1."I see you've got a bit of water on your coat,"said the man at the petrol station."Is it raining out there?""No,it's pretty nice,"I replied,checking my sleeve."Oh,right.A pony(马驹) bit me earlier."
As it happened,the bite was virtually painless:more the kind of small bite you might get from a naughty child.The pony responsible was queuing up for some ice cream in the car park near Haytor,and perhaps thought I'd jumped in ahead of him.
The reason why the ponies here are naughty is that Haytor is a tourist-heavy area and tourists are constantly feeding the ponies foods,despite sighs asking them not to.By feeding the ponies,tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car,and make them harder to gather during the area's annual pony drift(迁移).
The purpose of a pony drift is to gather them up so their health can be checked,the baby ones can be stooped from feeding on their mother's milk,and those who've gone beyond their limited area can be returned to their correct area.Some of them are also later sold,in order to limit the number of ponies according to the rules set by Natural England.
Three weeks ago,I witnessed a small near-disaster a few mils west of here.While walking,I noticed a pony roll over on his back."Hello!"I said to him,assuming he was just rolling for fun,but he was very still and,as I got closer,I saw him kicking his legs in the air and breathing heavily.I began to properly worry about him.Fortunately,I managed to get in touch with a Dartmoor's Livestock Protection officer and send her a photo.The officer immediately sent a local farmer out to check on the pony.The pony had actually been trapped between two rocks.The farmer freed him,and he began to run happily around again.
Dartmoor has 1,000or so ponies,who play a critical role in creating the diversity of species in this area.Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies,and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor's most financially-troubled elements.
51.Why are tourists asked not to feed the ponies?C
A.To protect the tourists from being bitten
B.To keep the ponies off the petrol station
C.To avoid putting the ponies in danger
D.To prevent the ponies from fighting
52.One of the purposes of the annual pony drift isB.
A.to feed baby ponies on milk
B.to control the number of ponies
C.to expand the habitat for ponies
D.to sell the ponies at a good price
53.What as the author's first reaction when he saw a pony roll on its back?D
A.He freed it from the trap
B.He called a protection officer
C.He worried about it very much
D.He thought of it as being naughty
54.What does the author imply about the preservation of Dartmoor's ponies?B
A.It lacks people's involvement.
B.It costs a large amount of money
C.It will affect tourism in Dartmoor.
D.It has caused an imbalance of species.
分析 本文记叙了作者在海特关于马驹的所见所闻,目睹了马驹的淘气与脆弱,了解了马驹迁徙的原因以及保护马驹所面临的困难.
解答 51.C 细节理解题.根据第三段的"By feeding the ponies,tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car,and make them harder to gather during the area's annual pony drift(迁移)."可知,不让游客给马驹喂食是为了避免使马驹处于危险中
52.B 细节理解题.根据第四段的"The purpose of a pony drift is to …Some of them are also…,in order to limit the number of ponies…"可知,马驹迁移目的之一是为了控制马驹的数量.故选B.
53.D细节理解题.根据第五段中的"…,assuming he was just rolling for fun,…"可知,作者认为小马驹很淘气,滚着玩的.故选D.
54.B 推理判断题.根据最后一段的"Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies,and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor's most financially-troubled elements."可知,保护马驹是对Dartmoor来说是一笔很大的开销.故选B.
点评 本篇是社会文化类阅读,主要考查细节理解题.在做事实细节题时,首先看题目要求我们理解什么细节,找出关键词,然后以此为线索,运用寻读的技巧迅速在文章里找出相应的段落、句子或短语.认真比较选项和文中细节的区别,在正确理解细节的前提下,确定最佳答案.