52.The underlined word “shrinks” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _____.

A.reduces B.increases C.lasts D. appears

53.Scientists guess leaves change color later than usual probably as a result of _____.

A.genetic background B.dry weather

C.global warming D.low temperature

54.The purpose of the last paragraph is to tell readers _____.

A.why leaves change color at fall

B.leaves change color at different time

C.the effects of the global warming on plants

D.different opinions on the lateness of leaves’ changing color

55.Which part of a magazine may the article appear in?

A.Science B.Agriculture

C.Literature D.Weather

D

A British dog-lover has invented a high-tech way of feeding his pet by Twitter( 推特，流行社交网络). Computer expert Nat Morris ,30, has designed a system to give his pet a “tweet treat” by sending him a Twitter message.

His dog Toby gets some delicious dog biscuits from a computer-controlled food machine whenever Nat sends a message to “@ feedtoby”.

Nat often works away from home and isn’t always able to feed Toby by hand. But his new invention allows Nat to feed his dog from anywhere in the world.

Nat said, “Toby absolutely loves it. At first he didn’t know what was going on. Now he sits underneath the machine, wagging his tail and waiting for the food to drop.”

Nat fills the food machine with small pieces of dog biscuits, but not too many in case four-year-old Toby gets too many messages. And Nat has even equipped his house with an online camera so he can see Toby enjoying the food at his home.

But one problem is that friends and family have been so amazed with the “tweet treat” machine that they have started sending tweets to Toby too. So Nat has had to restrict feeding time to make sure Toby doesn’t turn into Tubby.