If you are looking for an animal to take the title of “most violent fish in the sea”, then the tiger puffer (河豚) fish would have to be a strong contestant. Not only is it deadly poisonous --- though that doesn’t stop people trying to eat it --- but it is also able to scare off enemies by inflating itself to become much larger than normal, when it is young it even chews on its own brothers and sisters.
Tiger puffer fish attach their eggs to rocks near the bottom of the sea, often at the mouths of bays. Then the larvae (幼鱼) move to the entries of rivers and lakes once they have grown a little. Then, having put on a lot of weight, they head out to sea. There’s no innocent childhood for the puffer fish, as Shin Oikawa of Kyushu University in Japan and his colleagues found out when they put the larvae of tiger puffer fish in the lab and monitored them for two months. They found that the larvae went through three steps in which their metabolic(新陈代谢) rates increased dramatically when they reached body weights of 0.002g, 0.01g, and 0.1g. When a larva went through one of these steps, its behavior also changed. For instance, once a larva had passed the first level it would have grown its first tooth and could start attacking larvae that had not yet reached that stage. Similarly, any larva that had reached the 0.01g or 0.1g levels would start attacking lighter larvae.
The researchers noted that the baby fish had a “relatively small mouth”, so rather than swallowing their brothers and sisters whole, they would bite pieces out of them. Despite this limitation, the fish caused plenty of deaths --- up to 12 per cent of the deaths that happened in the lab each day.
Those fish that grew fast enough to be able to chew on their fellows had an advantage. The extra food accelerated their growth and development. Tiger puffer fish are likely to be faster and swifter, so they can deal better with enemies.
As the name suggests, puffer fish can inflate to make themselves seem much larger than they really are, thus scaring off enemies. They do this by filling their stomachs, which are extremely elastic(弹性的), with water. If that’s not enough of a threat, the tiger puffer fish --- like most of the other puffer fish in the family --- carries a deadly toxin(毒素). Eat one puffer fish and the poison will paralyze (瘫痪) your muscles, including the muscles responsible for breathing, so death is usually caused by a lack of oxygen. Famously, the fish is a delicacy in Japan, where highly qualified chefs produce dishes that contain the safe level of the poison. Interestingly, the puffer fish does not go to the trouble of producing the poison itself. Instead, it hosts bacteria (细菌) that produce the stuff. It obtains these bacteria from its diet, so the youngest adult fish are not poisonous.
【小题1】All of the following statements account for the violence of puffer fish except that_____.

A．they are very difficult to catch

B．they can become larger to threaten enemies away

C．they kill their younger companions as they grow up

D．they are deadly poisonous

【小题2】We can learn from the second paragraph that puffer fish _____.

A．can only grow to a weight of 0.1g

B．do not change their behavior as they grow up

C．like to find a safe place to hatch the next generation

D．begin to grow teeth when they reach the third level

【小题3】Where does the poison in the puffer fish’s body come from?

A．Its inner organs.	B．The air it breathes in.
C．The diet it eats.	D．The bacteria around it.

【小题4】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Puffer fish can only produce poison when they face danger.

B．People like eating puffer fish even though they are poisonous.

C．The larvae are more aggressive than adult puffer fish.

D．Young puffer fish taste better than adult puffer fish.

A few days ago we – that’s me and the husband – took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone). 

There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn’t until I started to drive a car (almost 20years after I had first rode a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights(like motortists once did at me): “You’ll get killed, sunshine, I can’t see you.”

The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It’s biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way.

I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble(软弱无力) defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can’t bear the guys(一伙人) (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed.

So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around.

1.When did the writer realize the danger for late night cyclists without lights?

A. Not until she became a driver herself.

B. Not until she had driven a car for 20 years.

C. After she was shouted at by a motorist.

D. After she was once knocked down by a group of guys.

2.When the writer biked the wrong way down a one way street, she felt_________.

A. angry            B. guilty   C. innocent                    D. proud

3.Which group is most likely to face danger according to the writer?

A. walkers         B. passers-by     C. cyclists          D. motorists

4.What can we learn about the writer?

A. She often took a cab with her husband.

B. She has been a motorist for over 20 years.

C. She used to ride a bike without lights at night.

D. She often biked the wrong way down a one way street.

 

If you are afraid of the dark，it’s not a big deal．It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all，animals do too. “Fear matters，”says Karen Warkentin，an ecologist．“It’s a good thing，” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”

Like kids，many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways．A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell．A  small fish will swim away when a big，hungry fish approaches．

Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect．The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.

