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 become man’s best friends because they can ______.
A．take the place of man’s rescue jobs
B．find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildings
C．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings
D．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 rat
B．the rat’s unusual behavior
C．the signal sent by the radio on the rat’s back
D．the smell given off by the person小题3:In doing rescue jobs, ______.
A．rats smell better than dogs
B．dogs don’t need to be trained to smell people
C．robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells around
D．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 animals
B．they are less expensive to train than dogs
C．they don’t need electricity
D．they are small and can get into small places
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:C
小题4:A
题目分析：
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。
点评：文章介绍了用老鼠来寻找在地震中北困在地下的人的优势。本文集中考查细节题，要求考生在阅读的时候在关键的点上做好标志，以减少回读的次数，大大提高阅读的效率和速度。