold ground. Some still even have

their skin and hair. Unluckily, even when it's frozen, DNA still can’t be kept very well. It starts to break

apart soon after an animal dies. Scientists have found plenty of mammoth DNA-but it's all just short bits(零碎)and in a mess.

Modern Asian elephants are cousins of the ancient mammoths. Their DNA is about 99% the same. Still,

that adds up to 70 million differences. But if we could change the elephant s DNA in the places that are

different could we make mammoth DNA? Some researchers at Harvard are giving it a try. They have got

out 14 bits of DNA in elephant blood cells that help mammoths stand(抵御 )the cold. It seemed to work. But

they're only working with groups of cells, not a whole animal. There is still a long way to go before cloning

a mammoth.

Even if scientists could clone a mammoth or other disappeared animals, would it be a good idea? It

might be cool to see a real, living mammoth. But would such an animal be happy, with no other mammoths

around? Who would teach it how to be a mammoth? There are important questions for trying to bring back

any disappeared creature. Cloning is expensive and often fails. Would the money be better spent on saving

endangered animals that are still alive?

1. What happened to mammoth DNA?

A. Stayed the same. B. Broke apart.

C. Got longer. D. Disappeared.

2. Which of the following is true about mammoths?

A. They still lived on the Earth 400 years ago.

B. They looked the same as todays elephants.

C. They lived both in Africa and Asia.

D. They were larger and stronger than today's Asian elephants.

3. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A. There are lots of differences of DNA between mammoths and modern Asian elephants.

B. The scientists at Harvard have already cloned a mammoth.

C. It is not easy to clone a disappeared animal though their DNA is close to some animals.

D. The scientists are going to put the DNA of standing cold in another animal.