科普类“阅读理解”试题解析

纵观2006年全国部分地区的中考英语试题,笔者发现科普类“阅读理解”题愈来愈受到命题者的青睐｡而科普类文章往往具有跨学科､行文逻辑性强等特点,要求考生能从文章的整体逻辑以及重要细节上全面把握｡但有些考生面对此类试题,常常表现出一种恐惧感,甚至觉得无从下手｡鉴于此,笔者现以2006年全国部分地区中考英语科普类“阅读理解”试题为例,对这类试题的特点及解题技巧浅析如下:

【试题特点】

① 注重学科渗透,行文逻辑性强,内容抽象｡

② 贴近学生的学习､生活实际,有利于激发学生的思维,对选拔优秀考生有一定的作用｡

③ 能全面地考查学生的综合阅读能力和运用所学知识去分析､解决实际问题的能力｡

【解题技巧】

对于科普类文章,笔者认为最有效的解题方法便是“通读全文浏览题目再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案”｡

通读全文旨在把握文章中心和文章脉络,简单地说,就是要弄明白文章的大意是什么以及文章是如何展开的｡

浏览题目的目的就是要总结和把握命题人命题的角度和意图｡简单地说,就是要弄清题目究竟是在考查文章的细节还是对文章进行推理,是考查哪些细节,又是如何考查的等等｡

再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案,就是在对文章大意､文章脉络以及命题角度有了相应的了解之后,带着问题再读文章｡在再次阅读文章的过程中,要利用上下文语境,准确地捕捉与问题相关的信息点,这也是解题的关键点(技巧提示:可在相应位置上做出简单标记,以便检查时目标明确)｡最后总结以上所有信息,确定答案｡

下面以2006年部分地区中考英语试题为例,对上述的解题技巧作一全面的分析:

【试题精选1】 (杭州市)

You have often looked into a mirror, of course. But you haven’t seen the real picture of your face yet. And why couldn’t you see it? When you look into a mirror, you don’t see your face as other people see it. You see a reversed picture. If you close your left eye, your picture closes its right eye. If you touch your right ear with your right hand, your picture touches its left ear with its left hand.

If you have two small mirrors, you can see your face as your friends see it. You hold the two mirrors at right angles(角度) to each other and look into them. After some practice you will be able to see the real picture of your face.

Now close your left eye and your picture closes its left eye， too. Touch your right ear with your right hand and your picture touches its right ear with its right hand! This happens because each mirror reflected(反射) the picture in the other mirror. So you see a reversed picture of a reversed picture, which, of course, is the same as the real picture.

1. When you look into a mirror, you couldn’t see________ .

A. the picture of yourself B. your face as others see it

C. the picture of your face D. the picture of your eyes

2. What does the word “reversed” mean in this passage?

A. 暂存的. B. 相反的. C. 模拟的. D. 虚拟的.

3. According to the first paragraph of the passage, if you close your left eye, your picture in the mirror________ .

A. closes its right eye B. closes its left eye

C. touches its right ear D. touches its left ear

4. Which of the following pictures is right according to the second paragraph of the passage?

M=mirror P=person

5. We can learn something about________from the passage.

A. body language B. Physical Education(体育)

C. optical illusions(视错觉) D. television invention

【答案与简析】 按照“通读全文浏览题目再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案”的解题思路简析如下:通览全文可知,本文主要讲述的是“关于平面镜成像引起视错觉”的问题｡文章共分3小段,第一段是引出问题,即引出在镜中看到反像;第二段介绍一种成正像的方法;第三段简单分析原理｡浏览题目可知,第1､3题是细节题,第2题是词义推测题,第4题是推断题,第5题是主旨归纳题｡最后再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案:从文章第一段中“When you look into a mirror, you don’t see your face as other people see it”可知,第1题答案为B; 从文章第一段最后两句的解释,尤其是 left 和 right 以及 right 和 left 的对应现象可以推断出划线单词的意思应该为“相反的”,故第2题的答案为B; 由第一段中“If you close your left eye, your picture closes its right eye”很容易确定第3题的答案为A;根据第二段的描述可知,两个镜子成直角(right angles ),人立于镜前,由此可推断出第4题的答案为B;通读全文可知,本文主要阐述的是视错觉的问题(即平面镜成反像的问题),故第5题的答案为C｡

【试题精选2】 (安徽省)

Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big. And they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap(捕蝇草).

