四、阅读理解 共15小题;每题3分，共45分 阅读下列短文，然后根据短文的内容从每小题的四个选项中选出最佳的一项。
A
Grammar is the way a language works. People sometimes describe grammar as the ―rules‖ of a language; but in fact no natural languages have rules. If we use the word ―rules‖, we suggest that somebody made the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game. But languages did not start like that. Languages were started by people making sounds which gradually changed into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages change over time. What we call grammar is simply a description of a language at a particular time.
Do we need to study grammar to learn a language? The short answer is ―No‖. Very many people in the world speak their own native language without having studied its grammar. Children start to speak before they even know the word ―grammar‖. But if you are serious about learning a foreign language, the long answer is ―Yes, grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly.‖ It’s important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend. When you understand the grammar of a language, you can understand many things yourself, without having to ask a teacher or look in a book.
So think of grammar as something good, something helpful, something you can use to find your way like a signpost or a map.
41. The author holds that if grammar is described as ―rules‖, it would suggest that _____.
A. rules must be made to speak the language
B. language goes before grammar
C. rules are fixed by language
D. language is not a new game
答案：A
42. From Paragraph 1 we can see that _____.
A. language is changing, so is its grammar
B. grammar must be simple to describe a language
C. languages were formed by people now and then
D. grammar should be changed at a particular time
答案：A
43. According to the author grammar helps when ______.
A. we look up something in a book
B. we ask someone to make rules
C. we speak our native language
D. we learn a foreign language
答案：D
44. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Grammar Is the Rules of a Language
B. The Change of Language
C. Grammar Is Your Friend
D. How to Study Grammar
答案：C
B
In the late 1990s scientists began to notice changes in Yellowstone National Park. Trees that had stopped growing for years began to grow again. Animals started behaving differently. Scientists believe it is the wolves that have caused these changes.
Wolves used to live in Yellowstone. But many people thought wolves would kill animals kept on farms, such as cows and sheep, and they would harm crops, too. In 1926 the last wolf in Yellowstone was killed.
For the next 70 years Yellowstone did not have any wolves. Scientists decided to bring them back to the area in 1995. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought in 15 gray wolves from Canada. Today between 250 and 300 wolves live in Yellowstone—and they have already left their mark.
Wolves have been hunting and eating elk. The elk leftovers (驯鹿被吃剩的部分) provide food for animals such as bears. With fewer elk, plants can grow better and taller. This new plant growth provides more trees for birds and more plant food for beavers. The number of beavers in northern Yellowstone has increase greatly since wolves were reintroduced.
Wolves have such a big effect on Yellowstone because they are a keystone species (物种). Keystone species are species on which a large number of other plants and animals depend. The removal of a keystone species can lead to the death of other species.
However, not everyone is happy with the wolves’ return. Farmers want to limit the number of wolves in the area, because if there are too many wolves, they may have not only their cows and sheep killed by wolves, but also their cats, dogs, and horses. Still, many scientists believe that Yellowstone is starting to look more like it did before people began to kill wolves there. 45. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Wolves have played an important role in Yellowstone for 70 years
B. Wolves in Yellowstone had all been killed by the mid-1920s
C. Yellowstone had no wolves at the beginning of the 20th century
D. Yellowstone can hold no more than 300 wolves today
答案：B
46. The sentence ―… they have already left their mark‖ most probably means in the passage that _____.
A. they have brought about changes to Yellowstone
B. they have made marks where they can get food
C. they have left a lot of footprints in the park
D. they have marked out the areas of their own
答案：A
47. What is the immediate change after 15 wolves were brought in?
A. Plants grow taller and better
B. Beavers have increased greatly
C. The number of elk is reduced
D. Cows and sheep are killed on farms
答案：C
48. It seems to be a wise decision to have brought wolves back to Yellowstone because ____.
A. wolves can depend on themselves to find food
B. a national park should introduce foreign animals
C. a national park should have different kinds of animals
D. wolves are necessary for many other animals and plants to live
答案：D
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