(十七)----A----(2024·鄭州市二模，A)

　　“Croeso I Gymru！” If you don't know what this means, read on to find out more.

　　When you cross over the border from England into Wales, you don't have to show your passport but you do notice a difference immediately. All the road markings and signs are shown in two languages—English and Welsh (威爾士語). Not all visitors to Britain know that other languages are spoken here. There's the Gaelic (蓋爾語) language in Scotland and a few people speak Cornish (康沃爾語) in the southwest of England, but the most widely spoken language in the UK besides English is Welsh.

　　Perhaps the first Welsh word you'll see on the road into Wales is ARAF. There's a helpful English translation next to it—SLOW. As you can see, Welsh looks quite different from English. It sounds very different, too. Welsh looks and sounds so different from English because it's a Celtic language. Celtic cultures still exist around the edges of the UK—in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and also in parts of France. For hundreds of years, almost everyone in Wales spoke Welsh, but nowadays there are about 600 thousand Welsh speakers—around 20% of the population.

　　So is Welsh dying out? Not at all! Nowadays, all school children in Wales study Welsh and many choose to go to an all Welshspeaking school. You can get public information in Welsh, speak Welsh in court or take a course at university in Welsh. People surf the Internet in Welsh, keep up with friends on Facebook and write blogs in Welsh.

　　By the way，“Croeso I Gymru！” means “Welcome to Wales！” —I hope you'll be able to visit it

　　one day.

　　文章大意：本文是一篇說明文。文章主要介紹了威爾士語，包括威爾士語的特點、使用的人群、發展前景以及與英語的不同。

　　1．According to the passage, Welsh ________.

　　A．has developed from Cornish

　　B．is still widely used in the UK

　　C．sounds a little similar to English

　　D．is more widely spoken than before

　　答案：B　細節理解題。根據文章第二段最后一句中的“but the most widely spoken language in the UK besides English is Welsh”可知，威爾士語在英國應用比較廣泛。故答案選B。

　　2．How does the author feel about the future of Welsh?

　　A．Optimistic.

　　B．Curious.

　　C．Worried.

　　D．Confused.

　　答案：A　觀點態度題。根據文章倒數第二段第一句“So is Welsh dying out? Not at all！”可知，作者相信威爾士語不會消失。故答案選A。

　　3．What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?

　　A．To explain a typical Welsh term.

　　B．To compare English with Welsh.

　　C．To give an introduction to Welsh.

　　D．To encourage people to visit Wales.

　　答案：C　寫作意圖題。文章主要介紹了威爾士語的特點、使用的人群、發展前景以及與英語的不同。故答案選C。

　　閱讀理解 (共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分)

　　閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

　　A

　　Dear Rudyard Kipling,

　　Father has consistently tried to instill(灌輸) a sense of being a man in me ever since I was very young. When I reached the age of twelve he began taking me to his auto body shop. He told me this tough job would build me into a man of character. But this all changed a year ago when my mother passed away and stumbled upon your poem, If.

　　My mother was the person who could understand me. If I ever got tired during my work hours at the shop I could call her to come and pick me up. It was my mother who instilled the love of literature and languages in me. My mother spoke six languages fluently and had thousands of books, which still sit in the attic of our house. It was in this “library” of hers that I picked up a book of poetry from a cold metal shelf and found your poem, If.

　　Because of the death of my mother I felt alone, as if I belonged to no family. The image of a man was completely shattered when I saw him break down and cry, which looked so pathetic（凄慘的）and “unmanly” compared to his usual stoic（禁欲主義者）and emotionless countenance. Yet I remained silent remembering the golden words: “If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you… you’ll be a Man, my son!”

　　If reminded me to remain calm and “keep my head” because I wanted to be a man and wanted to be the one supporting my family. I sacrificed my ability to compete in a winter sport so that I could stay home and cook for my family and clean the house. My father saw this and our relationship has grown much stronger. He finally respected me for who I was and told me he was proud to have a man for his son. Through this poem, I realize that to be a man is not about putting weights on a barbell（杠鈴）but rather putting the weight of others on your back.

