閱讀理解（八）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。

A

Tiny Countries You Never Knew Existed

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe off Africas west coast is only 372 square miles， but it has impressive， undamaged nature， rich in biodiverse species. The amazing needle-like volcanic peak Pico Cao Grande rises 1，000 feet into the air. The islands are home to only around 200，000 people today.

San Marino

Only 23 square miles with a population of just 34，000， the little-known country of San Marino， surrounded by Italy， is the worlds fifth smallest country. With the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mount Titano， the country is said to be the oldest republic in the world.

Dominica

Dominica covers only 290 square miles， with some of the best diving in the Caribbean， including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of volcanic Morne Trois Pitons National Park. In Dominica， youll see rainforests， waterfalls， and coastal views. The island is also home to the only remaining population of the Kalinago， who are part of the islands 74，000 inhabitants.

Kiribati

This Pacific island country of 33 coral islands is 313 square miles， but its the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres （半球）. The countrys 109，000 residents live in only 21 of the islands. See this tropical paradise before it no longer exists—rising seas are threatening to swallow the country whole.

1. Which country has the smallest population？

A. Sao Tome and Principe. B. San Marino.

C. Dominica. D. Kiribati.

2. What can we see in both San Marino and Dominica？

A. Volcanoes. B. World heritage sites.

C. Views of the Caribbean. D. Waterfalls.

3. What is TRUE about Kiribati？

A. It is rich in biodiverse species. B. It is surrounded by Italy.

C. It is home to the Kalinago. D. It is disappearing.

B

I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down， I immediately recognized that something was wrong， and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf （崽） struggling in the fast-rising water， and it was a life-and-death struggle. Her calf was floating and screaming with fear. Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get， holding her whole body against the rushing water， and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.

There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mothers body and was gone. Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort， she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.

Just at this moment， she fell back into the river. If she were carried down， it would be certain death. I knew， as well as she did， that there was one spot where she could get up the bank， but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.

While I was wondering what I could do next， I heard the sound of a mothers love. Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could， roaring （吼叫） all the time， but to her calf it was music.

4. The moment he got down to the river bank， the author saw ____ .

A. the calf was about to fall into the river

B. Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock

C. the calf was washed away by the rising water

D. Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water

5. How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the water？

A. By carrying it on her back. B. By taking it away with her.

C. By putting it on a safe spot. D. By pressing it against her body.

6. What did Ma Shwes roaring mean to her calf？

A. A sign of danger. B. A great comfort.

C. A musical note. D. A call for help.

7. What can be the best title for the text？

A. A Mothers Love B. A Brave Act

C. A Deadly River D. A Matter of Life and Death

C

The most important lessons in life that we need to learn are the results of our poor decisions. Although time and experience are the best teachers， we also suffer from experiences such as our sacrifices， suffering and the hardships. Good judgment develops only when we truly learn from our mistakes. However， many people keep repeating the same mistakes before learning their lessons because as they say， they are just humans who are subject to making mistakes.

Our weaknesses in life can be turned into our strengths if we immediately acknowledge and recognize the fact that we mess up and learn from them. Our good or bad experiences help us learn better judgment in life. Yet， too many people are in denial and place the blame on others without realizing that the minute they take responsibility for their action is when the learning process begins. Aside from learning from our own experience， we can also learn valuable lessons from the experience of others. It allows us to observe our behavior from another angle. When we recognize our mistakes and prevent them from happening again， we are， therefore， learning.

Quickly identifying our mistakes and changing behavior accordingly requires less time and energy than denying mistakes. However， acknowledgement of mistakes requires belief in the idea that the perfection is not possible.

It is easier to analyze our mistakes especially when we talk to others， which can help people to sort out comments or criticisms after a mistake is made. Despite our tendency to avoid mistakes， timely acknowledgement is one of the best ways to prevent them from repeating.

8. Learning from the experience of others helps us ____ .

A. have better judgment in life B. recognize the results of mistakes

C. realize that mistakes are part of life D. re-evaluate our behavior differently

9. What should we keep in mind to admit our mistakes？

A. Every man has his faults. B. Mistakes are a great teacher.

C. Behind bad luck comes good luck. D. As you make your bed， you must lie in it.

10. According to the author， how should we avoid repeating mistakes？

A. By admitting mistakes in time. B. By thinking twice before acting.

C. By learning carefully from others comments. D. By having a timely talk with others for advice.

11. What is the authors advice？

A. Learn wisdom from our mistakes. B. Never be afraid of making mistakes.

C. Learn from others to see our mistakes. D. Stop being ashamed of making mistakes.

D

A mammoth （猛犸象） possibly killed by humans 10，000 to 15，000 years ago was found in soy fields about 50 miles west of Detroit. It was found by farmer James Bristle and his neighbor Trent Satterthwaite， who were reportedly digging in the field. At first， they couldnt figure out what they were seeing.

“It was probably a rib bone that came up，” Bristle tells Ann Arbor News. “We thought it was a bent fence post.” Upon closer inspection， however， it became clear even to untrained eyes this was no fence post. “We knew it was something special.” Then they sped up the dig.

