Question

【題目】 Have you seen your horse prepare for winter? Although it is getting warmer and warmer, many animals are still hibernating (冬眠). It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate. In fact, we humans almost did.

According to Graham Robb, a British, who has studied the sleeping habits of the French farmers, in the past, farmers in France liked a half-state of human hibernation. As soon as the weather turned cold, people all over France would shut themselves indoors and practice the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months.

Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed greatly since the invention of electric lighting. The business of eight hours continuous sleep is a modern invention.

When historians began studying the texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something regarded as “first sleep”. Now scientists are telling us that people in ancient times most possibly slept in separate periods.

In the past, without the electric light, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves at midnight. The late night period was called “The Watch”. It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbors.

Some sleep researchers think that a short period of insomnia (失眠) at midnight is not a problem. It is normal. Humans can experience another state of consciousness around their sleeping, which happens in the short period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning. This period can be an especially creative time for some people. The inventor, Thomas Edison, used this state to invent many of his new ideas.

Playing with your sleep patterns can be dangerous, and it will lead to worries. Medical science doesn’t help much in this case. It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.

【1】The writer gives the example of the French farmers to show that ________.

A.people might become lazy because of too much sleep

B.there were signs of hibernation in human sleeping habits

C.people would sleep more comfortably in cold weather

D.winter was a season for people to sleep for months nonstop

【2】The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people ________.

A.to discuss ways to catch animalsB.to wake up their family and neighbors

C.to remind others of the timeD.to protect themselves against possible dangers

【3】What does the author advise people to do?

A.Keep the eight-hour sleep pattern.B.Follow their natural sleep habit.

C.See a doctor if they can’t sleep.D.Sleep in the way animals do.

【4】What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To explain the reason for insomnia.B.To study the sleep pattern of modem people.

C.To make us know more of human sleep.D.To encourage people to sleep longer.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】B

【4】C

【解析】

本文是一篇說明文，主要介紹了人類的睡眠史。動(dòng)物需要冬眠，人為什么不需要冬眠呢？根據(jù)英國學(xué)者研究，人類也有“半冬眠”的情況。研究人員稱，人類的睡眠受到了現(xiàn)代燈光的影響�！�8小時(shí)睡眠”是現(xiàn)代社會(huì)的發(fā)明。在過去的時(shí)候，人們天黑就睡覺，半夜就醒來照顧牲畜，所以現(xiàn)在有人半夜會(huì)醒來，也不奇怪，這是一種先人的習(xí)慣。研究還稱，早上是人工作效率最高的時(shí)段，很多偉人也是利用這段時(shí)間來攻克難題，生物鐘被打亂的時(shí)候，人會(huì)感到焦慮。但是用藥物來輔助治療睡眠，根據(jù)Warren的理論，是與人的睡眠習(xí)慣相反的。

【1】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段內(nèi)容及關(guān)鍵句“farmers in France liked a half-state of human hibernation.”法國的農(nóng)民喜歡“半冬眠”的狀態(tài)。以及第一段“It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate. In fact, we humans almost did.”太糟糕了，人類不能冬眠，事實(shí)上，我們?nèi)祟悗缀踝龅搅�。故可以推斷出人類睡眠�?xí)慣中有冬眠的跡象。故選B。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)“It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbors.”正是在那時(shí)，人們實(shí)際上一直在觀察野生動(dòng)物，盡管他們中的許多人只是四處走動(dòng)或拜訪家人和鄰居�？赏茢喑鋈藗�?cè)诎胍蛊饋韺?shí)際上是在保護(hù)自己并防御可能的危險(xiǎn)。故選D。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段“Playing with your sleep patterns can be dangerous, and it will lead to worries.”打亂你的生物鐘可能是危險(xiǎn)的，這會(huì)導(dǎo)致憂慮。以及“according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.”根據(jù)沃倫的理論，這與我們所需要的正好相反。可知作者并不同意打亂生物鐘，或者使用藥物，而是贊成遵循自然睡眠習(xí)慣。故選B。

【4】推理判斷題。本題要求說明作者寫這篇文章的目的。To explain the reason for insomnia.解釋失眠的原因；To study the sleep pattern of modem people.研究現(xiàn)代人的睡眠模式；To make us know more of human sleep.讓我們更多地了解人類的睡眠；To encourage people to sleep longer.鼓勵(lì)人們睡得更長。根據(jù)文章大意，作者寫這篇文章介紹了人類的睡眠史，是闡明了很多人類睡眠的真相，以便讓我們更多地了解人類的睡眠。故選C。

閱讀理解是最能體現(xiàn)學(xué)生英語能力的題型，分值較高。這種題型一般考查學(xué)生的細(xì)節(jié)理解能力，主旨理解能力和推理判斷能力。做閱讀理解題，首先要準(zhǔn)確理解題意，然后根據(jù)題意和短文內(nèi)容選出正確的答案。此題型中推理判斷題型較難，要在準(zhǔn)確理解題意后，在文中找出相關(guān)的內(nèi)容做出合理的推斷。如本題中第3小題，根據(jù)最后一段“Playing with your sleep patterns can be dangerous, and it will lead to worries.”打亂你的生物鐘可能是危險(xiǎn)的，這會(huì)導(dǎo)致憂慮。以及“according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.”根據(jù)沃倫的理論，這與我們所需要的正好相反�？梢酝浦�作者并不同意打亂生物鐘，或者使用藥物，而是贊成遵循自然睡眠習(xí)慣。故可選出正確答案。