【2015·湖北卷】A
“I see you’ve got a bit of water on your coat,” said the man at the petrol station. “Is it raining out there?”“No, it’s pretty nice,” I replied, checking my sleeve. “Oh, right. A pony(马驹) bit me earlier.”
As it happened, the bite was virtually painless: more the kind of small bite you might get from a naughty child. The pony responsible was queuing up for some ice cream in the car park near Haytor, and perhaps thought I’d jumped in ahead of him.
The reason why the ponies here are naughty is that Haytor is a tourist-heavy area and tourists are constantly feeding the ponies foods, despite sighs asking them not to. By feeding the ponies, tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car, and make them harder to gather during the area’s annual pony drift(迁移).
The purpose of a pony drift is to gather them up so their health can be checked, the baby ones can be stooped from feeding on their mother’s milk, and those who’ve gone beyond their limited area can be returned to their correct area. Some of them are also later sold, in order to limit the number of ponies according to the rules set by Natural England.
Three weeks ago, I witnessed a small near-disaster a few mils west of here. While walking, I noticed a pony roll over on his back. “Hello!” I said to him, assuming he was just rolling for fun, but he was very still and, as I got closer, I saw him kicking his legs in the air and breathing heavily. I began to properly worry about him. Fortunately, I managed to get in touch with a Dartmoor’s Livestock Protection officer and send her a photo. The officer immediately sent a local farmer out to check on the pony. The pony had actually been trapped between two rocks. The farmer freed him, and he began to run happily around again.
Dartmoor has 1,000 or so ponies, who play a critical role in creating the diversity of species in this area. Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies, and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor’s most financially-troubled elements.Why are tourists asked not to feed the ponies?
| A．To protect the tourists from being bitten |
| B．To keep the ponies off the petrol station |
| C．To avoid putting the ponies in danger |
| D．To prevent the ponies from fighting |
One of the purposes of the annual pony drift is ______________.
| A．to feed baby ponies on milk |
| B．to control the number of ponies |
| C．to expand the habitat for ponies |
| D．to sell the ponies at a good price |
What as the author’s first reaction when he saw a pony roll on its back?
| A．He freed it from the trap |
| B．He called a protection officer |
| C．He worried about it very much |
| D．He thought of it as being naughty |
What does the author imply about the preservation of Dartmoor’s ponies?
| A．It lacks people’s involvement. |
| B．It costs a large amount of money |
| C．It will affect tourism in Dartmoor. |
| D．It has caused an imbalance of species |
It's no secret that many children would be healthier and happier with adoptive parents than with the parents that nature dealt them. That's especially true of children who remain in abusive homes because the law blindly favors biological parents. It's also true of children who suffer for years in foster homes (收养孩子的家庭) because of parents who can't or won't care for them but refuse to give up custody (监护) rights.
Fourteen-year-old Kimberly Mays fits neither description, but her recent court victory could eventually help children who do. Kimberly has been the object of an angry custody baffle between the man who raised her and her biological parents, with whom she has never lived. A Florida judge ruled that the teenager can remain with the only father she's ever known and that her biological parents have "no legal claim" on her.
The ruling, though it may yet be reversed, sets aside the principle that biology is the primary determinant of parentage. That's an important development, one that's long overdue.
Shortly after birth in December 1978, Kimberly Mays and another infant were mistakenly switched and sent home with the wrong parents. Kimberly's biological parents, Ernest and Regina Twigg, received a child who died of a heart disease in 1988. Medical tests showed that the child wasn't the Twiggs' own daughter, but Kimt only was, thus sparking a custody battle with Robert Mays. In 1989, the two families agreed that Mr. Mays would maintain custody with the Twiggs getting visiting fights. Those rights were ended when Mr. Mays decided that Kimberly was being harmed.
The decision to leave Kimberly with Mr. Mays rendered her suit debated. But the judge made clear that Kimberly did have standing to sue ( 起诉) on her own behalf. Thus he made clear that she was more than just property to be handled as adults saw fit.
