Question

“Old wives’ tales” are beliefs passed from one generation to another. For example, most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking, but others have not passed the test of time.

Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic(蒜) is good for you, too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.

Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems? Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.

Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated(积累) from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.

1.The author develops the third paragraph mainly         .

A. by cause and effect          B. by order in space

C. by examples                  D. by order in time

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. Eating garlic is good for our eyes.

B. Carrots prevent people from catching colds.

C. Swimming after a meal is dangerous.

D. Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth.

3.What is the author’s attitude toward “old wives’ tales” in the text?

A. Objective.     B. Subjective.        C. Dissatisfied.        D. Curious.

4.The phrase “hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means “      .”

A. to be valuable           B. to be believable

C. to be admirable          D. to be suitable

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：中国有句俗话：不听老人言，吃亏在眼前。本文大意是客观地评价了保持身体健康的“老人言”的正确性。

1.推理判断题。通读第三自然段可知本自然段是通过举例进行说明的，故本题选C。

2.细节理解题。根据Sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据文章第三，四自然段可知作者对于“老人言”持客观态度，故本题选A。

4.词义猜测题。文章中本句意思是：即使科学能告诉我们那些“老人言”是（能容水的）值得相信的，但“老人言”中还有很多正确的东西，hold water在此处意思是：能装水的；值得相信的，故选B。

考点：日常生活类短文阅读。

点评：做推理题干扰选项的特点夸大事实：一是对于原文中的细节或论断的某方面程度进行了夸大处理。二是无中生有：捏造原文并不存在的信息，并以此作为依据进行推理。三是掺入常识：根据考生已有的常识是正确的，但却不是基于文章。四是推理过头：引申过度，使结论过于绝对化。知道了这些特点在容易排除干扰项进而做出正确的判断。