
Unit 2 Things that matter 随堂练习 A : Reading and interaction Section A Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have read. Raccoons are arguably the most successful urban carnivore (食肉动物) in North America. They maintain large populations in most U.S. cities and are certainly just as common in Chicago, though actual population estimates are unknown. Almost anyone who has spent time outdoors at night has likely seen one, and they are quite difficult to confuse with anything else - their fat bodies, and mask-like facial markings, make them quite distinctive, and even perhaps charming. A typical urban raccoon is able to eat virtually anything. Their diet includes earthworms, carrion, plant matter, cat food, and all kind of discarded human food waste. Raccoons are probably the most advanced wildlife which can dive our dustbins. Their paws are quite dexterous and enable them to access closed garbage dustbins. Raccoons are also capable climbers and can be found on the top of fences and in trees. While they are typically solitary, they are willing to tolerate crowds of other raccoons if high quality food resources are present. They give birth once and sometimes twice a year in late spring and make use of a wide variety of den (巢穴) sites, including hollow trees, chimneys, etc. Because they make dens in a variety of human structures, raccoons can be a source of human-wildlife conflict, through direct confrontation with humans, property damage caused by their activities, and, perhaps most critically, through the transmission of disease. Leptospirosis, canine distemper, raccoon roundworm, and rabies are the most important zoonotic (人畜共患的) diseases carried by raccoons. Rabies in particular has had a massive effect on raccoon populations and caused a public health attention, to the point where use of vaccine have been attempted in some cities. In most cases where raccoons are reported by the public, no management action is necessary. Large packs of raccoons, such as those often sighted along the lakeshore path, likely suggest a large artificial food source, such as people deliberately feeding raccoons on unchecked garbage. These large gatherings present a high disease risk and people should be strongly discouraged from feeding raccoons or leaving food outside for them. In cases where there is evidence of disease, individual raccoons will need to be trapped and killed. 1. What do we know about raccoons from the first paragraph A. They are unknown in Chicago. B. They are easily recognized. C. They tend to attack people at night. D. They are declining in population. 2. The word "dexterous" (in paragraph two) probably means " A. skillful B. mysterious C. invisible D. abnormal 3. From the sentence "While they are typically..." (in p ... ...
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