Question

Owls(猫头鹰) are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary. They sometimes live in abandoned houses. They fly without a sound through backyards at night. In stories, they appear with ghosts. When we hear an owl's familiar “wh­ooo...whooo...”，it can make us feel very frightened. Owls fly silently, without even a whisper of wings moving through the air. It's as though they appear out of nowhere—like ghosts on wings. Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique. Do these creatures of the night possess strange powers?

Owls possess unusual powers of sight and hearing, but they are not supernatural powers. They are natural adaptations that let them live most efficiently(高效地) at night. There is no reason to fear owls. Their habits make them helpful to humans. By hunting mice and other rodents(啮齿目动物)，owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life. Without owls, there would be a large number of rodents in farmers' fields and storage barns.

More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world. A few oceanic islands and the Antarctic have no owls. The world's owls come in large, medium, small, smaller, and smallest. For example, the Eurasian eagle owl—one of the largest—has a body that is two to three feet long, with a wingspan(翼展) of up to five and one­half feet. The North American elf owl (the world's smallest owl) is five to six inches long and has a wingspan that measures slightly more than one foot.

Most male and female owls of the same species look alike, although females are usually larger. In some species, the female's colors are like those of the trees or grass where she makes her nest.

Baby owls, called chicks, stay with their parents until they are about three months old. They soon find their own hunting areas, where they may stay for the rest of their lives. Some owls can live 20 years or more.

1.Most people regard owls as________.

A．clever   B．hard­working C．terrifying  D．shy

2.Owls help humans in that they________.

A．help preserve the balance of nature

B．frighten rodents away from humans

C．have unusual powers

D．help guard backyards

3.What is special about owls?

A．They fly silently.

B．They are night hunters.

C．They possess supernatural powers.

D．They can be found around the world.

4.The third paragraph is mainly about owls'________.

A．habitats      B．sizes       C．species      D．wingspans

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文属于说明文阅读，主要介绍了猫头鹰这种动物的生活习性以及种类特征以及它的作用。

1.C推理判断题。根据第一段中前两句Owls are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary人们认为猫头鹰是一种很神秘的动物，所以我们经常会认为他很可怕。可知答案C正确。。

2.A细节理解题。根据第二段第四句By hunting mice and other rodents(啮齿目动物)，owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life.可知，猫头鹰捕捉老鼠和其他的啮齿目动物，有利于保持生态平衡。故A正确。

3.B 细节理解题。根据第一段Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique.课猫头鹰通常在夜里飞行捕猎，正是这种生活习惯让猫头鹰与众不同。故B正确。

4.More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world。再根据第三句The world's owls come in large, medium, small, smaller, and smallest.所举的几种猫头鹰可知，本段主要讲猫头鹰的种类。故C正确。

【名师点睛】

我们阅读一篇文章， 首先是要了解其大意， 明确其主旨。因此， 主旨大意题是常考题。主旨大意题包括：主要内容(main idea, mainly about)型、文章标题(title)型、写作目的(purpose)型。广东高考近几年来考查过的题目中mainly about只考过4题，title题考了5题，purpose题考了5题。

◎解题技巧

1.弄清文章的大意， 关键是找到主题句。主题句的位置：主题句通常在文首、文末或首尾呼应， 有时也在文中，或没有主题句，需根据文章所述内容进行归纳。各段的主题句也常在该段的首句或尾句。议论文和说明文一般有主题句，但记叙文通常没有主题句，需要归纳。

2.找主题句的方法：用浏览法(skimming)，即快速阅读文首、文尾，或每段的首句和尾句等，搜索主题线索和主题信息。找主题句的四个小窍门：

(1)段落中出现表转折的词语(如however, but, in fact, actually等)时， 该句很可能是主题句。

(2)首段出现疑问句时， 对该问题的回答很可能就是文章主旨。

(3)作者有意识地反复重复的观点，通常是主旨;反复出现的词语，一般为体现文章主旨的关键词。

(4)表示总结或结论的话常有therefore, thus, in short, conclude, conclusion等。

3.关于干扰项和正确答案。

(1)干扰项可能属文中某个具体事实或细节;可能属文中某些 (不完全的)事实或细节片面推出的错误结论;可能属非文章事实的主观臆断。

(2)正确答案：是根据文章意思全面理解而归纳概括出来的;但不能太笼统、言过其实或以偏概全。

考点：考查说明文阅读