In this species，female frogs attach jellylike clumps（果冻一样的块状物）of their eggs to the undersides of leaves．The leaves hang on branches that dangle（悬挂）over ponds．After they hatch from the eggs，the tadpoles（蝌蚪）then fall into the water，where they eventually grow into adult frogs.

Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching．If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack，however，they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim，by falling into the water early，the tadpoles can escape.

If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes，you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner．It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger．Once tadpoles land in the water，hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too．Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days，then，allows frog embryos（胚胎）to grow big and strong．This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water．

1.It can be inferred from the passage that fears      .

A．help animals grow bigger and stronger

B．are less common among young animals

C．help animals move a lot to fit the environment

D．are more or less important in order for animals to survive

2.We are told in the passage that tree frogs        .

A．face danger both inside their eggs and in the water

B．will grow fast if they fall into the water later

C．are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs

D．stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened

3.Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule？Because

A．They like falling into the water early

B．They want to grow into adult frog

C． They sense a hungry snake is about to attack

D．Frog embryos can grow strong

4.What is the best title of the passage ？

A．What is Fear                           B．Why do we feel afraid

C．You feel afraid，animals do too             D．Fear is a good thing

5.What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule．

B．How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them．

C．Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way．

D．How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water.

 

If you are afraid of the dark，it’s not a big deal．It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all，animals do too. “Fear matters，”says Karen Warkentin，an ecologist．“It’s a good thing，” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”
Like kids，many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways．A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell．A  small fish will swim away when a big，hungry fish approaches．
Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect．The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.
In this species，female frogs attach jellylike clumps（果冻一样的块状物）of their eggs to the undersides of leaves．The leaves hang on branches that dangle（悬挂）over ponds．After they hatch from the eggs，the tadpoles（蝌蚪）then fall into the water，where they eventually grow into adult frogs.
Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching．If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack，however，they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim，by falling into the water early，the tadpoles can escape.
If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes，you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner．It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger．Once tadpoles land in the water，hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too．Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days，then，allows frog embryos（胚胎）to grow big and strong．This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water．
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that fears      .

A．help animals grow bigger and stronger

B．are less common among young animals

C．help animals move a lot to fit the environment

D．are more or less important in order for animals to survive

【小题2】We are told in the passage that tree frogs       .

A．face danger both inside their eggs and in the water

B．will grow fast if they fall into the water later

C．are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs

D．stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened

【小题3】Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule？Because

A．They like falling into the water early

B．They want to grow into adult frog

C． They sense a hungry snake is about to attack

D．Frog embryos can grow strong

【小题4】What is the best title of the passage ？

A．What is Fear	B．Why do we feel afraid
C．You feel afraid，animals do too	D．Fear is a good thing

【小题5】What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule．

B．How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them．

C．Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way．

D．How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water.

If you are afraid of the dark，it’s not a big deal．It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all，animals do too. “Fear matters，”says Karen Warkentin，an ecologist．“It’s a good thing，” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”
Like kids，many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways．A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell．A  small fish will swim away when a big，hungry fish approaches．
Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect．The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.
In this species，female frogs attach jellylike clumps（果冻一样的块状物）of their eggs to the undersides of leaves．The leaves hang on branches that dangle（悬挂）over ponds．After they hatch from the eggs，the tadpoles（蝌蚪）then fall into the water，where they eventually grow into adult frogs.
Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching．If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack，however，they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim，by falling into the water early，the tadpoles can escape.
If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes，you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner．It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger．Once tadpoles land in the water，hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too．Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days，then，allows frog embryos（胚胎）to grow big and strong．This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water．
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that fears      .

A．help animals grow bigger and stronger

B．are less common among young animals

C．help animals move a lot to fit the environment

D．are more or less important in order for animals to survive

【小题2】We are told in the passage that tree frogs        .

A．face danger both inside their eggs and in the water

B．will grow fast if they fall into the water later

C．are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs

D．stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened

【小题3】Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule？Because

A．They like falling into the water early

B．They want to grow into adult frog

C． They sense a hungry snake is about to attack

D．Frog embryos can grow strong

【小题4】What is the best title of the passage ？

A．What is Fear	B．Why do we feel afraid
C．You feel afraid，animals do too	D．Fear is a good thing

【小题5】What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule．

B．How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them．

C．Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way．

D．How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water.