Question

Red squirrels were common(常见的) in British forests and countryside. But there are fewer than 140,000 red squirrels ______ now and most of them are in Scotland. However, grey squirrels are now so common that many people ______ them. They can hunt and kill them legally(合法).

The two types of squirrels look similar. They both have a long ______, which helps the squirrel to jump from tree to tree, and the same large eyes, small ears and powerful back legs. ______, the grey squirrel has a clear advantage(优势) over the red. The red squirrel has a head-and-body length of 19 to 23 cm and a tail length of 15 to 20 cm. But the grey squirrel is a ______ animal. The head-and-body length is between 23 and 30 cm. This size may let them store more fat and ______ them to live in a hard winter.

So ______ is the number of red squirrels smaller than that of grey squirrels? Size is one reason, but there are others. Red squirrels live high up in ______, while grey squirrels spend more of their time on the ground. This means the missing of forests greatly influences(影响) the red squirrel’s population. Another reason is the grey squirrel’s ______ to get food easily from people. Like the fox, the grey squirrel ______ live in towns and cities. The other problem for the red squirrel is illness, which is fatal to them.

1.A.leaves B.left C.leaving D.leave

2.A.dislike B.like C.watch D.keep

3.A.head B.tail C.nose D.mouth

4.A.Instead B.Moreover C.Otherwise D.However

5.A.smaller B.cleverer C.larger D.funnier

6.A.ask B.help C.tell D.teach

7.A.why B.what C.when D.how

8.A.trees B.hills C.skies D.clouds

9.A.quality B.hobby C.ability D.look

10.A.can’t B.need C.needn’t D.can

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.D

5.C

6.B

7.A

8.A

9.C

10.D

【解析】

这篇短文讲述了英国的红松鼠和灰松鼠，红松鼠的数量在减少，而灰松鼠的数量很多，以至于人们都不喜它们了。本文还介绍了灰松鼠在竞争中获胜的几个原因。

1.句意：但是现在剩下的红松鼠不到140000只，大多数都在苏格兰。

leaves 离开（第三人称单数）；left 离开（过去式或过去分词）；leaving 离开（动名词或现在分词）；leave 离开（动词原形）。此处red squirrels与leave之间是被动关系，即“被剩下”。故用过去分词表示被动。故选B。

2.句意：然而，灰松鼠现在很常见，很多人不喜欢它们。

dislike 不喜欢；like 喜欢；watch 观看；keep 保持。根据下一句“they can hunt and kill them legally.”可知杀死灰松鼠是合法的，由此证明人们不喜欢它们。故选A。

3.句意：它们都有一条长长的尾巴，帮助松鼠从树上跳到树上，同样的大眼睛，小耳朵和有力的后腿。

head 头；tail 尾巴；nose 鼻子；mouth 嘴巴。根据常识和语境，故选B。

4.句意：然而灰松鼠较之红松鼠有一个明显的优势。

Instead 代替，而不是；Moreover 此外；Otherwise 否则；However 然而。前面在说不好的方面，后面提到优势，可知是转折。故选D。

5.句意：但是灰松鼠是一种更大的动物。

smaller 更小；cleverer 更聪明；larger 更大；funnier 更有趣。下一句提到了灰松鼠的体积，并提到了fat，可知是“更大”。故选C。

6.句意：这种形体让他们储存更多的脂肪，并帮助他们在艰难的冬天生活。

ask 要求；help 帮助；tell 告诉；teach 教。help sb. (to) do sth. 意为“帮助某人做某事”。根据语境，故选B。

7.句意：所以为什么红松鼠小于灰松鼠呢？

why 为什么；what 什么；when 什么时候；how 怎样。下文内容介绍了各种原因，故选A。

8.句意：红松鼠高高地生活在树上，而灰松鼠则把更多的时间花在地上。

trees 树；hills 山；skies 天空；clouds 云。天与地对立，且根据句意，故选A。

9.句意：灰松鼠成功的另一个原因是其从人类容易的获得食物的能力。

quality 质量；hobby 爱好；ability 能力；look 看。the ability to do sth. 意为“做某事的能力”。根据语境，故选C。

10.句意：和狐狸一样，灰松鼠也能生活在城镇里。

can’t 不（可）能；need 需要；needn’t 不必；can 能，可以。前面提到它的能力，此处也是在说它的优势，所以是“可以”生活在城镇中。故选D。