【湖南省张家界市2015年中考英语试题】阅读技能（共20小题，满分45分）
阅读下面的材料，从A、B、C三个选项中，选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳选项。
A
A thirsty crow (乌鸦)comes across(偶然遇到) a bottle of water, but the water level is out of its reach. The bird then drops some stones into it and gets the water.
“It’s just a story,” you may think. But new research has found that crows’ brains may sometimes be better than those of 6-year-old children.
In a recent experiment, American scientist Corina Logan and her team caught six crows to test them. The crows and children had to choose between two sets of tubes(试管). They had to drop stones in and get water.
With the red set, when they dropped a stone into a wide tube, the water level raised in a connected narrow tube. The blue set of tubes, however, had no connection between them.
Children aged 7 to 10 were able to learn the rule. Children aged 4-6, however, failed.Five of the six crows failed the test. But Kitty, a 6-month-old crow, passed it. She put most of the stones into the red tubes.
So, could a bird be more clever than a kindergartner? Don’t be too quick to say no.
The first paragraph is ______ about crows.
A. a piece of news B. a story C. a truth
_____ failed the test?
A. Kitty
B. Children aged 7 to 10
C. Children aged 4 to 6
From the text, we know crows’ brains may ______ be better than those of 6-year-old children.
A. sometimes B. always C. never
How many crows did the team do the experiment on?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7
What does the underlined word kindergartner mean?
A. 幼儿园小朋友 B. 幼儿园教师 C. 幼儿园
Do you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? Normally the women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent（聪明的） than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain is made up of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the white matter, the amount（数量）of “thinking” brain is almost the same in both men and women.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls may learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of different information at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes（性别）. As white matter is the key to spatial（空间的）tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿）are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children when they are very young. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would ask for help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 1?
| A．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain. |
| B．Men’s brain is 10% less than women’s. |
| C．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter. |
| D．Men and women have the same amount of white matter. |
What can you infer from Paragraphs 2 and 3?
| A．Men have weaker spatial abilities. |
| B．Women do not need to tell directions. |
| C．Women prefer doing many things at a time. |
| D．Women do many jobs at a time better than men. |
What can you learn from Paragraph 4?
| A．Our children needed more spatial skills. |
| B．Women may have more feelings than men. |
| C．Young boys may be stronger than young girls. |
| D．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills. |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．ways of being more intelligent |
| B．differences between men and women |
| C．studies on brains between two sexes |
| D．studies on white matter and grey matter |
When Kyle walked into Ernie's Pet World, he looked very worried. He walked quickly to the front counter（柜台）. The owner of the shop, Ernie, jumped out to greet Kyle. He was the shop's first shopper of the day.
"Good morning, sir!" Ernie said. "What can I help you with?"
"Well, I...," Kyle started to say.
"Wait, don't tell me," Ernie interrupted (打断) him. "You're looking for a … a little dog... for
your daughter 's birthday. Right?"
"No T really, l just..."
Ernie didn't let him finish. "Ah, I've got it, You just moved into a new house, and you want some fish for it. I have some very nice tanks over here."
"In fact, I..." Kyle was starting to look very nervous (紧张的). His face had a strange expression（表情）on it.
"No fish? Ah, a cat! You look like a cat person. At Ernie's Pet World, we have the best kinds. Take a look at this Persian — long, white hair, and look at that cute expression. She's looking at you. She's thinking, ‘Take me home. Take me home.’ Would you like some cat food and toys as well?"
"No, thank you," Kyle said. By this time, he was walking up and down. He had a pained (痛苦的) look on his face. "Really, I'm not interested in cats or fish or little dogs."
"What do you want, then?" Ernie asked.
Kyle looked like he was going to cry. "I just want to know if I can use your bathroom!" he finally said.What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．A good pet owner. | B．A funny story. |
| C．A wonderful shopkeeper. | D．A strange pet shop. |
What was true about Ernie's Pet World?
| A．The shop was not busy. | B．Kyle went there often. |
| C．The shop was about to close. | D．Kyle knew the shop owner well. |
What do you think of Ernie?
| A．He is careful. | B．He is helpful. |
| C．He likes talking. | D．He is clever. |
Why did Kyle look anxious and pained?
| A．He wanted to get a cat very much. | B．He didn't like animals. |
| C．He was late for work. | D．He was not comfortable. |
在一次中德两国交流活动中，组织者进行了主题为“将来你是选择普通高中（ordinary high school ）还是职业高中（vocational high school ）？”的调查，请你根据表中的调查结果，完成下面的短文。
| |
Choice |
Percent (%) |
Reasons |
| German students |
vocational high school |
70 |
learn useful skills, easy to get a favorite job. |
| Chinese students |
ordinary high school |
80 |
Go to a favorite university, work for the government. |
Vocational or Ordinary ?