Certainly, the biological link between parent and child is fundamental. But biological parents aren't always preferable to adoptive ones, and biological parentage does not convey an absolute ownership that cancels all the rights of children.
36. What was the primary consideration in the Florida judge's ruling?
A. The biological link. B. The child's benefits.
C. The traditional practice. D. The parents' feelings.
37. We can learn from the Kimberly case that
A. children are more than just personal possessions of their parents
B. the biological link between parent and child should be emphasized
C. foster homes bring children more pain and suffering than care
D. biological parents shouldn't claim custody rights after their child is adopted
38. The Twiggs claimed custody rights to Kimberly because
A. they found her unhappy in Mr. Mays' custody B. they regarded her as their property
C. they were her biological parentsD. they felt guilty about their past mistake
39. Kimberly had been given to Mr. Mays
A. by sheer accident B. at his requestC. out of charity D. for better care
40. The author's attitude towards the judge's ruling could be described as
A. doubtful B. cautious C. critical D. supportive
三．阅读理解（共25小题，每小题2分，满分50分）
I don’t think there is anything wrong with your blood. The key to your problem is that long nap (打盹，小睡) after dinner.
If you didn’t sleep for hours during the early part of the evening, you would be more ready to sleep at bedtime. If you didn’t nap after dinner, you would not want to stay up so late, and you would not feel the need to take a sleeping pill. The pill is still working in your system when you get up in the morning. This helps account for the fact that you feel tired all day.
You should get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening. Right after your evening meal, engage in some sort of physical activity --- a sport such as bowling, perhaps. Or get together with friends for an evening of cards and conversation. Then go to bed at your usual time or a little earlier, and you should be able to get a good night's rest without taking a pill.
If you can get into the habit of spending your evenings this way, I am sure you will feel less tired during the day. At first it may be hard for you to go to sleep without taking a pill. If so, get up and watch television or do some jobs around your house until you feel sleepy. If you fall asleep and then wake up a few hours later, get up but do not take a sleeping pill. Read a while or listen to the radio, and make yourself a few hours’ sleep that night, you will feel better in the morning than you usually feel after taking a pill. The next night you will be ready to sleep at an earlier hour.
The most important thing is to avoid taking that nap right after dinner and avoid taking pills.
1. According to the writer, it is difficult for you to go to sleep because _____ .
A. you get the habit of staying up late B. you haven’t taken sleeping pills
C. you sleep for hours after dinner D. you fail to do some exercises
2. Which of the following is NOT true if you want to get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening?
A. Go to bed earlier than usual. B. Talk with friends after dinner.
C. Stay with friends after dinner. D. Do some physical labor.
3. You feel tired all day probably because ______ .
A. you stay up too late B. you get up too early in the morning
C. you take sleeping pills D. you wake up too frequently at night
4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. You mustn’t take sleeping pills in order to get a good night’s sleep.
B. You should stay up if you want to sleep effectively.
C. Food is necessary at night if you fail to go to sleep.
D. It is very important to get out of the habit of taking a nap after dinner.
5. We may infer that the author is most probably a _____ .
A. doctor B. reporter C. scientist D. professor
Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it's painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you're “hot”. That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak(高峰). For some people the peak comes before noon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues ( 自言自语 ) as: “Get up, John! You'll be late for work again!” The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and- energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.
You can't change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you're sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Counteract ( 对抗 ) your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam ( 鼓起干劲 ) and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours.
72. If a person finds getting up early a problem, most probably________.
A. he is a lazy person
B. he refuses to follow his own energy cycle
C. he is not sure when his energy is low
D.he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening
73. Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage?
A.Unawareness of energy cycles. B.Familiar monologues.
C.A change in a family member's energy cycle.
D.Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family members.
