It doesn’t matter when and how much a person sleeps , but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought , until they heard about Herpin. Herpin, it was said , never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw him sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.
小题1:The main idea of this passage is that_____
A．large numbers of people do not need sleep
B．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep
C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep小题2:The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting_____
A．to cure him of his sleeplessness
B．to find that his sleeplessness was not really true
C．to find out why some old people did not need any sleep
D．to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping小题3:After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Herpin_____
A．needed some kind of sleep
B．was too old to need any sleep
C．needed no sleep at all
D．often sleep in a chair小题4:One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _____
A．his mother’s injury before he was born
B．that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
C．his magnificent physical condition
D．that he hadn’t got a bed小题5:Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______
A．a common one
B．one that could be cured
C．very healthy
D．a rare one
小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:A
小题5:D
题目分析：本文叙述了医生跟踪调查Herpin的不睡觉之谜，90岁高龄的老人Herpin住在新泽西，医生去老人的家里去观察老人一天的活动情况，结果发现老人确实一天不用睡觉，其实他连床都没有，他唯一的休息方式就是坐在椅子上看报，通过和老人交谈得知老人在他出生前他的母亲曾经受过伤，这可能就是老人不需睡觉的原因所在。
小题1:这是细节理解题。根据The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.和整篇短文来看主要讲述的是关于Herpin的情况，故选B。
小题2:这是细节理解题。根据They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind.医生来之前不相信他不睡觉，所以希望发现他不睡觉这事不是真的，故选B。
小题3:这是细节理解题。根据The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. hey found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. 通过观察老人和他交谈医生得知老人没有床也不用睡觉，故选C。
小题4:这是细节理解题。根据Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all通过和老人交谈医生得知老人在他出生前他的母亲曾经受过伤，这可能就是老人不需睡觉的原因所在，故选A。
小题5:这是细节理解题。根据everyone needs some rest to stay alive.每个人都需睡觉才能活着，所以说Herpin 是特例，故选D。
点评：细节理解题为阅读考题的重头戏，所占比例很高，相对而言较简单，因为这类题虽然要求理解准确，但基本上限于字面意义的理解，范围也限于局部，因此是我们可望得高分的部分。细节题绝大部分体现“中心思想是解”这一原理。本文都是细节理解题，在文中比较容易找到答案。