A survey has been done among students from German and China . Here are the result .
70%of German students would like to choose vocational high schools for further study . They think they can learn in vocational high schools so that they can get their favorite jobs when they graduate .
In comparison, most students prefer to go to ordinary high schools . In their opinion, going to a favorite
and working for the government after graduation is what they have been dreaming of .
As for me,I will choose because
.
Last month when I was taking part in a US college interview, I was asked, “ what makes you special ? ” In fact I had answered questions likes this many times since I decided to go to college in the US .college paid special attention to different achievement . For example, a person who is very good at math can go to a famous college but also can be a good football player .
This experience made me think again that I must try to find where my own interests might lead me . To be honest, it was not easy . However, I never felt sorry to choose this way because it helped me understand myself . If I took the College Entrance Examination,as we call it gaokao in China, it could never possibly do .
When I entered high school, I took gaokao seriously because it seemed to me a great way to show how good at my lessons . However,as I grew older, I realized gaokao did make me work hard at my lessons, but the pressure also pushed many other activities out of my life, like guitar―playing . Although I had no time for it, I will still get to it in the future .
No doubt, gaokao provides a way of choosing those who are successful in their studies . But it is really important for all of us to rethink what “ talent ” really is today . This is because we now live in a world in which all of our other human qualities ( 品质）are needed for success, not just the high grade .
Ken Robinson once said, “ the society depends on different kinds of talents . ” However, gaokao pays too attention to a person’s grades but little to his other qualities. And it is these qualities that makes life colorful and fun .
As high school students, we can not change the present situation of eduction, but we are always free to think outside of the box . Although good school grade is still useful, I hope one day we will see our education also welcomes the amazing possibilities in different people .The US College pay special attention to ________.
| A．students’family background . |
| B．the different achievement |
| C．students’ideas about way of life . |
| D．the school a student is from . |
When at high school, the writer ________.
| A．had a lot of activities . |
| B．did not work hard at her lessons . |
| C．did well in gaokao |
| D．had no time to play the guitar . |
From the passage, we know that the writer may ________.
| A．go to college in America . |
| B．give up the US college interview . |
| C．become a good football player in the US. |
| D．change the present situation of eduction . |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. My school life abroad. B. Different exams in the US.
C My view on gaokao D. The importance of school grades
Hip hop or rap (说唱） music as it is also called, started on the street and in the clubs of the New York City in the 1970s . But today many countries have their own kind of hip hop music . This kind of music comes from reggae, disco and funk music . Rapping means speaking to the rhythm of the music, and it is an important part of the music . People rap to express how they feel about their lives and problems .
Rapping in class.
Would you like to rap in class? Well actually, hip pop music is played in more than 10,000 schools in the USA .Why ? There is a new school program called “ Flocabulary ”in which teachers use texts and hip hop CDs to help teach different school subjects . The words of the songs are just what students are studying . This makes learning easy and fun . Students and teachers are excited about the positive results it has had on exam marks . One teacher said, “ I’ve used hip hop songs in class, and I have never seen my students so crazy about history ! You can't imagine how well they imagine how well they remember what I teach ! We even try to write our own songs . ”
Whose idea was Flocabulary?
Blake Harrison, a high school student, was the first person to come up with the idea of Flocabulary . The word “ Flocabulary ” comes from the word “ flow ” and “ vocabulary ” . “ Flow ” is a rap word for “ style ”,or the way a rapper says the words of a song . “ Vocabulary ” means the words you have to learn in a language . How did he get the idea ? Well, he realized he could remember the words of a hip hop song very easily . So,why not make lessons into songs ? Today together with Alex Rappaport, a song writer, Blake produces hip hop songs for maths, science and literature (文学）. They are now used in schools with great success . Rap music started _____ in New York city .
| A．in the 1970s | B．In a high school |
| C．in the 19 th century . | D．In a music class . |
From the passage, we can learn “ Flocabulary ” is a program to _____ .
| A．Write rap music . | B．Sing a song by talking |
| C．Remember the words of a song . | D．help teach some school subjects. |
The underlined word positive in paragraph 2 most probably means _____
| A．bad | B．good | C．final | D．direct |
Blake Harrison has produced hip hop songs for school subject EXCEPT _____ .
| A．maths | B．science | C．history | D．literature |
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