临近高考，同学们应根据高考试卷各个题型的特点，做有针对性的“20分钟限时训练”。在这段时间内，可以完成或一篇完形，或三篇阅读，或一套单选加一个短文改错，或一篇书面表达，或一套听力。在这里，我们开辟一块“强化训练区”，选择有代表性的题目，供同学们进行热身训练，以期在高考中获得佳绩。

　　阅读理解

　　阅读下列短文 , 从每题所给的 A、B、 C、 D 四个选项中 , 选出最佳选项。

　　A

　　Australia is a nation of pet lovers but it may be loving its animals to death because pet owners pass on rising levels of obesity by overfeeding their cats and dogs, the country’s main animals welfare body says. Despite its image as a sports – mad country full of fit, sun-bronzed youth, Australia in reality is battling the obesity and challenging the United States as the world’s fattest nation. The problem now extends to household pets.

　　Obesity rates for Australia have doubled over the past 20 years, with 62 percent of men and 45 percent of women overweight. The same trend applies to household pets, with an increase in the number of overweight cats and dogs being dealt with by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(RSPCA), and even one case of a fat pet mouse. “It’s a big problem, and quite reflective of what’s happening in the human situation,” said Mark Lawrie, the RSPCA''s chief vet. Australia is a nation of 20 million people, almost 4 million dogs, 2.5 million cats, 8.7 million pet birds and more than 12 million pet fish. It has one of the world’s highest rates of pet ownership at 64 percent of households, compared to 62 percent in the United States and 44 percent in Britain.

　　Lawrie said that surveys had found that between 40 and 44 percent of dogs and more than one in three household cats were now overweight, due to poor diet and a lack of exercises. Fat cats and dogs were much easier to suffer from heart problems and liver disease. The RSPCA said low levels of exercises had an impact on pet obesity, but the key problem was over-eating.

　　1. In Australia many pets are involved in obesity problem due to the fact that __________.

　　A. they dislike doing physical exercise

　　B. their owners suffer from similar problems

　　C. they are fed too much

　　D. their diet is poor in nutritions

　　2. It is certainly a problem to Australians that __________.

　　A. there are too many household pets in the country

　　B. more and more people are becoming over-weighted

　　C. they don’t know how to deal with the overweight pets

　　D. their country is the world’s fattest nation

　　3. We can infer from the passage that __________.

　　A. dogs are the most popular household pets in Australia

　　B. all Australians love overwater sports exercises

　　C. there is a variety of households pets, mice included in Australia

　　D. nobody is really concerned about pet obesity

　　4. The passage is best titled with __________.

　　A. Loving Your Pets To Death

　　B. Love Me, Love My Dog

　　C. How to Keep Pets

　　D. More Exercises, More Happiness.

　　B

　　I was walking along the main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking for somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to contact the AA. Low grey clouds were gathering across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea which nearly threw me off my feet every time I crossed one of the side streets. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.

　　There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour whom I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop open selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his rounds, but the town was completely dead. The only living thing I saw was a thin frightened cat outside a small restaurant.

　　Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint. I hurried forward, but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat. I could not see his face and he did not even raise his head at the sound of my footsteps.

　　Discreetly(谨慎地), I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door.

　　1. At what time was the story set?

　　A. An early winter morning. B. A cold winter afternoon.

　　C. An early summer morning. D. A windy summer afternoon.

　　2. Which of the following words best describe the writer’s impression of the town?

　　A. Cold and frightening. B. Dirty and crowded.

　　C. Empty and dead. D. Unusual and unpleasant.

　　3. The author was astonished to a stop as he went forward to the call box because _______.

　　A. the man inside was still wearing a raincoat

　　B. he didn't expect it to be taken up

　　C. the man had his back with him

　　D. the man did not seem to be moving

　　4. Why didn’t the man raise his head when the writer came near?

　　A. He was annoyed at being seen by the writer.

　　B. He was angry at being disturbed by the writer.

　　C. He was probably fast asleep.

　　D. He was probably killed.