Question

The most widespread fallacy（谬论）of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported people are free from colds until they come into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mails dropped from airplanes.

During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）, cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.

In the Second World War prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp, naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in a drafty（通风良好的）room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.

If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.

31. The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.      

A. 4                B. 5                     C. 6                    D. 7

32. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Eskimos suffer from colds from time to time.

B. Colds are not always caused by cold.

C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.

D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.

33. Arctic explorers may catch colds when they are _______.

A. working in the isolated arctic regions

B. writing reports in terribly cold weather

C. free from work in the isolated arctic regions

D. coming into touch again with the outside world

34. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.

A. suffered a lot                                                  B. never caught colds

C. often caught colds                                    D. became very strong

35. The passage mainly discusses _______.

A. the experiments on the common cold        B. the fallacy about the common cold

C. the reason and the way people catch colds D. the continued spread of common colds

Answer 1

【答案】B

【解析】细节理解题。根据根据由第 2 段的两个例子、第 3 段的 1 个例子和第 4 段的两个例子可知 B 为正确选项。

【答案】D

【解析】细节理解题。根据根据 One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times， and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on 可知人们得感冒不是因为喜欢呆在家里，而是因为经常呆在一起病毒更容易感染，故选 D。

【答案】D

【解析】细节理解题。根据And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes 可知北极地区探险者是因为与外界接触后才得感冒的，故选 D。

【答案】A

【解析】细节理解题。根据After taking hot baths， they put on bathing suits， allowed themselves to be with cold water， and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion 可知志愿者要遭受极大的痛苦，故选A。

【答案】C

【解析】主旨大意题。根据阅读全文可知本文首先用大量事例从不同的侧面分析感冒不是由寒冷引起的，最后提出冬天得感冒的可能原因。由此可知 C 为正确答案。