《2025年初中英语阅读教程七年级英语上册外研版》

Classic

(经典美文)
Some say giraffes are “walking lightning rods (活体避雷针)”. Is this true?

On a rainy day in a nature park in South Africa, two giraffes died after lightning hit them. “Lightning often hits tall things, especially (尤其) in open places, and the height of the giraffes might make it easier for them to get hit,” said Ciska PJ Scheijen, a South African animal expert (专家).
An adult male giraffe usually stands about 5.5 metres tall, and females are about 4.3 metres tall. There were no trees near the two giraffes. This means they were more likely to get hit by lightning.
Besides height, the animal's body length (长度) can also make the problem worse.
It's something called step potential (跨步电压). Current can move between animals' front feet and back feet through the ground. The bigger the space is, the greater the current is. So bigger animals like giraffes will get hit more easily.
Choose the best answer.
(B) 1. What kind of things does lightning often hit in open places?
A. Short things.
B. Tall things.
C. Small things.
D. Thin things.
(C) 2. An adult male giraffe usually stands about ______ metres higher than females.
A. 5.5
B. 4.3
C. 1.2
D. 9.8
(A) 3. Besides height, what can also make the problem worse?
A. Body length.
B. Gender (性别).
C. Colour.
D. Place.
(A) 4. What kind of animals will get lightning hit more easily?
A. Bigger.
B. Smaller.
C. Shorter.
D. Thinner.

答案： 1.B 2.C 3.A 4.A