Question

The Beagle Brigade

Return to the United States from a trip abroad, and your luggage will get inspected by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Beagle Brigade. Working with human canine officer partners, the beagles sniff out potential threats to American agriculture.

An orange or apple, for example, might harbor a Mediterranean fruit fly. Hams could carry a disease such as hog cholera. These and other pests could destroy farmer’s crops and livestock. “Once we introduce something that is not part of the environment, there may riot be any controls for it in the environment,” notes USDA’s Lisa Davis at the National Dog Detector Training Center in Orlando, Florida. “The best thing for us to do is to prevent it from coming across the border and becoming established. ’’

When a beagle sniffs specific food odors, it signals its partners by sitting. The human officer then investigates. When the dog is right—which happens 90 percent of the time——it gets an edible treat.

“The dog is not out there working,” explains Davis. “It’s out there playing. It’s a game to the dog.” The handlers give the beagles plenty of food and loving. They make sure they get first-class medical attention, too. When the dogs finally retire after 9 to 11 years, the USDA finds caring homes for them. It’s a dog’s life indeed!

How well does the Beagle Brigade do its job? “On average,” notes Davis, “each year our 54 teams prevent around 75,000 prohibited, restricted items.” Since even one infested (为患的) item could cause widespread destruction, that’s a great result for America’s agricultural environment.

1.According to the article, what is a problem with agricultural products brought into the United States by passengers traveling from abroad?

A. They generate similar types of food odors.

B. They are difficult to identify, even with trained dogs.

C. They must be inspected before being allowed to enter the country.

D. They may carry something that could harm the agricultural environment.

2.According to the article, how does the beagle signal that it has found a suspicious food product?

A. By barking at its partner.    B. By begging for a treat.

C. By sitting next to the item.    D. By playing a game.

3.How is the beagle congratulated for finding a specific food product?

A. The handler praises it with a hug.

B. The beagle gets to play for a few hours.

C. The beagle gets to retire to a caring home.

D. The handler gives it an edible reward.

4.In the article, the author supports the use of the Beagle Brigade by     .

A. providing statistics about the number of items detected by the dogs

B. showing that the dogs enjoy discovering prohibited items

C. pointing out that good homes are found for the dogs when they retire

D. praising the fact that the dogs work for a government agency

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】本文是一篇说明文，讲述了小猎犬对美国农业的重要影响以及猎犬工作的原理。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第二段第二行These and other pests could destroy farmer’s crops and livestock. 可知一些害虫可以毁坏农作物和牲畜。故选D

2.细节查询题。根据文章第三段第一行it signals its partners by sitting. 可知 通过sitting的方式 故选C

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段The handlers give the beagles plenty of food and loving. 可知驯养者给猎犬大量的食物作为奖励 故选D

4.细节理解题。定位到最后一段each year our 54 teams prevent around 75,000 prohibited, restricted items. 每年我们的54支队伍防御了75000起禁止、限制的项目。用数据的方式来展现猎犬的作用 故选A

【名师点睛】

关于细节理解题

用细节定位法：细节理解题属于直接解答性问题，是阅读理解题中最简单的一种，多数属中低难度的送分题。但由于高考所占的比例很大，应特别引起注意。事实和细节题的命题特点是：把某词语、某个句子或某具体事实用不同于原文的另一方式或句型表达，即同义改写。解答这类题的窍门是：A)注意掌握英语的多种表达法；B)正确分析词语在句中的作用；C)熟练运用英语的句型转换；D)读懂题干所提出的问题，并准确地找到文中涉及该问题的句子。例如本篇第一题

根据题干problem定位到原文第二段 These and other pests could destroy farmer’s crops and livestock.可知游客从外国旅行中带来的农作物可能对美国造成不良影响。