　　Your poem was so much more than just a simple list of guidelines or morals that some see it as; it really changed my life and my relationship with my dad.

　　41. According to the passage, what kind of person does the author’s father expect him to be?

　　A. A person who will shoulder responsibilities.

　　B. A person who knows how to earn a lot of money.

　　C. A person who knows how to do housework.

　　D. A person who respects his parents.

　　【答案】A

　　【解析】細節理解題。根據Father has consistently tried to instill(灌輸) a sense of being a man in me ever since I was very young.作者的父親想要他成為一個真正的能肩負起責任的男人，故選A。

　　42. Who does the underlined word “him” in paragraph 3 refer to?

　　A. the character in the poem

　　B. the author’s father

　　C. the author

　　D. an unknown person

　　【答案】C

　　【解析】詞義猜測題。根據The image of a man was completely shattered when I saw him break down and cry,可知這里指的是作者自己，是作者痛苦，因為自己的母親去世，故選C。

　　43. According to the passage, a man in the author’s mind would have the following qualities EXCEPT _________.

　　A. responsible

　　B. calm

　　C. caring

　　D. enthusiastic

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】細節理解題。responsible有責任心的； calm鎮靜的； caring愛心，有同情心的；

　　enthusiastic熱情的。根據because I wanted to be a man and wanted to be the one supporting my family. 作者認為人要有責任心；If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you… you’ll be a Man, my son 這里作者引用母親的話來說明人在遇到事情時要鎮靜；要If I ever got tired during my work hours at the shop I could call her to come and pick me up.作者認為要有愛心；只有選項D的熱情沒有提到，故選D。

　　44. We can learn from the passage that ___________.

　　A. the poem has helped to improve the relationship between the author and his father

　　B. the author would not know how to help his family without the poem

　　C. the author’s father must have read the poem as well

　　D. the author’s mother had told him about this poem before

　　【答案】A

　　【解析】細節理解題。根據Your poem was so much more than just a simple list of guidelines or morals that some see it as; it really changed my life and my relationship with my dad.那首詩幫助改善了作者和父親的關系，故選A。

　　45. The author has written this letter to ___________.

　　A. share with Rudyard Kipling his sadness resulting from the death of his mother

　　B. show his appreciation for the positive influence the poem has brought to him

　　C. share his opinion on the poem

　　D. tell Rudyard Kipling how he got the poem

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】作者意圖題。根據短文的內容可知作者想讓我們知道那首詩帶給他的積極的影響。

　　閱讀理解-----E

　　(2024·長沙市二模，B)

　　These days, there are very few wild animals left

　　in the UK. The wolves have gone. The bears have been hunted to extinction.

　　Fortunately, there are a few badgers (獾)—Oh, well, actually, not for long as the British government has just decided to kill them too! But why?

　　Badgers are fascinating creatures.

　　The black and white mammals live underground in “setts”， which they dig out of the earth. They are extremely brave, fighting off larger animals such as bears and wolves.

　　The problem is that some badgers carry “Bovine Tuberculosis”(BTB), an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Bovis (M. Bovis) which can cause TB in some other animals, including cattle.

　　For farmers, this is a serious issue. In 1998 in the UK, almost 6 000 cows were killed to control the disease. And in 2010, more than 30 000 animals were destroyed. It's expensive too. Bovine TB costs the UK about ￡100 million per year. And some believe that the disease could end up costing the economy ￡9 billion over the next 40 years if nothing is done about it.

　　Experts say that badgers are responsible for about 50% of the infected cattle.

　　So, after much debate, the government has agreed to a badger cull (殺戮). This will mean about 30 000 of the innocent creatures will be wiped out to fight the disease.

　　Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman admitted that there was

　　“great strength of feeling”

　　about it, but said, “I believe this is the right way forward.”

