A small dog should be belly-up after eating a handful M＆M’s, at least according to conventional wisdom. But watching “Moose”, a friend’s five-pound Chihuahua, race around a living room after his sweet snack makes one wonder: Is chocolate truly poisonous to dogs?

Dogs and humans have similar tastes. But unlike humans, our companions experience dangerous effects from eating chocolate — it can poison them and in some cases is fatal. Chocolate’s danger to dogs depends on its quality.

Chocolate is processed from the bitter seeds of the cocoa tree, which contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines（一种衍生物）. This class of substances includes caffeine and the related chemical theobromine(可可碱). Chocolate contains a significant amount of theobromine and smaller amounts of caffeine. These chemicals can cause a dog’s heart to race up to twice its normal rate, and some dogs may run around as if “they drank a gallon of espresso,” according to Hackett.

Dogs are capable of handling some chocolate, but it depends on the animal’s weight and the type of chocolate it eats. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains more than six times as much theobromine as milk chocolate, although amounts vary between cocoa beans as well as different brands of chocolate. Less than four ounces of milk chocolate is potentially fatal for Moose and other small dogs.

Around every confection-centered holiday — Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas — at least three or four dogs are hospitalized overnight in the animal medical center at Colorado State. But in 16 years, Hackett has seen just one dog die from chocolate poisoning, and he suspects it may have had an underlying disease that made it more exposed to chocolate’s heart-racing effect.

1. The underlined expression “belly-up” probably means______.

A. dead            B. poisonous                 C. running around  D. having a headache

2. All of the following are true EXCEPT______.

A. chocolate’s danger to dogs depends on its quantity and quality

B. people buy lots of chocolate around Valentine’s Day

C. an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate is safe for Moose

D. there must be some theobromine or caffeine in espresso

3. What can we learn about Hackett?

A. He is an animal doctor.         B. He is a pet shop owner.

C. He is the owner of Moose       D. He is a doctor in a small hospital.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that Hackett believes that__________.

A. chocolate is truly deadly to dogs 

B. it’s OK to give chocolate to a big dog

C. pets are usually ignored around confection-centered holidays

D. a healthy dog probably could survive a chocolate poisoning

5. The passage is mainly about__________.

A. the poisoning of Moose   

B. the compounds of different chocolates

C. a handful M＆M’s chocolate is poisonous

D. the relation between methylxanthines and chocolate poisoning

 

“Mobile phone killed my man,” screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.

     For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.

     One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous “memory loss” study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can’t comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive（认识的）abilities. “I’m pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory,” he says.

     Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses（神经元突触） exposed to microwaves become more — rather than less — receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.

An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.

“If it doesn’t certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn’t going to cause cancer in humans,” says William. And while there’s still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don’t be afraid.

1. Mobile phone users are worried because ______.

A. they are not sure whether mobile phones can cause memory loss

B. it’s said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects

C. one headline reported “Mobile phone killed my man”

D. a British newspaper showed mobile phones could heat the brain

2. According to this passage, we can know that _____.

A. the mobile phone is a most wonderful invention

B. there’s no need to worry about the radiation from mobile phones

C. something must be done to stop people using mobile phones

D. mobile phone companies shouldn’t cheat customers

3. What would be the best title for this passage? ______.

A. New Mobile Phones.                         B. Special Mobile Phones.

C. New Special Investigation: Mobile Phones.      D. New Investigation.

 

“Mobile phone killed my man,” screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.

     For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.

     One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous “memory loss” study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can’t comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive（认识的）abilities. “I’m pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory,” he says.

     Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses（神经元突触） exposed to microwaves become more — rather than less — receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.

An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.

“If it doesn’t certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn’t going to cause cancer in humans,” says William. And while there’s still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don’t be afraid.

Mobile phone users are worried because ______.

A. they are not sure whether mobile phones can cause memory loss

B. it’s said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects

C. one headline reported “Mobile phone killed my man”

D. a British newspaper showed mobile phones could heat the brain

According to this passage, we can know that _____.

