新素材素材来源:Reading Challenge
[2026 原创] Do you think animals can predict the weather or other natural events? Farmers living in the countryside think so.
For hundreds of years, farmers have observed (观察) animals and noticed many things about the way animals act. For example, some farmers believe that if they see swans flying into the wind, a hurricane (飓风) is coming. Or when cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming. There are many traditional stories connecting animals with natural events. Some scientists are taking another look at animals to see if there is any truth behind these stories and beliefs. They have found some surprising things.
Kiyoshi Shimamura is a Japanese earthquake researcher. He noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquakes hit. Then, he did research of twelve public health centres in Kobe, Japan. These health centres treated people after a big earthquake (地震). Shimamura noticed that in the month before the big earthquake, treatment for animal bites had increased. In fact, aggressive (好斗的) behaviour in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly, jumped by 60 per cent!
Other animals change their behaviour before an earthquake as well. For example, fish in pools or lakes begin swimming together in large groups only in the middle of the water and not near the edges. Also, birds may fly away from their nests
for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected. Above all suggest that animals may be able to predict natural events, such as earthquakes, better than people.
()1. 新考法写作手法 How does the writer start the passage?
A. By stating a fact.
B. By giving an example.
C. By asking a question.
D. By making a comparison.

()2. Why do some farmers believe animals can predict natural events?
A. Scientists told them so.
B. They read stories about it in books.
C. It's a popular online idea.
D. They found animals' special actions.
()3. What can we know about dog bites from Kiyoshi's research in Kobe?
A. They decreased before the earthquake.
B. They didn't change after the earthquake.
C. They mainly happened after the earthquake.
D. They increased by 60 per cent before the earthquake.
()4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Earthquakes in the World
B. Animals and Natural Disasters
C. Farmers' Special Beliefs
D. How to Study Animal Behaviour

1 C 推理判断题。根据第一段的问句可知，作者通过提问开篇，故选C项。
2 D 细节理解题。根据第二段的“For hundreds of years, farmers have observed animals and noticed many things about the way animals act.”可知，农民发现了动物的特殊行为，所以认为动物能预测自然事件，故选D项。
3 D 细节理解题。根据第三段的最后两句可知，地震前狗咬（人）行为增加了60%，故选D项。
4 B 主旨大意题。文章围绕动物与自然事件（如飓风、暴雨、地震等）的关系展开，说明动物能预测自然事件，B项能概括主旨大意，故选B项。