　　Of course, many are against the measure, including conservationists and animal rights activists. They claim that killing the badgers in controlled zones wouldn't work because badgers from neighboring areas would simply move into the empty setts and become infected too. Furthermore, they believe that the way cattle are raised intensively, and transported around to lots of different farms during their lives is probably the biggest cause of the spread of the disease.

　　Most ordinary people are against the measure too. A survey suggests about twothirds are against killing the badgers, with majorities against killing them regardless of age, region and gender. One of the alternatives to the cull involves using vaccine (疫苗) on badgers. However, this costs an average of ￡2 250 per year per square kilometer. Trapping and shooting badgers costs ￡2 500 per year, but shooting freerunning badgers only costs about ￡200 per year (per square kilometer)．

　　So, with that in mind, it's easy to see how the government arrived at their decision. Money talks!

　　文章大意：本文是一篇資訊報道。在英國，一些獾身上攜帶TB病菌，這種病菌會傳播給牲畜，從而給農民帶來巨大的損失。政府不顧多數人的反對，決定采取行動來殺掉獾，因為對他們來說，這樣做的代價相對來說較低。

　　16．Why does the government want to kill the badgers?

　　A．Because there is no other choice to cut the spread of the disease.

　　B．Because badgers carry TB, a disease which can infect other animals.

　　C．Because they almost wiped out an entire population of cattle.

　　D．Because it might be an effective way to fight TB at the least expense.

　　答案：D　細節理解題。根據文章第二段中第四句“The problem is that some badgers carry ‘Bovine Tuberculosis’ (BTB)．..”及倒數第二段最后一句“... shooting freerunning badgers only costs about ￡200 per year (per square kilometer)．”可知，殺死獾可能是以最低價來對抗TB傳播的有效辦法。故答案選D。

　　17．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A．Some people object to culling because it costs much more to trap and shoot badgers.

　　B．In the following four decades, ￡9 billion will be spent on TB.

　　C．Based on the survey, people of different age groups, regions and both genders are against

　　killing the badgers.

　　D．Caroline Spelman thought badgers should be culled despite people's strong reaction.

　　答案：C　細節理解題。根據倒數第二段第二句“A survey suggests about twothirds are against killing the badgers, with majorities against killing them regardless of age, region and gender.”可知，一項調查表明來自不同年齡、地區和性別的人，大多數都反對屠殺獾。故答案選C。

　　18．Who is strongly for killing the badgers according the passage?

　　A．The government.

　　B．Most ordinary people.

　　C．Conservationists.

　　D．Animal rights activists.

　　答案：A　細節理解題。根據文章第四、五、六段及文章最后一段中“it's easy to see how the government arrived at their decision. Money talks！”可知，政府對屠殺獾是非常支持的，因為這樣做的代價最低。故答案選A。

　　19．What is the author's attitude toward government's decision?

　　A．Supportive.

　　B．Critical.

　　C．Objective.

　　D．Unconcerned.

　　答案：B　推理判斷題。根據文章第一段最后一句中“actually, not for long as the British government has just decided to kill them too！”及最后一段“So, with that in mind, it's easy to see how the government arrived at their decision. Money talks！”可知，政府不顧多數人的反對，只考慮錢的問題。從中可以看出，作者對政府的決定是持批評態度。故答案選B。

　　20．Which is the best title for the passage?

　　A．The Control of TB

　　B．The Voice of the Badgers

　　C．Badger Danger

　　D．The Threat of the Badgers

　　答案：C　標題概括題。通讀全文可知，文章主要講了英國政府不顧人們的反對，已經決定殺死獾，從而使獾處于危險之中。因此，短文的最佳標題應是Badger Danger。故答案選C。

　　閱讀理解--------B

　　This is an old tale. It’s the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also environmental.

　　Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material.

　　During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw.

　　Professor Walker says that one of the benefits is that it’s a relatively inexpensively renewable material that’s readily available.

　　According to Professor Walker, straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment. He says straw helps the environment in other ways.

　　Professor Walker: “The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal(of heat)

　　insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy.”

　　Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change.

　　David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction.

　　He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted.