Everybody hates rats(老鼠). But in the earthquake capitals of the world—Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey—rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal(信号). This is sent to a small radio on its back and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that. ” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to, and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe. ” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building, but only after an earthquake, of course.
【小题1】 In the world earthquake capitals, rats will bee man’s best friends because they can . A．take the place of man’s rescue jobsB．find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildingsC．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildingsD．get into small spaces【小题2】From the third paragraph we know the rescuers can judge a person is alive by .A．the noise made by the ratB．the rat’s unusual behaviorC．the signal sent by the radio on the rat’s backD．the smell given off by the person【小题3】In doing rescue jobs, . A．rats smell better than dogsB．dogs don’t need to be trained to smell peopleC．robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells aroundD．rats can see in the dark and they are smaller than robots【小题4】Rats have all the following advantages EXCEPT that .A．they are more fantastic than other animalsB．they are less expensive to train than dogsC．they don’t need electricityD．they are small and can get into small placesB
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(答案→)B
解析：
【小题1】B 推理题。根据文章第2段. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.和第三段说明人们可以利用老鼠来找到那些被围困在地下的人，并把他们救出来。故B正确。
【小题2】C 细节题。根据第三段1,2,行When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal(信号). This is sent to a small radio on its back and then the rescuers follow the radio signals.说明研究人员可以根据这些信号来辨别这个人是否是活着的。故C正确。
【小题3】C 细节题。根据第四段第二行“Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around.说明机器人的嗅觉是人员被干扰，故C正确。
【小题4】A 细节题。根据文章第二段第二行But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces.说明老鼠可以到更小的地方，故D是老鼠的优势；根据第四段第三行They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs,说明B是优势。根据第四段最后一行they don’t need electricity!说明C也是老鼠的优势。A没有提及。故A不是老鼠的优势。