II. CLOZE
Fill in each of the 15 blanks in the passage with the most likely answer. Write the letter corresponding to your choice on the answer sheet. (1 point each, 15 points in all)
There are currently three living species of elephants: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant or Indian Elephant. Other species such as the mammoths (猛犸象) 16 before the last ice age but are now 17 .
Elephants live in a structured social order. 18 females spend their entire lives in tight-knit family groups 19 mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts, males live mostly solitary lives. Elephants 20 live for 50 to 70 years. The elephant’s pregnant period is 22 months, the longest of 21 land animal. Newborn elephant calves weigh 22 260 pounds.
Elephants spend about 16 hours a day finding and eating food. Their diet consists 23 grasses, leaves, bamboo, twigs, bark, roots and small amounts of fruits, seeds and flowers. Interestingly, elephants only digest 40% of 24 they eat; an adult elephant can consume 300-600 lb of food a day.
Elephant skin is thick, grey and wrinkled. The wrinkles help elephants stay cool 25 water gets trapped inside the wrinkles and evaporates slowly. Their hearing is 26 and they can detect noise from miles away.
One of the most distinct 27 attributes of elephants is their tusks. Elephants use their tusks to dig for food, mark their 28 and perform other tasks. Elephants’ tusks are made of ivory. The 29 elephant ivory is one of the major reasons people hunt elephants and thus have significantly 30 the world’s elephant population. For this reason and many others, many people around the world are working hard to protect the species from further extinction.
16. A. remained B. stayed C. existed D. appeared
17. A. rare B. extinct C. plentiful D. common
18. A. When B. While C. As D. Since
19. A. made up of B. tied to C. dependent on D. filled with
20. A. naturally B. largely C. typically D. characteristically
21. A. any B. other C. the D. a
22. A. for example B. on average C. in fact D. by chance
23. A. with B. on C. in D. of
24. A. that B. those C. which D. what
25. A. because B. although C. in case D. so that
26. A. weak B. lost C. normal D. keen
27. A. mental B. physical C. biological D. psychological
28. A. territory B. land C. surroundings D. area
29. A. supply of B. call for C. cost of D. desire for
30. A. balanced B. restricted C. destroyed D. increased
