《2025年高中同步单元滚动强化卷高中英语必修第二册北师大版》

Everybody hates rats (big mice). But in the earthquake capitals of the world — Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey — rats will soon be man’s best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal(信号). This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.”
Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Organization in Scotland says, “It would be wonderful. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to, and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).
1. What is the main idea of the passage?The advantages of using rats to find people trapped underground in earthquakes.
2. Will the rat project take the place of robots and technology? Why?The rat project is a new discovery of the scientists, but we can't doubt the power of science and technology, which is the fundamental motivation of the development of our society.
3. How would you do in face of an earthquake?
Why?Because there are more and more high buildings, we should find proper measures in face of an earthquake. We are supposed to find a safe place to protect ourselves in the apartment.
4. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese in Paragraph 5.老鼠可以进到我们进不去的地方，如果不安全，老鼠也会跑出来。

答案： 1. The advantages of using rats to find people trapped underground in earthquakes.
2. The rat project is a new discovery of the scientists, but we can't doubt the power of science and technology, which is the fundamental motivation of the development of our society.
3. Because there are more and more high buildings, we should find proper measures in face of an earthquake. We are supposed to find a safe place to protect ourselves in the apartment.
4.老鼠可以进到我们进不去的地方，如果不安全，老鼠也会跑出来。