The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book. They can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If a fly touches one of the hairs, the leaf closes quickly. The fly cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaf presses the fly until it is dead. Then, the plant covers the fly. Slowly, the plant eats the fly.

Why do plants do it? Most plants get what they need from the sun, the air, and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn’t have all these important things, especially nitrogen(氮). Animal meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let’s hope that some of the bigger plants don’t get the same idea!

1. The Venus flytrap is a kind of________ .

A. plant B. animal C. food D. meat

2. The Venus flytrap grows in________ .

A. most parts of the world B. some parts of Africa

C. dry parts of the United States D. wet parts of England

3. From the passage, we learn that________ .

A. all plants can eat people B. all plants can eat animals

C. some plants can eat people D. some plants can eat animals

4. The underlined word “presses” in the passage probably means “________” in Chinese.

A. 挤压 B. 关上 C. 打开 D. 松开

5. Some plants eat animal meat because________ .

A. plants are dangerous to animals

B. animals are dangerous to plants

C. plants want to get what they need from animal meat

D. plants want to protect themselves against animals

【答案与简析】 按照“通读全文浏览题目再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案”的解题思路简析如下:通览全文可知,本文主要介绍一种食肉植物捕蝇草｡第一段引出说明对象,第二段介绍捕蝇草的生理结构特点和捕食方法,第三段分析部分植物食肉的原因｡浏览题目可知,第1､2题是细节题,第3､5题为推断题,第四题为词义推测题｡再次阅读文章,筛选信息,从而确定答案:由第一段可知捕蝇草是一种植物,故第1题的答案为A; 第二段第二句话交代了捕蝇草生活在 dry parts of the United States,故第2题的答案为C;根据文章意思可知,只有部分植物食肉,故第3题的答案为D;根据上下文的意思推断, press 的意思应该是“挤压”,其他三个选项都与短文内容不符,故第4题的答案为A;从文章最后一段分析植物食肉的原因可知,第5题答案为C｡

【真题训练1】 (苏州市)

Food is life; it gives us the nourishment(营养) we need to stay alive and be healthy. Usually, we eat because we are hungry or need energy. Brian Wansink, a professor(教授) at the University of Illinois, says we also eat certain(某种) foods because they make us feel good, and remind us of happy memories. Wansink calls this kind of food comfort food. For some people, ice cream is a comfort food. For others, a bowl of noodles makes them feel good.

How does a food become comfort food? Professor Wansink believes that we connect food with important times, feelings, and people in our lives, “When I was a child, my mother made a delicious soup; I loved it. Now, I often eat this soup when I am tired or worried, and it helps me feel better,” says one of Wansink’s friends.

Do men and women choose different comfort foods? Wansink’s research(研究) at the University of Illinois says “yes”. In his study, the favorite comfort for both men and women was ice cream. After this, men usually preferred hot, delicious foods like soup or noodles. Women liked sweet things such as chocolate and candies. Men and women like to eat comfort foods when they are happy, but women eat these foods more when they are sad or worried.

1. According to the passage, a kind of food that makes us feel good is called________ .

A. fast food B. healthy food

C. Chinese food D. comfort food

2. In Wansink’s study, both men and women like to eat________ .

A. soup B. ice cream C. noodles D. chocolates

3. The passage implies(暗示) that________ .

A. men probably eat more comfort foods than women

B. women usually eat comfort foods only when they are happy

C. men usually eat comfort foods when they are sad

D. women probably eat comfort foods more often than men

【真题训练2】 (江苏启东中学)

Do you feel a little sleepy after lunch? Well, that’s normal. Your body naturally slows down then. What should you do about it? Don’t reach for a coffee! Instead, take a nap.

