CALCUTTA, India Mar 24, 2006 (AP) — One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.
Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.
“According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world’s oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo’s Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman.
“We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead,” Burman said.
1.According to the passage, Addwaita ________.
A. was sent to India as a gift by British government
B. was sent to India by British sailors in 1767
C. lived together with three other Aldabra tortoises in India
D. belonged to Lord Robert Clive for some time
2.By now, the oldest animal in the world is about at ________.
A. 176 years old B. 100 years old C. 250 years old D. 200 years old
3.In the last few days before Addwaita died, he ________.
A. had been sent to hospital for treatment
B. had been playing with travelers
C. had been found not better than before
D. had stayed in his enclosure for days
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. An Old Aldabra Tortoise Died in India
B. A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250
C. A Special Kind of Tortoise — Addwaita
D. The Oldest Animal Aldabra Tortoise Died
CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those of the Inuit from Canada, are thousands of years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
1.From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
2.According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
3.The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of D. protected by kind people
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent（申请专利）his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however, it wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum（旋转桶）of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）with an electric motor to suck the dust.
1.Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s. B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s. D. Isaac Singer’s.
2.According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time
3.The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s standards”
probably means __________ .
A. useless B. ugly-looking C. rough D. not skillfully made
4.The article mainly tells us about __________ .
A. the great inventors in the world
B. the important inventions in the world
C. the short history of household machines
D. the importance of the machines used in the home
After a car accident put me into the hospital, I felt very angry about the way my life was turning out. The doctors repaired the major damage done to my –1--. And after all, the car was just that, a car. But I was lying there feeling pretty sorry for myself. I didn’t care to see anyone or talk to anyone.
I had been there about a week. For the week the nurses had been good about leaving my door closed.–2-- one bright morning I was awakened by –3-- of people out in the hallway. Since I was still feeling –4-- for myself, I didn’t wake up in a pleasant –5--. As I pushed the –6-- to call the nurse, I saw a little boy in the hallway. A cast (石膏夹) completely –7-- his arm, from fingers to shoulder, but his face was covered with a smile. In his other hand he was holding a teddy bear.
I heard his mother telling him to sit and wait until she was done. He looked over to me and I had the permanent (持久的) anger on my face, but he ---8--- at me. Then ---9--- warning he came running into my room. As I was silently cursing (咒骂) the nurses for leaving my door ---10---, the smile upon his face widened.
He came right up next to my ---11--- and stood there smiling at me. Then with his good arm he held out his big brown teddy bear. It was missing an eye but I had to admit it was lovely. I lay there and stared at him for the longest time,not---12---what he was wanting from me. He said, “This is Teddy. He’s --- 13---sick. He needs to stay here. Could you keep him here till he gets better?”
I---14--- out and took Teddy from his hand. I promised I would take care of Teddy---15--- the time he got better. I also promised to keep him from ---16--- afterwards. Just then the little boy’s mother called him. He looked back at me, said---17--- and ran out of the room. His mother smiled down at him and the nurse wheeled him away. I sat there ---18--- Teddy for the longest time. The nurse responded to my call ---19---in time to catch the tears rolling down my cheeks and the biggest smile on my face.
I will never forget what that little boy gave to me that day. It was so much ---20--- a well-loved one-eyed teddy bear. I have kept my promises to that little boy, too.
1.A.car B.body C.soul D.heart
2.A.So B.As C.But D.While
3.A.sounds B.voices C.noises D.accents
4.A.guilty B.happy C.sorry D.ashamed
5.A.condition B.feeling C.mind D.mood
6.A.button B.door C.window D.phone
7.A.surrounded B.covered C.wrapped D.tied
8.A.shook B.stared C.glanced D.smiled
9.A.beyond B.with C.against D.without
10.A.closed B.unlocked C.open D.removed
11.A.bed B.chair C.nurse D.car
12.A,considering B.doubting C.knowing D.wondering
13.A.yet B.moreover C.ever D.still
14.A.handed B.reached C.stretched D.spread
15.A.when B.as C.until D.after
16.A.harm B.ruin C.wound D.hurt
17.A.hello B.welcome C.goodbye D.wish
18.A.kissing B.hugging C.washing D.caring
19.A.even B.already C.only D.just
20.A.rather than B.less than C.more than D.other than
How pleased the emperor was ___ what the cheats had said.
A. hearing B. heard C. to hear D. hear
Although the wind has ____, the rain remains steady, so you still need a raincoat.
A. die hard B. die off C. died down D. die out
