Question

I think it is safe to say that snakes are not popular among most people. It would be hard to find a person who is neutral (中立的), or simply doesn’t care one way or the other. What I wonder is why something even without legs causes such great fear.

Snakes are quite useful, but that doesn’t seem to matter. Snakes help control the population of mice. Without snakes, perhaps we would find mice everywhere. Most of us, however, would rather see a mouse than a snake.

The poison argument (毒性的争论) is a strong one. Some snakes are poisonous, and this causes people’s death. However, the poisonous snakes are only a small number. We can’t say all the snakes are bad just because of a few dangerous ones.

And what do we do with the people who really like snakes? They like snakes even more strongly than we dislike them. These people learn about them, find them out, and watch them carefully. Why? The only reason I can think of is that these people are open-minded. They are able to put aside differences and welcome the snake as a friend.

Whatever the reason for our like or dislike, snakes do something good in the circle of life. They would prefer to be left alone, and that is what we should do. If you’re lucky, you might not run across more than a few of them in a lifetime. That would be fine with most of us.

1.How does the writer describe the appearance of snakes?

A. Something even without legs.

B. Something not popular among people.

C. A person who is neutral.

D. A person who cares about nothing.

2.Which of the following shows that most people dislike snakes?

A. They welcome snakes as their best friends.

B. They would rather see a mouse than a snake.

C. They wonder why snakes can cause great fear.

D. They learn about snakes and watch them carefully.

3.Although some snakes are poisonous, ______.

A. they cause many people’s death

B. they control the population of mice

C. they are not dangerous to people

D. they are only a small number

4.People who really like snakes are open-minded because they ______.

A. are able to put aside differences

B. think all the snakes are poisonous

C. are able to deal with poisonous snakes

D. take part in the poison argument

5.The last paragraph seems to tell us that the writer ______.

A. dislikes snakes  B. has the best luck

C. loves snakes     D. prefers to be left alone

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.A

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文作者论述了自己对蛇的看法：蛇是安全的；蛇是有用的，它可以控制鼠的数量；只有少数蛇有毒；蛇在生物圈里起着好的作用等等。

1.A 细节理解题。题意：作者怎样描述蛇的外表？A. Something even without legs.甚至没有腿的东西；B. Something not popular among people.不受人欢迎的东西；C. A person who is neutral. 一个中立的人；D. A person who cares about nothing.对什么也不关心的人。根据第一段最后一句“What I wonder is why something even without legs causes such great fear.” 我不知道为什么某个东西即使没有腿也能造成如此巨大的恐惧。此处某个东西指代的就是蛇，故选择A。

2.B 推理判断题。题意：下面哪一个表明许多人不喜欢蛇？A. They welcome snakes as their best friends. 他们把蛇当作最好的朋友；B. They would rather see a mouse than a snake.他们宁愿看到一只老鼠也不愿看到一只蛇；C. They wonder why snakes can cause great fear.他们想知道为什么蛇造成那么大的恐惧；D. They learn about snakes and watch them carefully.他们了解蛇并且认真观察蛇。根据原文“Most of us, however, would rather see a mouse than a snake.” 然而，我们大多数人宁愿看到一只老鼠不是一条蛇。故选择B。

3.D 推理判断题。题意：虽然一些蛇有毒，但是什么？A. they cause many people’s death它们使许多人丧命；B. they control the population of mice它们控制着老鼠的数量；C. they are not dangerous to people它们对人不危险；D. they are only a small number它们数量少。根据原文“We can’t say all the snakes are bad just because of a few dangerous ones.” 只是因为一些蛇是危险的，我们就说所有的蛇都不好。说明危险的蛇只是少数，故选择D。

4.A 细节理解题。题意：喜欢蛇的人们思想开明因为他们什么？A. are able to put aside differences可以抛弃不同；B. think all the snakes are poisonous认为所有的蛇有毒；C. are able to deal with poisonous snakes能够对付毒蛇；D. take part in the poison argument参加毒性的争论。根据原文“The only reason I can think of is that these people are open-minded. They are able to put aside differences and welcome the snake as a friend.” 我能想到的唯一理由是，这些人都是思想开明的。他们能够抛开分歧，欢迎蛇作朋友。故选择A。

5.A. dislikes snakes不喜欢蛇；B. has the best luck 最幸运；C. loves snakes喜欢蛇；D. prefers to be left alone较喜欢单独留下。根据原文“They would prefer to be left alone”他们宁愿独处，此处指的是蛇，而不是作者本人，所以排除选项D。最后一段“Whatever the reason for our like or dislike, snakes do something good in the circle of life.”无论我们喜欢或不喜欢的理由是什么，生活中，蛇做了一些好事的。可知作者是站在蛇一边的，所以排除选项A不喜欢蛇；而选项B文章并没有提及作者是否幸运，故也排除，故选择C。

【考点定位】 考查自然科学类短文阅读。