After finding the bones Monday night， Bristle called the University of Michigan Tuesday morning to report his find. Scientist Daniel Fisher arrived to inspect it Wednesday， and by Thursday morning he had confirmed its a woolly mammoth. He concludes the animal was about 40 years old when it died. It was hunted by humans， he says， who killed it and stored the remains in a pond as a way of preserving the meat for future use. “Its still too early to tell exactly how it died，” Fisher tells Detroits WWJ-TV， “but the skeleton showed signs of humans butchering.”

The bones are being temporarily stored nearby， according to the Detroit Free Press， and it remains unclear where theyll eventually end up. Their research value will be determined once theyve been cleaned and dried.

Woolly mammoths once lived in Eurasia and North America， and most disappeared 10，000 years ago—demise （終止） that has been linked not only to humans， but also to changing climate. Its now believed that warming weather weakened their populations before humans dealt the final blows.

12. How did James Bristle and his neighbor feel about what they found at first？

A. Its delicate. B. Its old.

C. Its worthless. D. Its unique.

13. What can we know about the mammoth according to the text？

A. It might die in its 40s. B. It was native to Eurasia.

C. It preferred walking in the fields. D. It mainly died from climate change.

14. What is Daniel Fishers opinion？

A. The bones are well worth studying. B. Its unclear whether the bones were a mammoths.

C. The mammoth was killed by a butcher. D. The newfound site has evidence of human activity.

15. The underlined part in the last paragraph means “____ ”.

A. dried their bones B. took their lives

C. destroyed their home D. preserved their meat

閱讀七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

How to Remember What You Read

Reading is important. But the next step is making sure that you remember what youve read！ 16 Here are a few tricks for remembering what you read.

● 17

If the plot， characters， or word usage is confusing for you， you likely wont be able to remember what you read. But there are a few things you can do. Use a dictionary; look up the difficult words.

● Are you connected？

Does a character remind you of a friend？ Does the setting make you want to visit the place？ Does the book inspire you， and make you want to read more？ With some books， you may feel a connection right away. 18 How willing are you to make the connections happen？

● Read it; hear it; be it！

Read the lines. Then， speak them out loud. And， put some character into the words. When he was writing his novels， Charles Dickens would act out the parts of the characters. Hed make faces in the mirror， and change his voice for each character. 19

● How often do you read？

If you read frequently， youll likely have an easier time with remembering what youre reading and what youve read. 20 As you make reading a regular part of your life， youll make more connections， stay more focused and understand the text better. Youll learn to enjoy literature—as you remember what you read！

A. Are you confused？

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. Whats your motivation？

D. Memory is sometimes a tricky thing.

E. Marking helps you remember what you read.

F. But other books require a bit more work on your part.

G. You can do the same thing when you are reading the text！

16. _______ ?17. _______ ?18. _______ ?19. _______ ?20. _______

完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。

In a bakery I heard a lady say her foot was hurting and that she was going to call a cab. When walking back home I saw her outside the store， probably 21 for a cab.

I asked her where she was going. She told me a place which was actually on the 22 to the craft store Id be 23 to. So I asked her to 24 the cab and Id give her a ride. To my 25 ， she said okay without 26 . I wonder if Id have been so 27 if a stranger made me the same offer！

Where she was going was 28 on the way to where I was going. It was such a 29 interaction. But there was more！

When I had 30 up what I went for and was waiting at the checkout， the woman behind me said she had a coupon （優(yōu)惠券） for 25% off any 31 in the store. She gave it to me because she had a（n） 32 one！ I thanked and gave her a 33 card.

They say “What goes around comes around”， but sometimes it is 34 to see how that works as there is often a “manifestation （顯現(xiàn)） delay”. Each action 35 a ripple （漣漪） that eventually comes 36 to us， but sometimes it is much 37 so we forget their connection.

Today the causes and effects have appeared in a linkable manner. While 38 ， Im also opening myself to receiving gifts， now or in the future. I can learn so much from others as to how 39 they are to receive in a way I might not have been if 40 the same gift.

21. A. asking B. waiting C. applying D. paying

22. A. trip B. cab C. carriage D. way

23. A. driving B. leading C. walking D. pulling

24. A. take B. find C. cancel D. charge

25. A. sadness B. surprise C. relief D. disappointment

26. A. hesitation B. aim C. doubt D. delay

27. A. enthusiastic ? B. inviting C. trusting D. puzzled

28. A. very B. generally C. surely D. right

29. A. popular B. beautiful C. serious D. horrible

30. A. picked B. put C. looked D. made

31. A. load B. project C. design D. item

32. A. familiar B. regular C. extra D. important

33. A. post B. smile C. note D. paper

34. A. bad B. clear C. awful D. hard

35. A. creates B. changes C. controls D. affects

36. A. over B. out C. back D. down

37. A. easier B. safer C. later D. smaller

38. A. giving B. appreciating C. persuading D. demanding

39. A. eager B. open C. confident D. anxious

40. A. brought B. learned C. booked D. offered