There are many benefits(好处) of a daily nap. First of all, you are more efficient(有效率) after napping. You remember things better and make fewer mistakes. Also, you can learn things more easily after taking a nap. A 20-minute nap can reduce information overload. It can also reduce stress. Finally, a nap may increase your self-confidence and make you more alert(灵活). It may even cheer you up.

But, there are some simple rules you should follow about taking a nap. First, take a nap in the middle of the day, about eight hours after you wake up. Otherwise, you may disturb your sleep-wake pattern. Next, a 20-minute nap is best. If you sleep longer, you may fall into a deep sleep. After waking from a deep sleep, you will feel worse. Also, you should set an alarm clock. That way, you can fully relax during your nap. You won’t have to keep looking at the clock so that you don’t oversleep.

Now, the next time you feel sleepy after lunch, don’t get stressed. Put your head down, close your eyes, and have forty winks.

4. What is a good rule for taking a nap?

A. Use an alarm clock.

B. Nap eight hours after waking up.

C. Sleep for about half an hour.

D. All of the above.

5. According to the passage, what is NOT a benefit of napping?

A. It makes you stronger.

B. It makes you feel happier.

C. It gives you more self-confidence.

D. It improves your memory.

6. Which may happen if an alarm clock is not used?

A. You may relax more.

B. You may feel too nervous to relax.

C. You may forget an important meeting.

D. You may not reduce your napping time.

7. In the last paragraph, “have forty winks” can be replaced by “________”.

A. do eye-protection exercises

B. close your eyes for forty times

C. have a short sleep during the daytime

D. pretend to have a quick nap after lunch

【真题训练3】 (资阳市)

Happy New Years!

Today is March 17th. About two and a half months ago, I said “Happy New Year!” to many of my friends. About fifty days ago, I said the same thing to some other friends. In about four days, I’ll say the same wishes to yet another group of friends. I’ll do the same thing in July and also in September. “How can that be?” you might ask(if you’re from Western Europe or the Americas).“Everyone knows that New Year’s Day is in January!”

In fact, the date of New Year’s Day depends on the calendar(日历)――and I have friends who use one or more of five different calendars to keep track of at least part of their lives:

January 1st: New Year’s Day on the Western/international calendar

In January or February(in 2006, January 29th): New Year’s Day on the Chinese calendar(China, Korea, and a few other places)

March 21st: New Year’s Day on the traditional Persian(波斯)calendar

Mid-July(usually the 16th): New Year’s Day on the Islamic(穆斯林) calendar

September: New Year’s Day on most Eastern Orthodox Church(东正教) calendars(Central and Eastern Europe)and, usually, on the Jewish calendar

And these are just the New Year’s Days that I know about! As a matter of fact, there areprobably even more!

8. The first time the writer said “Happy New Year!” was about January 1st. The second time was on or after________ .

A. February 28th B. the middle of March

C. January 29th D. March 21st

9. The writer will say “Happy New Year” around March 21st to some________friends.

A. Chinese B. Korean C. Persian D. Eastern Orthodox

10. According to the passage, we can infer that the exact(准确的) dates for the two New Year’s Days in September are________ .

A. probably different B. not always in September

C. probably the same D. after September

11. The meaning of “keep track of” in the passage is “________”.

A. understand B. choose

C. manage D. forget

12. The Chinese calendar is used________ .

A. only in China B. in several different places

C. only in China and Korea D. all over the world

13. The word “Years” in the title of this article________ .

A. means that January 1st is at different times on different calendars

B. is a mistake and should be “Year”

C. is used because New Year’s Day is at different times on different calendars

D. means that the writer was polite

Key: 1-5 DBDDA6-10 BCCCA11-13 CBC