Question

Directions: Read the text below. Use the word given in the brackets to form a word that fits in the space.

It was a rainy morning two years ago. Shirley Huxham was cycling 1.(gentle) downhill. As she waved to a friend, her bike slid uncontrollably on the wet road, throwing her to the ground. “I’d never even thought of buying a helmet,” she says. For months she was partly paralysed (瘫痪) down her left side and still has 2.(healthy) problems today.

Some might think that Shirley was just unlucky. How 3.(danger) can it be to fall from a bicycle? In fact, each year on Britain’s roads more than 200 people are killed and at least 4,000 seriously injured on bicycles. But these numbers don’t tell the whole story: the majority of the 4.(die) and injured were not wearing helmets.

A study of bicycle accidents in the US found that helmets could 5.(reduction) the risk of serious head injury by 85 percent. Yet it is estimated that in Britain, no more than five percent of bicycle 6.(ride) wear helmets. Why don’t more cyclists wear 7. (they)?

People think that helmets look foolish, that they’re 8.(convenient), and that accidents only happen to other people.

One of the wrong ideas bicyclists have is that lower speeds can put them at 9.(little) risk than motorcyclists, who are legally obliged to wear helmets. In fact, according to a British report, a higher percentage of bicyclists than motorcyclists suffer head injuries. And their injuries can be just as severe.

Helmets, however, can make a big 10.(different). Shirley wasn’t just unlucky. If she had worn a helmet, she wouldn’t have spent months in hospital. Why take the risk?

Answer

1.gently

2.health

3.dangerous

4.dead

5.reduce

6.riders

7.them

8.inconvenient

9.less

10.difference

【解析】

这是一篇说明文，作者主要向我们描述了现在大部分人骑自行车不戴头盔的现象，很多人会认为自行车速度比较慢，不戴头盔也比较安全。然而，调查显示自行车事故中人的头部也极易造成损伤，且伤势不轻，作者旨在提醒读者骑自行车也要注意安全，戴好头盔。

1.考查副词。句意：雪莉正缓缓地骑着自行车下山。副词修饰动词，应用副词gently修饰动词cycle，故填gently。

2.考查名词。healthy是形容词“健康的”，health是名词“健康”，此处是名词词组，而不是修饰关系，故应用名词形式，故填health。

3.考查形容词。此句中将be动词后的表语成分提前，并由how来引导，这句话中用it 作为形式主语，真正主语用动词不定式to fall from a bicycle表示“从自行车上摔下来”，be动词后使用danger的形容词形式dangerous作表语，故填dangerous。

4.考查形容词。and作为并列连词，前后应连接相同词性的成分，由and之后的形容词injured可判断出，所填空应是形容词词性，dead是形容词，意为“死去的”，故填dead。

5.考查动词。分析句子结构可知，found后是that引导的宾语从句，从句中的主语是helmets，其后缺少谓语动词，因此应用reduction的动词形式即reduce，故填reduce。

6.考查名词。由空后的动词wear可判断出，其前面应是这个动作的发出者且为复数，根据wear helmets可知，动作发出者是“骑行者”，rider意为“骑者”，注意此处应用名词复数，故填riders。

7.考查代词。分析句子可知，谓语动词wear后缺少宾语，因此用“they”的宾格形式，故填them。

8.考查形容词。根据上一句Why don’t more cyclists wear ___7___ (they)?可知，接下来解释不戴头盔的原因。根据常理可知骑行者认为头盔戴起来不方便，所以不戴。因此所填空应是“不方便的”，故填inconvenient。

9.考查比较级。由句中的than可知，此处应使用比较级，little的比较级形式是less，故填less。

10.考查名词。由句中的不定冠词a可知，所填空应是名词单数形式，different的名词形式是difference，make a difference意为“有影响”。故填difference。