B．Because her pet dog was hit by a car.

　　C．Because her daughter was ill in hospital.

　　D．Because her daughter was giving birth at the hospital.

　　5．How did the author feel while Tom was running after the dog?

　　A．Concerned B．Impatient

　　C．Thankful D．Regretful

　　6．Where was the dog finally caught?

　　A．On Wireless Road B．In a safer area

　　C．On Bellwood Avenue D．In the author's car

　　7．What is the purpose of writing this text?

　　A．To show us how they got back their pet dog.

　　B．To tell us how they managed to see their daughter.

　　C．To express their sincere thanks to the kind strangers.

　　D．To tell us what trouble their pet dog has caused them.

　　 As more Europeans arrived in America 500 years ago, they were in such great need of the land that they and the Native American Indians battled constantly. By the end of the 19th century, most Indian tribes (部落) were moved to reservations. A lot of their children were taken away to boarding schools to learn to speak English. By the end of the 20th century, more than half of the Native Americans in the US were living in the cities. They gave up speaking their old tribal language and only used English. As a result, many Native American languages disappeared and with that their culture.

　　Today some American Indian languages are usually spoken by the older members of the tribes who still live on the reservations. In North America there are 150-170 languages that have at least one speaker. One ancient language spoken by the Northern Paiute tribe has over 100 speakers.

　　But the good news is that some of these people are keeping their culture and language alive. They are also receiving help from the National Geographic Society's Enduring Voices project, whose aim is to help languages around the world which are dying out. The team meets these "last speakers". The experts interview them and they are recorded with video, pictures and so on. They also tell old stories which are written down in English so people can learn more about the cultures.

　　Recording the language and culture is only part of the project. The next stage is to pass on the language to the next generation. The Salish tribe is an excellent example of how schools can help. The tribe lives on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. Their language is spoken by about 50 people aged over 75. So now, the local people have set up a school. It has 30 students aged two to twelve during the day and there are also courses for adults in the evening.

　　8．Why did Europeans fight with the American Indians?

　　A．To live in American cities B．To occupy more living space

　　C．To have Indians speak English D．To make Indian cultures disappear

　　9．What does the underlined word "They" refer to in Paragraph 3?

　　A．The experts B．The recordings

　　C．The Indian cultures D．The last speakers

　　10．What can we know about the Salish tribe?

　　A．It has its own language school. B．It has given up speaking English.

　　C．Its next generation speaks English. D．Its language is only learnt by adults.

　　11．What can be a suitable title for the text?

　　A．Learning American Indian Languages

　　B．Researching on American Indian Languages

　　C．Saving American Indian Languages

　　D．Finding Lost American Indian Languages

　　 It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to closely monitor our ocean life. However, observing sea creatures up close is almost impossible since human presence scares them. Now, thanks to the The Soft Robotic Fish, also known as SoFi, researchers may be able to keep a close eye on the sea creatures.

　　Built by MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the white remote-controlled robot resembles the real fish, complete with a tail that waves from side to side. Though not the first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) created to monitor the ocean, SoFi settles many of the problems that have blocked the usefulness of previous robot fish.

　　Previous AUVs have had to be linked to boats because of radio frequency communications don't work well underwater. To overcome the problem, Director of the CSAIL Daniela Rus and her team used sound waves. The technology can travel greater distances allowing divers to pilot SoFi from up to 50 feet away.

Also limiting the usefulness of traditional AUVs is the risk of collision. With the outside made of soft silicone (硅树脂) rubber and flexible plastic that keeps its inbuilt electronics dry, SoFi poses no such danger. "Collision avoidance often leads to unnecessary movement, since the robot has to settle for a collision-free path," says Rus. " In contrast, a soft robot is not only more likely to survive a collision but also could use it as information to form a more workable movement plan next time around."