四、阅读理解
36、根据下面内容,回答36-55题:
The pines belong to the coniferous(结球果的) class of trees; that is, trees which bear cones.
The pines may be told from the other coniferous trees by their leaves, which are in the form of needles two inches or more in length. These needles keep green throughout the entire year. This is characteristic of all coniferous trees, except the larch and cypress, which shed their leaves in winter.
The pines are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and include about 80 distinct species with over 600 varieties. The species enumerated here are especially common in the eastern part of the United States, growing either native in the forest or under cultivation in the parks.
The pines form a very important class of timber trees and produce beautiful effects when planted in groups in the parks.
How to tell them from each other: The pine needles are arranged in clusters. Each species has a certain characteristic number of needles to the cluster and this fact generally provides the simplest and most direct way of distinguishing the different pines.
In the white pine there are five needles to each cluster, in the pitch pine three, and in the Scotch pine two. The Austrian pine also has two needles to the cluster, but the difference in size and character of the needles will distinguish this species from the Scotch pine.
Which of the following statements is not a fact?
A.Pine trees are classified as coniferous.
B.Most pine trees remain green all year.
C.Pine trees are more useful for timber than for landscaping.
D.Pines are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
37、
Which of the following trait is common to pine trees?
A.They differ among themselves by shades of green.
B.Their pine needles are arranged in clusters.
C.They are most common to the western United States.
D.They have different numbers of branches.
38、
How are larch and cypress trees different from other pine trees?
A.They have an odd number of pine needles per cluster.
B.They shed their leaves in winter.
C.Their pine needles are longer than other varieties.
D.They are only found in cultivated parks.
39、
Which pattern of organization is used?
A.Comparison/contrast.
B.Cause/effect.
C.Order of importance.
D.Spatial order.
40、根据下面内容,回答40-59题:
Nature has devised many ways to protect creatures' eyes.The most common protection is the eyelid--a fold of skin that closes over the eye, protecting it from damage. Eyelashes are useful for keeping out dust and other irritants, and tears wash away any particles that get through the other defenses.
Some creatures, including most birds, have three eyelids.The upper and lower lids act like human lids and keep out twigs, dirt and sand. The third eyelid, however, is a semitransparent tissue that crosses over the eye from the inside corner to the outside corner.Because of this protective membrane, birds seldom have to blink. They close their eyes only when they go to sleep. In ducks,this third eyelid self as an underwater diving mask that helps the ducks find food.
Most fish and snakes have no eyelids at all. Instead, a hard glassy covering protects their eyes. In fish, water constantly sweeps away dirt from the covering. And a snake's eyesight is usually so bad that a little dirt obscuring its vision does not disturb it greatly.
Eyelashes defend the eye by shading it from glare. They also act like miniature brushes to remove dust. Camels have lashes that are four inches long to protect their eyes from windblown sand in the desert.
A camel has long eyelashes________.
A.to keep windblown sand out of its eyes
B.that get in the way of its sight
C.to help it see better
D.to attract other camels
41、
The writer implies that eyelids are________.
A.not found on lizards
B.nice to look at
C.always covered with eyelashes
D.the most effective eye protection
42、
The author compares the duck's third eyelid to a________.
A.tissue
B.glassy covering
C.tiny brush
D.diving mask
43、
A good title for this passage would be________.
A.Look Out
B.Birds' Eyes
C.Eyes in the Night
D.Protecting the Eye
44、根据下面内容,回答44-63题:
Would you eat a bacon, lettuce and love apple sandwich? You probably have eaten many of them.
Love apple was the name used many years ago for the tomato.
The tomato is originally an American plant.It was found in South America by early Spanish explorers. The word tomato comes from the native Nahuatl word tomatl. But when it moved north, the plant earned a different name. Remarkably, the settlers in North America thought it was poisonous.
They believed that to eat it was surely to die. It was said that deserted suitors would threaten to eat a tomato to cause their coldhearted lovers regret. Because of this legend, the settlers called the tomato a"love apple. " While people enjoyed other native plants such as corn and sweet potatoes, everyone avoided the tomato.
No one knows who first dared to eat a tomato. Perhaps someone was brave enough, or lovesick enough, to try out the truth of the rumors. Of course, whoever ate this fruit was perfectly safe. No one died from eating a love apple. Still, it was many years before the people fully believed that the tomato was a safe, and even good food. But its use did become common, and the plant was sent across the ocean to become part of many traditional European dishes.
The language from which we derived the word tomato is
A.Portuguese
B.Spanish
C.Nahuatl
D.European
45、
North American people didn't eat tomatoes at first because________.
A.they had too much other food
B.they mistakenly thought they were poisonous
C.settlers ate only traditional European foods
D.no one liked the taste