第二部分 阅读理解(共两节，满分50分)
第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在
答题卡上将该项涂黑。(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)
A
Siberia is a huge area in Russia. It is more than half of Russia and is 4,000 miles wide. Most of this area is forests with many wild animals and birds. In the autumn, the forests in Siberia are full of mushrooms and berries. Many people like picking mushrooms, but it is not as simple as you might think. Old people who used to live in the villages know places where you can pick lots of mushrooms. Some mushrooms grow in colonies (群体). If you find one, you only need to look around because you’ll find more of them nearby.
However, when picking mushrooms, it is important not to choose the wrong kind. You have to be careful because some mushrooms are poisonous even though they look good. The smell can help you choose them, because good mushrooms smell very good.
Siberian people are very friendly and hospitable (好客的). If someone invites you home for dinner, you’ll soon be full. You should try everything the host prepares.
The climate there depends on the territory (地区). Some places have very comfortable climates with hot summers and cold winters. The best season to visit Siberia is spring, when nature wakes up after a long winter. Birds come back from other warm places. Trees become dressed in green. The sun becomes warm and the days are longer. The mood is wonderful and people smile a lot. It is an amazing time.
In winter, you have the opportunity to take part in sports. During weekends, many people go into the country and ski. Noses freeze and cheeks hurt, but people continue to enjoy these times.
31. Which of the following can help to choose the right mushrooms to eat?
A. The size. B. The color. C. The smell. D. The taste.
32. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason to visit Siberia in spring?
A. The nights are longer. B. The trees turn green.
C. It is warm in spring. D. There are many birds.
33. What does the passage tell us about the Siberian climate?
A. It’s cold all the year round. B. It’s hot in summer.
C. It’s cold in autumn. D. It depends.
34. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Skiing is very popular in Siberia.
B. The mushrooms are delicious in Siberia.
C. The whole Siberia is covered with forests.
D. Picking mushrooms is easy in Siberia.
B
A cruel person is often described as having the “courage and determination” of a scorpion (蝎子).Although the scorpion’s poisonous tail is very frightening, it is nothing but a weapon for defense (防御). As for scorpion’s life cycle, it is characterized by its own “scorpionism”.
Most of the scorpions we see are unmarried “young men and women”. Once they “get married”, they have come to the end of. their lives.
Male and female adult scorpions fall in love with each other at first sight. They hold each other with their forelegs and waltz slowly in circles. The courtship (求爱) dance will not stop until they feel quite satisfied. This is called the dance before marriage.
After that, the couple will find a quiet place as their mating room. When the mating is finished, the male lies in its place, offering its body for the female to feed on in its pregnancy (孕期). By the time the “husband” is eaten up, the female has hatched (孵出) out a mass of tiny baby scorpions which will soon break their mother’s back as they are growing bigger and bigger. The babies feed on the dead body of their mother till they finish all of it. Then they will go in all directions to make their own living.
What kind parents! But it is very cruel to see wives eat husbands and children eat their mothers in turn.
35. According to the passage, a scorpion uses its tail to .
A. attack other animals B. protect itself
C. dance with other scorpions D. feed its children
36. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Most scorpions lead a busy life.
B. Scorpions like standing in a circle.
C. Scorpions express their love by singing.
D. Scorpions live independently when they grow up.
37. We can know from the passage that the author thinks the life cycle of scorpions is .
A. cruel B. admirable C. humorous D. interesting
38. We can infer from the passage that .
A. the male scorpion is more unselfish than the female one
B. the baby scorpions find food by themselves once they are born
C. the baby scorpions are crueller than their parents in order to survive
D. it's a survival rule for scorpions to feed on their husbands or mothers.
