问题 阅读理解

Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees. The young oranges are growing well in Florida’s weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings’ expert care, will produce a good crop(收成)of oranges this year.

However, Ed has to guard against Florida’s changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed’s entire orange crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed is prepared for the frost(霜). When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The water freezes and forms a thin layer(层) of ice around the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm.

What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of the heat it loses is taken in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed has effectively used this method to save many orange crops.

But Ed still faces difficulties. The trees must be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity(数量)of water must be used. Too much water can form a thicker layer of ice that will break the tree’s branches(树枝). Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat, so Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used.

Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries. With equipment(设备), air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can calculate(计算) when the temperature will drop below freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently(  ) the trees should be watered. Ed finds looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and, his customers will have the benefits(利益) of computer—age oranges. 

小题1:The passage is mainly about______.

A.a farmer expert cares for his orange trees

B.the different uses of computers

C.growing oranges in Florida’s changeable weather

D.different ways of frost protection小题2:Ed tries to protect his crop by______.

A.using a wind machine to drive away the cold air

B.equipping his orange trees with a computer

C.watering it at the proper time

D.picking his fruit at the first sign of frost小题3: According to the passage, the computer technology______.

A.removes the need for frost protection

B.prevents temperature from dropping

C.tells farmers why outdoor temperatures change

D.helps the farmer get a better harvest

答案

小题1:A

小题1:C

小题1:D

小题1:根据Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees.及下文描述可知选A。

小题1:根据When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees.描述可知选C。

小题1:根据Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries. 及下文描述可知选D。

阅读理解

A study into character, intelligence and usefulness shows dogs are better pets than cats—but only by a whisker.

Staff at New Scientist magazine first listed the areas where cats fared better. These included having bigger brains—compared to their body size. Cats’brains also contain 1.4 million more cells, devoted to complex functions such as memory and attention, than dogs. Cats’second point was given for being more popular, with 204 million living in the top ten cat-owning nations compared to 173 million dogs in the ten countries where dogs are favored. Cats also get more attention from humans, with purrs (呼噜声)and miaows easily to be noticed. Although dogs can vary their barks, they cannot match the attention-seeking of cats. It is a similar story when it comes to senses. Cats can see in lower light than dogs and have a far wider hearing range and a sharper sense of smell. They are also said to be’greener’pets because their smaller appetites mean less area of land required to farm their food.

But in the other six categories examined—many of which related to getting on with humans dogs had the edge.

Dogs have a longer shared history with humans, maybe as long as 135,000 years. Cats are relative newcomers to our homes. Similarly, dogs have a greater ability to bond with their masters. Even four-month-old puppies choose a human companion over another dog. Dogs scored a third point for their better powers of understanding and following human gestures. One study found that a dog called Rico had mastered the meaning of more than 200 words. The ability to perform roles such as being a guide dog for the blind meant dogs were rated better than cats when it came to their problem-solving abilities. And they are easier to train.

With the scores tied at five-all, the deciding point fell on usefulness—with dogs coming out on top.

Dogs, studies show, help cut human stress, while taking them for walks keeps their owners fit and helps them meet new people. New Scientist says: “Dogs can hunt and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs; they guide blind and deaf people, find someone buried in ruins, and possibly even predict earthquakes.”

And in a conclusion certain to set off argument, it adds: “Cats are good if you have rodents (啮齿类动物).”

48.Which of the following is not cats’ advantage?

A.Better at grasping their owners’ instructions.

B.Having relatively larger brains.

C.Affecting the environment less.

D.More likely to drawing attention.

49.The underlined phrase “by a whisker”(paragraph 1)probably means “_________”.

A.quite considerably                   B.just a little bit

C.most significantly                  D.in some aspects

50.We can learn the fact from the passage that________ .

A.Dogs are far from satisfactory in terms of their ability to catch rodents

B.Dogs can better help people who have problems with their sight and hearing

C.Comparatively speaking, cats have a better interaction with humans

D.Dogs beat cats when it comes to their senses of sight, heating and smell

51.Which would be the best title for the passage?

A.Cats beat Dogs                     B.Fight like Cat and Dog

C.Cats versus Dogs                    D.Cats away, Dogs Play

单项选择题