Unit 1 Great Scientists reading课时作业

能力提升

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　With its special elegant body and spotted coat, the cheetah (猎豹) is the most unique member of the cat family.As the world's fastest land mammal, the cheetah can reach speeds of 112 km/h. A cheetah can go from 0 to 96 kilometers per hour in only three long steps. However, with a lean body and small teeth, the cheetah cannot fight larger animals. This gives the cheetah a double risk as they are placed in direct conflict with humans. Farmers that live nearby shoot, trap and poison cheetahs, because they think that cheetah will kill their livestock (牲畜)．

　　The cheetah is now endangered. It was once found across all of Africa, extending eastwards into Asia. However，hunting, habitat destruction and loss of prey (猎物) have meant that cheetahs are now only found in a few countries in Africa. The International Union of Conservation of Nature recently reported that only about 7,500 adult cheetahs remain in the wild. This makes the small populations of cheetahs even more precious and worthy of protection.

　　The Wildlife Conservation Fund has teamed up with the Central Kalahari Research Group to study and protect the remaining cheetahs.

　　In order to find out more about these animals, two adult cheetahs were fitted with GPS satellite collars. These collars provide information about how cheetahs move through their environment. And they provide an excellent way to study cheetahs which have been released back into the wild.Understanding the cheetah's behavior is an important step for their protection. Also, it is necessary to cooperate with local farmers and other land users to reduce the killing of cheetahs.

　　1．What makes it difficult for the cheetah to fight larger animals?

　　A．Its big head and small mouth.

　　B．Its strong legs and fat feet.

　　C．Its thin body and tiny teeth.

　　D．Its short toes and long tail.

　　2．Which is NOT the reason why cheetahs are endangered?

　　A．Loss of food.

　　B．An elegant body.

　　C．Habitat destruction.

　　D．Hunting and killing.

3．What is the function of the "collars" in the last paragraph?