Colin and Theony McRae, from South Africa, kept a giraffe as a pet after it was found close to death in the wild(野外).

The animal, named Fenne, lived with them as it grew from 5 feet at birth to huge 10 feet at age two. It slept outside the house of their large farm, and joined the family as they ate and played. The oversized pet would come running when its name was called, just like a dog.

Fenne would even try to join the family inside the house, although it had trouble getting through doorways. It would duck down and come right in when it felt like it, but it had to really get its head down. Tour guide Theony said, “We had to kick it out of the house sometimes because it was rather clumsy(笨拙的) and its feet would easily slip(滑到) on the smooth floors inside our house. We watched it very closely, afraid that it would break its leg.”

Thenoy also told how their animal’s curiosity(好奇心) could make for some strange situations. She explained, “It was very friendly. Fenne would come right up to you, so you had to be careful. It weighed more than a person so you would really feel it if it stood on your foot. I remember one night a friend of ours was having a bath, but left her bedroom door unlocked. Fenne was curious, so it pushed the door open and got right inside to say hello. This lady was so surprised and amazed by this encounter. Living with Fenne was filled with magical moments like this. It is like a member of our own family.”

48. The underlined word “encounter” means ______.

   A. an unplanned meeting                 B. a different situation

   C. an unfriendly greeting                  D. a good try

49. From the passage, we can know _______.

   A. Fenne didn’t grow very much            B. Fenne had no trouble staying inside

   C. Fenne was a very curious animal          D. Fenne could become very dangerous

50. According to the article, which word can best describe Fenne?

   A. Dangerous           B. Polite           C. Troublesome         D. Amazing

Character, courage and confidence are words you might use to describe your heroes. These words can describe you! Take action as follows and you’ll be a hero, too!
Part 1: Character
Character is something that makes you the person you are like being honest, friendly, and helpful. See the chart below. On the left is our standard of good character. Write down your promise for each line on the right. Then, get a witness（证人）to sign it. Put it up where you’ll see it every day and do your best to keep it.

Like most cultures around the world, the Zulu people of Africa tell stories that have animals as heroes. These stories are meant to have fun, but they are also used to teach important lessons to children. This is one of those stories.

One hot afternoon, Jackal was walking along the rocky road sniffing (嗅) the ground. He was hoping to smell a mouse or a lizard (蜥蜴), or something else that would be good to eat. He was so much lost in sniffing that he wasn’t really paying attention to what was around himself.

Suddenly, Jackal looked up to see his neighbor, Lion, walking straight toward him. He did not have enough time to run way. Jackal had played many tricks on Lion over the years, so he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught. Jackal needed to think of something quickly.

“Help! Help!” cried Jackal as he quickly jumped upon a large rock hanging over the road. “The rocks are falling down, and I can’t hold them much longer. We shall both be crushed (压碎) if you do not do your best to hold these rocks back, Lion”

At once, Lion pushed his strong shoulder against the rocks to keep them from moving any further. “I’ll just run over here to get something to stop the rocks.” shouted Jackal as he ran way to safety. Lion stayed leaning against the unmoving rocks for quite a long time before he realized that Jackal had tricked him yet again!

1. Why was Jackal sniffing the ground?

A. To play with Lion.                              B. To push a rock

C. To run after a mouse                            D. To look for something to eat.

2.What does the underlined word ‘leaning’ mean?

A. supporting          B. sleeping       C. running         D. sitting

3. Why did Jackal cry for help?

A. Because Lion was rushing to him.

B. Because he was caught under a rock.

C. Because he got an idea to get away from Lion.

D. Because he saw a large rock moving toward him.

4. What lesson does the story teach us?

 A. Trust（信任） your friend, trust yourself

B. Work hard, and you’ll succeed.

C. Help others when they are in trouble.

D. Try to find a quick way out when in trouble.

5.Which words can describe Jackal’s characteristics?

A. selfish and stubborn      B. silly and unkind       C. clever and creative       D. impolite and dishonest