A. the mobile phone is a most wonderful invention

B. there’s no need to worry about the radiation from mobile phones

C. something must be done to stop people using mobile phones

D. mobile phone companies shouldn’t cheat customers

What would be the best title for this passage? ______..w.^w.k.&s.5*u.c.#om.

A. New Mobile Phones.                         B. Special Mobile Phones.

C. New Special Investigation: Mobile Phones.      D. New Investigation.

I want to let you know about an event that changed my life many years ago. We were living in College Station, Texas and my wife and I were on our way home from Houston, Texas one Sunday morning. We decided to stop at a local gas station to get something to eat since we had enough time.

      When we finished, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a homeless man standing in front of the building. His clothes were worn and it looked as if he didn’t have any money. It was cold and I was sure he wanted something to drink. However, it was not this that moved(感动) me.

　　A dog was also walking up to the front of the building. Being a dog lover, I noticed that the dog was a mother and that she had just had some puppies(小狗). She was hungry and weak and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn’t eat soon, she and her puppies would not live on.

　　People walking by didn’t even notice her. She might not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved(值得) better. But we still did not do anything, someone else did. The homeless man, who I thought could not afford anything to eat, went back into a store and bought dog food with all the money he had.

1. From the passage we can know that______.

　A. the author didn’t like dogs

　B. the dog was not pretty enough to be loved

　C. the author wanted to help the dog but he was unable to

　D. the dog and her puppies were in danger of dying of hunger

2.Which of the following moved the author?

　A. Most people walking by the dog didn’t notice her

　B. The homeless man wore worn clothes on the cold day

　C. The homeless man bought food for the dog with all of his money

　D. The homeless man had not any money to buy any food for himself

3. The author did the following except that he_______.

　A. had pity on the dog that was in danger

　B. bought dog food with all the money he had

　C. was a person who treasured dogs very much

　D. went home from Houston one Sunday morning

4.According to the passage, we know that the homeless man was _______.

　A. kind and helpful           B. brave and kind

　C. clever and helpful          D. clever and brave

5.. The best title for this passage would be_______.

　A. My Memory　　           B. My wife and I

C. Animals Are Parents Too      D. A Mother Dog and Her Puppies

 

We live in College Station, Texas and we were on our way home from Houston, Texas around the Weston Lakes area one Saturday or Sunday morning. And when I say morning, I'm talking 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning. We were on our way home and decided to stop at a local gas station to get coffee and something to snack on since it was a good hour and a half before we got home.

When we were done, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a man standing outside in front of the building. You could tell that he was a homeless man. His clothes were worn and it looked like he had gone in and gotten him some coffee or something warm to drink since it was cold this time of the year. He couldn’t have had enough money to get something to eat. That is not something I remember too well, because that is not what "moved" me.

The next thing I remember is a dog that walked up to the front of the building. Being a dog lover, I noticed that she was part wolf and probably part German shepherd. I could tell she was a she, because you could tell that she had been feeding puppies. She was terribly in need of something to eat and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn't eat soon, she and her puppies would not make it.

I and my wife sat there and looked at her. We noticed that people walked by and didn't even pet her, like most people do when they walk by an animal in front of a store. She might not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved better. But we still did not do anything. But someone did. The homeless man, who I thought did not buy himself anything to eat, went back into the store. And what he did brought tears to me and my wife. He had gone into the store and with what money he may have had, bought a can of dog food and fed that dog.

I know that this story isn't as inspirational as most stories, but it plays a great part in our lives. You see, that was Mother's Day weekend. And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too.

1.From the passage we can know that _______.

A. the author didn't like dogs

B. the dog was not pretty enough to be loved

C. the dog and her puppies were in danger of dying of hunger

D. the author wanted to help the dog but he was unable to

2.What moved the author and his wife to tears?

A. That the man bought food for the dog.

B. That the dog and her puppies could make it in cold weather.

C. That the man got himself some coffee or something warm to drink

D. That people walked by and didn't even notice the dog.

3.According to the passage, we know that the homeless man was _______.

A. poor and hopeless                                              B. brave and caring

C. friendly and clever                                              D. sympathetic and helpful

4.The best title for this passage would be _______.

A. An inspirational story                                         B. Animals Are Parents Too

C.  A Homeless Man                                                 D. A Mother Dog and Her Puppies