高二英语黄金阅读理解:自然类(含详解)

高中英语黄金阅读(高二版)

Golden Reading for Senior Middle School Students

十一、自然类

(1)

Big Bird Lives Only in Zoos

A vulture(秃鹫) is in need of help. Can it be saved?

A big bird is in danger. The bird is the California condor(神鹰), a vulture. A vulture is a large bird that eats the dead animals it finds.

The condor is nearly as big and fast as a small airplane. But you may never see it in the sky. Not enough young birds are hatching to take the place of the old birds that die. When an animal dies out completely, or disappears from the earth, it is extinct. The condor is in danger of extinction for many reasons. People have built cities where the condors used to live. The condors are having trouble finding food. The birds sometimes get sick. When they do, they cannot hatch young birds.

Some people would like to help the condor. They have captured the 26 condors still on Earth. The condors were taken to two zoos in California. In the zoos, they can live safely and hatch young birds. When there are 200 condors they will be moved to a safe new home in the mountains.

1. An animal is extinct if it _______.

A. feeds on dead animals

B. has disappeared from the earth

C. has human friends to save it

D. eats wild plants

2. According to the story, vultures eat_______.

A. eggs and grass

B. only live animals D. the sea animals

C. bike

C. people C. dead animals they find A. airplane 3. The condor is nearly as big and fast as a small _______. B. tractor D. bus D. dead animals 4. The biggest danger to condors comes from _______. A. wild animals

(1—4 BCAC)

【答案与解析】本文介绍了秃鹫生活习性及目前的处境，同时，人类为保护它们而采取的措施。

1.B。细节题。根据文章的第3段最后一句可推知此题答案为B。

2.C。细节题。根据第2段最后一句可推知此题的答案为C。

3.A。细节题。根据文章的第3段第1句可推知此题答案为A。

4.C。推断题。根据第4段第2句：人们在秃鹫原来生活的地方建立了城市，破坏了它们的生活环境，由此可推知此题答案为C。

(2) B. other birds

In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical(热带的)Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen becomes the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people. The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the southeast winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist(潮湿) air flows in at the bottom of such a wind, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process(过程), the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to move in a counter-clockwise motion(逆时针运动).

The life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released(释放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭) in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours, causing sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

1. When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?

A. When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.

B. When it hits the coastline.

C. When it is more than 75 miles wide.

D. When its winds reach 75 miles per hour.

2. What is the worst thing about hurricanes?

A. The terrible effects of water.

C. That they last about nine days.

A. heavy rainfall

B. dangerous waves

C. the progress of water to the hurricane center

D. the increasing heat

4. Which statement about a hurricane is wrong?

A. It travels more than 75 miles per hour.

B. It usually stays about 9 days.

C. It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours.

D. It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15 feet.

【答案与解析】本文为说明文，介绍了飓风形成的过程和危害。

1. D。细节题。根据 … the stories, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes，可推知此题答案为D。

2. A。细节题。根据Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭) in a hurricane 以及文章的最后两句可推知此题答案为Ａ。

3. A。词义猜测题。根据构词法可猜出其意义。也可根据第3段第4句中的causing sudden B. The heat they give off. D. Their strong winds. 3. Here the word “downpour” means ______.

floods(导致突然的水灾)推出其义。

4. D。细节题。根据The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore可知，水位已高出正常水位15英尺，这显然与D项内容不符。

(3)

TOKYO, Japan — An earthquake measuring 8.0 hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early Friday. The quake was the strongest anywhere in the world this year. Several million people live on the island. Japan's national broadcasting agency, NHK, reported 236 people had been hurt, the eastern coast of Japan's northernmost island, and officials warned all residents in the region to seek higher ground. A fire broke out at oil refinery on the island after the earthquake, and television stations reported a train derailment and a landslide near a highway tunnel. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 8.0 but authorities in Japan initially gave it a magnitude of 7.8. The USGS said the temblor was located 33 kilometers (20 miles) under the Earth's crust, about 796 miles north / northwest of Tokyo, and began at 4:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT). The second quake occurred at 6:08 a.m. (2108 GMT).

On average, there is one magnitude-8, or greater, quake a year in the world. The amount of energy released in a magnitude-8 earthquake is equivalent to that contained in 1.01 billion tons of TNT, according to the USGS. A tsunami watch has been issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii.

1. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake happened in Japan ____.

A. in January 1995 B. on September 20, 2003

C. on September 26, 2003 D. in September, 1923

2. What is NOT the result of this earthquake?

A. 236 people were hurt.

B. A fire broke out at oil refinery on the island.

C. A train was out of track.

D. two people died. A. 震中 B.海啸 C. 火山 D. 余震

4. We can infer that __________.

A. this might be the biggest earthquake in the world this year

B. this earthquake has no effect on the USA

C. Japan is a country where earthquakes frequently happen

D. the second quake occurred only half an hour after the first one 【答案解析】本文报道了2003年9月发生在日本北海道的大地震。

1. C。细节题。根据Only six days ago a 5.5-magnitude quake shook Japan. The September 20

earthquake was centered nearly 870 kilometers (540 miles) south-southeast of Tokyo, 我们可以推算，这次日本北海道大地震发生在2003年9月26日。

2. D。细节归纳题。这次地震造成的后果有：236 people had been hurt；A fire broke out at oil refinery；a train derailment and a landslide near a highway tunnel等，而D项则与事实不符。

3. B。词义猜测题。根据后面对这种现象的描写：hitting the eastern coast 可知 tsunami 是“海啸”的意思，因为只有地震引起的海啸才能冲击海岸。

4. C。推理题。短文最后一段最后一个部分描述了日本发生的几次大的地震，据此我们可以得出结论：日本是一个地震多发国家。