Marmots(土拨鼠) are usually shy and don’t like interacting(互动) with people, but a group of Alpine marmots in Austria like a teenage boy. Matteo Walch, a boy from Innsbruck, first made international news headlines(头条) back in 2012. He was eight years old at the time. He has been visiting his furry friends every year since age three, and for some unknown reason they like staying with him.

The boy’s mother Michaela took the pictures of Matteo and the marmots. She says that the marmots are not afraid of him because they understand that he loves them and will do nothing to hurt them. Now Matteo Walch still visits his friends and they are closer than ever. “He is quite different from the other children because he moves quite slowly and is patient with them. He is always very calm and they seem to like that,” Michaela said. “I think because he was so young when they first met and they were the first wild animals he saw in real life, they will always have a special place for him.”

The marmots are quite popular with tourists, and it’s common to see them get close to humans in hopes of receiving a snack. Tourists always look forward to getting closer, but the marmots won’t let them do that. However, with Matteo, they don’t even need a reward, the boy’s mother says, they just come up right up to him and let him pet them. It’s definitely not the kind of interaction you see every day, that’s for sure. “Even as he gets older, he never gets bored of visiting, he is always asking me when we can go and see them again,” Michaela said. “They have a really special connection.”

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1.When did Matteo Walch first meet with the marmots?

A In 2006.

B In 2007.

C In 2011.

D In 2012.

解析：选B。B数字计算题。根据第一段的“Matteo Walch, a boy from Innsbruck, first made international news headlines back in 2012. He was eight years old at the time. He has been visiting his furry friends every year since age three”可知，马特奥·沃尔克早在2012年就首次登上国际新闻头条，当时他八岁。从三岁起(即五年前，2012-5=2007年)，他每年都会拜访他的朋友(那些土拨鼠)。故选B。

2.Why do the marmots get close to Matteo Walch?

A To get delicious snacks.

B For some unknown reason.

C As a result of understanding.

D Because of his not hurting them.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第一段的“and for some unknown reason they like staying with him.”可知，不知什么原因，土拨鼠们喜欢和他呆在一起。故选B。

3.Which of the following is NOT Matteo Walch’s personality(性格)?

A Shy.

B Calm.

C Patient.

D Friendly.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段的“he loves them and will do nothing to hurt them”以及“he moves quite slowly and is patient with them. He is always very calm”可知，马特奥爱土拨鼠，不会做任何伤害它们的事；他动作很慢，对土拨鼠很有耐心；他总是很冷静。文中并未提及他害羞。故选A。

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A Michaela once worked for a newspaper.

B Marmots are not afraid of children at all.

C Tourists prefer to watch marmots closely.

D Michaela gets bored of visiting marmots.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据最后一段的“Tourists always look forward to getting closer”可知，游客们想更近距离地接触土拨鼠。故选C。

5.We can probably find the passage _________.

A in a history book

B in a travel magazine

C in a textbook

D in a travel guide

解析：选B。B文章出处题。根据全文可知，本文主要讲述了奥地利男孩马特奥·沃尔克与阿尔卑斯土拨鼠结下深厚友谊的故事，阿尔卑斯山是旅游胜地并结合文中出现的词汇“visit”“tourists”等推断，本文是一篇旅游类文中，很有可能刊载在旅游杂志上。故选B。