Question

Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual.”
But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”
Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves — a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She said she thinks the “P” wave might be what set the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.
小題1:Why did Mandara act strangely one day?

A．Because it sensed something unusual would happen.

B．Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.

C．Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.

D．Because an earthquake had happened.

小題2:According to Brandie Smith, _____.

A．many animals’ hearing is sharp

B．earthquakes produce two types of waves

C．primates usually gather together before a quake

D．humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake

小題3:Which word in the passage has a close meaning to the underlined word “cover”?

A．vibration

B．shelter

C．quake

D．range

小題4:Which animal seems unable to sense a quake?

A．A giant panda.

B．A flamingo.

C．A lemur.

D．A lizard.

小題5:What is the best title for the passage?

A．How animals survive a quake.	B．How animals differ from humans.
C．How animals behave before a quake.	D．How animals protect their young in a quake.

Answer 1

小題1:A
小題2:A
小題3:B
小題4:A
小題5:C

試題分析：這篇文章主要講了在地震前動物們的表現，有些動物對地震敏感，而有些動物對地震沒有察覺。
小題1:根據Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.故選A。
小題2:根據Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”故答案應為A。
小題3:根據One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly可猜出“cover”意思是居所，故選B。
小題4:根據For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began，故選A。
小題5:通過全文以及Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.
故選C。
點評：本題型考查了對文章段落或某一板塊的理解概括能力。先閱讀問題，然后帶著問題，再讀全文，找出答題所需要的依據，完成閱讀。在詞義與句義理解的基礎上，結合上下文總結歸納某一段或幾段的大意，對于把握文章主旨，分析全文結構都是至關重要的�？v觀歷年高考試題，閱讀理解試題一般有以下幾種題型：一是直接回答who, whom, which, what, where, when, why, how等疑問詞引起的細節問題；二是猜測詞義題；三是推理判斷題；四是綜合概括題。在做閱讀理解題時，一定要仔細看完，看清楚試題要求再作答，特別要注意NOT，TRUE，EXCEPT等詞。有時，要先看題，后閱讀文章，帶著問題去讀短文，可縮短閱讀時間，效果也許會更好。