(1)

　　The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.

　　Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鳥羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(紅尾鴝) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.

　　A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(顯露) his tail.

　　If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them.

　　1. How do the blue tits choose their nest?

　　A. They choose their nest together.

　　B. The male chooses their nest.

　　C. The house-hunter chooses their nest.

　　D. The female chooses their nest.

　　2. The writer was lucky to see ________.

　　A. how the male made his tricks

　　B. how an interested female played with the male happily

　　C. what the male displayed and won the female

　　D. that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female

　　3. You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.

　　A. at any time  B. regularly    C. in April    D. occasionally

　　4. The writer is probably ________.

　　A. a bird expert     B. a bird-hunter

　　C. a bird raiser       D. a scientist

　　【答案解析】

　　本文主要是講the male redstart 是怎樣使出渾身解數(shù)吸引the female入巢的。

　　1. D。細節(jié)題。從第1段第2句話The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice 可以做出正確選擇。

　　2. C。判斷題。從第3段第1句I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood 和文章第三、四段的內(nèi)容可知答案為C。

　　3. D。語義理解題。根據(jù) A few years ago I was lucky enough to…和…you must be at the right place at the right time to see them 可知答案為D。

　　4. A。推斷題。從文章內(nèi)容來看，文中不僅提到了鳥的一些習(xí)性，而且對雄鳥如何吸引雌鳥入巢了解得很清楚，可見作者可能是一位研究鳥類的專家。

　　(2)

　　Although man has known asbestos for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H. W. Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for(對…負責(zé)) the opening of that first mine.

　　Mr. Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy. He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands. How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all. You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials. However, because it was very expensive to transport (carry) them from Italy to the United States, Mr. Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein(巖脈), in the province of Quebec in Canada.

　　Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen. When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be. When it is separated, a strange thing happens; the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres(纖維).

　　Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads(線), but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”.

　　1. Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?

　　A. Asbestos mined in Canada  B. Fireproof matter

　　C. A “wonder” mineral   D. A new roofing material

　　2. Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______.

　　A. going into roofing business B. carrying asbestos from Italy

　　C. sending a trained scientist  D. showing the use of asbestos gloves

　　3. Which is the most important character of asbestos that the author wants to show us?

　　A. It is like thread.   B. It feels soapy.

　　C. It burns easily.   D. It is unusually heavy.

　　4. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______.

　　A. show the need for more scientists

　　B. compare asbestos with other minerals

　　C. increase the sales of asbestos

　　D. present facts about asbestos

　　【答案解析】

　　本文講述了耐火材料石棉在北美的開采過程及它的神奇耐火作用。

　　1. C。主旨題。短文主要介紹了石棉的神奇作用。故C最佳。

　　2. D。細節(jié)題。根據(jù) After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, …took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands 可推知，他是用當(dāng)場演示的方法來推銷他的產(chǎn)品的。故答案為D。

　　3. A。推斷題。根據(jù)When it is separated, a strange thing happens; the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres(纖維)及 Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into thread 可以斷定答案為A。

　　4. D。推斷題。從短文中可以看出來作者寫這篇文章只不過陳述事實而已。