Imagine when you are sailing an ocean for the first time, you see a big fish swimming near your ship. You might be scared, and worried about whether it will turn over your ship for a meal. In fact, it is not a fish at all, but a gentle giant whale.
Whales are not fishes but mammals (哺乳动物). Their body temperature stays the same, and does not change with the temperature of their environment. They breathe air, so they have to come out of the water to get oxygen. Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe. It is thought that only half of their brains sleep at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep. Females give birth to the young. They have hair. Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles (胡子), usually on their heads.
Whales are highly social animals with complex languages and intelligence. They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called “whale songs”. Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud.
Whales are endangered as a result of whaling (捕鲸) from the eleventh century to the twentieth. It has attracted the attention of environmentalists and some measures (措施) have been taken to protect whales.
小题1:How many aspects show that whales are mammals?
A．One.
B．Two.
C．Three.
D．Four.小题2:We can infer from the second paragraph that ____.
A．whales can breathe in the water
B．if a whale sleeps too long, it will get drowned
C．in order to breathe, whales never sleep
D．whales give birth to the young on the land小题3: How do whales communicate with each other?
A．By body language.
B．By speaking languages.
C．By making song-like sounds.
D．By giving off a smell.小题4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Whales are cold-blooded mammals like fishes.
B．Whales are hunted for food by people.
C．Whales are very harmful to human beings.
D．Whales are in danger because of being killed by people.
小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D
题目分析：本文介绍了鲸鱼的基本信息以及鲸鱼所面临的现状。
小题1:D 细节题。根据文章第二段Their body temperature stays the same和They breathe air,和Females give birth to the young.以及Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles (胡子), usually on their heads.可知一共提及了4个原因说明鲸鱼是哺乳动物。故D正确。
小题2:B 推理题。根据第二段3,4行Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe.可知鲸鱼是不可能长时间睡觉的，因为他们需要氧气。不然会被淹死的。故B正确。
小题3:C 细节题。根据文章倒数第二段They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called “whale songs”. Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud.可知鲸鱼是通过声音进行交流的。故C正确。
小题4:.D 细节题。根据文章最后一段第一句Whales are endangered as a result of whaling (捕鲸) from the eleventh century to the twentieth.可知鲸鱼的危险主要是因为捕杀。故D正确。
点评：本文介绍了鲸鱼的基本信息以及鲸鱼所面临的现状。本文考查细节题为主，细节题可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都属于这类围绕主体展开的细节。做这类题一般采用寻读法即先读题，然后带着问题快速阅读短文，找出与问题有关的词语或句子，再对相关部分进行分析对比，找出答案。