If you’re looking for a new pet, don’t even think about Komodo dragons, which are the world’s largest lizards and can grow to be 10 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds. Komodo dragons run fast and eat almost any kind of meat, including dead or live animals, other Komodo dragons and people. “ These things are powerful killing machines,” says Bryan Fry, a biologist.
If those reasons aren’t good enough, consider the bite of a Komodo dragon. According to a new study, it may kill prey like snakes by injecting venom. This chemical, according to Fry and his team of scientists at the University of Melbourne in Australia, can cause shock in the unlucky victim. A person or animal goes into shock when the body cannot offer enough blood to the organs to keep functioning. As a result, the body starts to shut down.
Scientists have only recently begun to understand why a Komodo dragon is so deadly. Some people used to believe that a Komodo dragon’s bite contained bacteria from the mouth that would cause a severe infection in the victim’s blood. The infection would finally kill the animal. Fry says that after being bitten by a Komodo dragon, animals usually die quickly.
After more studies, Fry and his team found that the Komodo dragon venom contained some of the same ingredients as snake venom. These ingredients thin the bolld and cause blood vessels to bee larger. To test the venom, the scientists injected rats with it and observed that the rats became still.
Fry’s work show that Komodo dragons kill their prey with venom, and not by bacteria—and gives us another reason why we should avoid ing across them. That is easy to do, since they live only on a few islands in the tropical country of Indonesia.
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【小题1】The underlined word “ venom” in Paragraph 2 probably means .
【小题2】Why does a victim get into shock after being injected?
【小题3】According to Fry and his team, how do the ingredients in Komodo dragons’ venom affect their victims?
【小题4】“If you’re looking for a new pet, don’t even think about Komodo dragons.” What does the author mean by saying that?a kind of poisonous liquid ( of some animals)
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(答案→)a kind of poisonous liquid ( of some animals)
解析：文章介绍一种Komodo dragons，它们的毒液会让受害者休克甚至死亡，是非常厉害的杀人机器。
【小题1】猜词题：从第二段的句子：This chemical, according to Fry and his team of scientists at the University of Melbourne in Australia, can cause shock in the unlucky victim.可知 “ venom”是一种动物的有毒的液体： a kind of poisonous liquid ( of some animals)
【小题2】细节题：从第二段的句子：A person or animal goes into shock when the body cannot offer enough blood to the organs to keep functioning. As a result, the body starts to shut down.可知人们或动物被咬后会休克，因为他们的器官得不到足够的血液： Because his or its organs can’t get enough blood.
【小题3】细节题：从第四段的句子：These ingredients thin the bolld and cause blood vessels to bee larger. 可知Fry 和他的团队认为Komodo dragons 毒液里面的成分会使受害者的血液变得稀薄导致血管变大;By thinning the blood and causing blood vessels to bee larger.
【小题4】句意理解题：从第一段的句子：“ These things are powerful killing machines,” s 可知作者认为Komodo dragons 强大的杀人机器。The author means that Komodo dragons are powerful killing machines.