Question

【題目】 Like clockwork, nearly every fourth February includes one extra day. February 29th, otherwise known as Leap Day, isn’t exactly a holiday. Instead, it’s there to keep your calendar consistent with the earth’s rotation (旋轉(zhuǎn)) around the sun.

According to History, com, Roman emperor Julius Caesar is the “father” of Leap Year. Until he came along, people used a 355-day calendar, which was 10.25 days shorter than the solar year. Roman officials were supposed add an extra month every now and then to keep the seasons exactly where they should be. But that didn’t work out all that well. When special occasions started shifting into different seasons around 45 BCE, Caesar consulted with astronomers and decreed (下令) that the empire should use a 12-month, 365-day calendar, which he named after himself, Caesar’s Julian calendar included a Leap Day every four years.

Though Leap Day keeps your calendar in line with the earth’s rotation around the sun, it causes a different kind of problem for leapsters. When should these February 29th babies celebrate their birthdays during the other three-quarters of their lives? Some party on February 28th, while others prefer a two-day celebration that spans the last day of February and the first day of March.

Leap Day can be a nuisance in the legal system. In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days. Leap Day didn’t make a bit of difference.

Though a few timekeepers have pushed for calendars that don’t include Leap Day, almost all astronomers and societies agree that Leap Day is the best method to keep the calendar on track.

【1】Why was Leap Day created?

A.To celebrate special occasions.B.To honor Emperor Julius Caesar.

C.To keep pace with the solar year.D.To keep track of all the seasons.

【2】What is the problem with the birthday celebration of February 29th babies?

A.It is sometimes delayed.B.It lasts at least two days.

C.It has to be held every other year.D.It may take place on different dates.

【3】What does the underlined word “nuisance” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.Joke.B.Topic.

C.Trouble.D.Mistake.

【4】what is the attitude of most astronomers towards Leap Day?

A.Critical.B.Supportive.

C.Doubtful.D.Cautious.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】C

【4】B

【解析】

這是一篇說(shuō)明文。文章主要說(shuō)明了2月29日，也被稱為閏日，并不是一個(gè)真正的節(jié)日。相反，設(shè)立閏日是為了與太陽(yáng)年保持同步。文章說(shuō)明了設(shè)立閏日的起源，以及給人們?nèi)粘Ｉ�活所帶�?lái)的一些影響。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段中Instead, it’s there to keep your calendar consistent with the earth’s rotation around the sun.可知，相反，它的存在是為了讓你的日歷與地球圍繞太陽(yáng)的自轉(zhuǎn)保持一致。由此可知，設(shè)立閏日是為了與太陽(yáng)年保持同步。故選C。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段中Some party on February 28th, while others prefer a two-day celebration that spans the last day of February and the first day of March.可知，一些人在2月28日舉行聚會(huì)，而另一些人則喜歡在2月的最后一天和3月的第一天舉行為期兩天的慶�；顒�(dòng)。由此可知，2月29日嬰兒的生日慶�？赡馨l(fā)生在不同的日期。故選D。

【3】詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)后文In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days.可知，2006年，馬薩諸塞州的一家法院決定是否提前一天釋放罪犯John Melo，因?yàn)樗��?/span>10年刑期包括閏日。在這起案件中，法官判定，由于這名男子被判入獄按年計(jì)算，而不是按天。由此可知，在法律體系中，閏日可能是個(gè)麻煩事。劃線單詞意思為“麻煩”。故選C。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段Though a few timekeepers have pushed for calendars that don’t include Leap Day, almost all astronomers and societies agree that Leap Day is the best method to keep the calendar on track.可知，雖然有少數(shù)計(jì)時(shí)員力推不包括閏日的日歷，但幾乎所有的天文學(xué)家和社會(huì)團(tuán)體都認(rèn)為，閏日是讓日歷走上正軌的最佳方法。由此可推知，大多數(shù)天文學(xué)家認(rèn)為閏日很重要。故選B。

詞義猜測(cè)題是高考閱讀理解中�？碱}型之一，可以大致分為

①定義猜詞，可以根據(jù)定義信息和舉例猜測(cè)詞義。如文中常用refer to, be called或that’s to say, such as等。

②邏輯猜詞可以根據(jù)同義詞、反義詞、因果關(guān)系詞等猜測(cè)詞義，例如，similarly, the same as, but, however, while, on the other hand, since ,because等，所猜詞與這些提示詞前/后面部分的含義一樣、相反或是前因后果。

③語(yǔ)法猜詞，可以根據(jù)構(gòu)詞法，再結(jié)合上下文進(jìn)行猜詞。

④語(yǔ)境猜詞，猜測(cè)詞義離不開上下文的語(yǔ)境，通過上下文提供的情景和線索進(jìn)行合理的分析，同時(shí)還要關(guān)注其所在的整段及整篇文章。

⑤指代猜詞即找出人稱代詞、指示代詞、關(guān)系代詞或關(guān)系副詞等所指代的內(nèi)容，做題時(shí)要注意指代詞的位置，以便于判斷，然后用所找的指代內(nèi)容替換劃線代詞，核實(shí)其邏輯、意義、位置等是否一致，最后比較所找部分與選項(xiàng)，確定意思最接近的選項(xiàng)。

如第3小題，根據(jù)后文In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days.可知，2006年，馬薩諸塞州的一家法院決定是否提前一天釋放罪犯John Melo，因?yàn)樗��?/span>10年刑期包括閏日。在這起案件中，法官判定，由于這名男子被判入獄按年計(jì)算，而不是按天。由此可知，在法律體系中，閏日可能是個(gè)麻煩事。劃線單詞意思為“麻煩”。故選C。