74. If one wants to work more efficiently at his low point in the morning, he should________.
A.change his energy cycle B.overcome his laziness
C.get up earlier than usual D. go to bed earlier
75. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Getting off to work with a minimum effort helps save one's energy.
B.Dr. Kleitman explains why people reach their peaks at different hours of day.
C.Habits help a person adapt to his own energy cycle.
D.Children have energy cycles, too.
With a busy life and job, pressure can make you look tired and aged. Kissi Health-Beauty Center gives classes, makes training plans according to your physical conditions, and sets up an individual file. All these things will help you to get to know your body and the way to keep it fit.
1)BODY-BUILDING
Imported gym equipment will help you build up your body’s muscles, making you look full of energy and strength.
2)GYMNASTIC EXERCISES
A bright and large exercise room with excellent equipment and music will give your body a chance to enjoy movement with rhythm.
3)SPECIAL “LAZY-BONE” FITNESS CENTER
“Lazy-bone” fitness equipment is the first bodyshaping set of seven beds in Houston. Designed according to human anatomic (解剖学的) and kinematic（运动学的）theory， the seven special beds will help you to exercise your waist, abdomen（腹）, hips（臀）or legs. In the relaxing hours you may try them to strengthen your muscles and lose weight.
*Tuition: “Lazy-bone” fitness card, 1000 dollars /month (gymnastic classesincluded).
*Open Time: 10:30 a.m. —10:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
*Tel: 59185700
*Address: 16 Johnson Street, Houston
68.The purpose of this passage is to ______.
A. give advice on healthB. introduce new ways of body-building
C. ask you to go to the center D. introduce ways to lose weight
69.If you want some exercise as well as relaxation after a busy day, you’ll go to the center and ______.
A. learn anatomic and kinematic theoryB. lie still on the special beds
C. join in the gymnastic exercises D. buy a special card
70.Tom Everest who keeps a “Lazy-bone” fitness card can go to the center ______ this week.
A. 11:30 a.m. Monday B. 11:30 p.m. Monday
C. 10:00 a.m. Tuesday D. 10:00 p.m. Tuesday
71.According to the passage, the center wants to show it is _____ .
A. the most convenient B. the largest
C. the newest D. the most advanced
More than one million children in the United States do not go to school. Instead, they learn at home. Most often, their parents are their teachers. Educational companies, libraries and the Internet provide many families with teaching materials.
Parents choose home schooling for several reasons. Some choose it because of their religious beliefs. Others say it provides more time for the family to be together. They say the home offers a better place for learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids problems of national schools. Critics, however, say children need to attend school with other children.
All fifty American states and the District of Columbia permit home schooling. Some states do not require much preparation by parents or testing of children. Other states have more requirements for home schooling. Home schooling in the United States began when the country was established. In farm areas, people often lived far from a school. Widespread home schooling took place until about the middle of the nineteenth century. Then, in 1852, the state of Massachusetts passed the first law requiring children to attend school.
Over the years, the American public education system strengthened and grew. By the 1960s and 1970s, however, some Americans believed that traditional education was not helping their children. So a number of parents began home schooling.
Home schooling expert Linda Dobson says many people have helped the movement grow. She says many kinds of people have joined the movement. These include rich people and poor people. They represent many races, religions and political beliefs. Ms. Dobson says the number of home-schooled children has increased an estimated fifteen to twenty percent each year during the last fifteen years.
64. Teaching materials for home schooling do NOT come from _______.
A. parents B. libraries
C. the Internet D. educational companies
65. Which of the following is one of the reasons why parents choose home schooling?
A. it makes parents and their children have less time together.
B. Some people have different religious beliefs from the others.
C. It can’t provide a comfortable place for children to be in.
D. There are too many students in a home classroom.
66. Home schooling was started in ________.
A. the 1960sB. the 1970s C. the 1850sD. the 1776
67. Home schooling in the United States now is __________.
A. facing many difficulties B. struggling
C. growing fastD. decreasing in large numbers