湖北卷

A

Karen, grown up in a very traditional family in the western United States, maintained high moral(道德的) standards throughout her youth.. In 1984,at the age of 23,she married Bill. They were blessed with two children, a boy and a girl.

By 1991 their love had deepened, and they were happy. Later that year, Bill developed a white spot on his tongue. He visited a doctor.
One day shortly after that, Bill called Karen to sit beside him. He said with tears in his eyes that he loved her and wanted to live forever with her. The doctor suspected that he had been infected with HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

The family was tested. Bill and Karen’s results were positive. Bill had become infected before he met Katen; then he passed the virus on to Karen. The children’s results were negative. Within three years, Bill was dead. “I don’t know how to express what it is like to watch the once handsome man you love and intend to live with forever dying slowly. I cried many nights. He died three months short of ten years of our marriage,” says Karen. Though a doctor told Karen that she would soon follow her husband into death, she is still alive. The infection has progressed to the early stages of AIDS.

Karen is but one of about 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS, a figure larger than the combined populations of Australia. Ireland and Paraguay. According to one UN report, Africa has 21 million of these victims. By the turn of the century that number could reach 40 million and the disease will bring on the greatest disaster in human history. Of the world’s sexually active adults aged 15 to 49,1 in 100 has already been infected with HIV. Of these, only 1 in 10 realizes that he or she is infected. In some parts of Africa, 25 percent of the adults are infected.

Since the beginning of the spread of AIDS in 1981, about 11.7 million people have died of it. It is roughly calculated that in 1997 alone, about 2,3 million people died of it. Nevertheless, there are fresh reasons for optimism in the battle against AIDS. During the past few years, there has been a drop in new AIDS cases in wealthy nations. In addition, promising drugs hold out hope of better health and longer life.

61. By telling the story of Karen, the author intends to        .

A. were people against high risk behaviors

B. stress the importance of medical tests

C. express sympathy for AIDS victims

D. show the consequences of AIDS

答案D

62. The underlined part in Paragraph 1 most probably means “       ”.

A.were lucky in having    

B.were asked to adopt

C.regretted having     

D.gave birth to

bless有保佑的意思,A 符合题意.

63.Bill was suspected of being infected with HIV after   .

A.he got married to Karen

B.the family members were tested

C.Karen persuaded him to see the doctor

D.he found something wrong with his tongue

答案D Bill developed a white spot on his tongue. He visited a doctor.

64.It can be concluded from the passage that     .

A.promising drugs will soon stop AIDS

B.the spread of AIDS could be controlled

C.it is hopeless to win the battle against AIDS

D.the death rate of AIDS patients has been reduced

答案B

B

How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?

In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands of Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that.

Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways. Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces. They are taller, to reach higher branches. They have shorter tusks （象牙）， and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.

Desert clephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families, They drink only every 3-4 days, and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed. Desert elephants are careful feeders-they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available. Yong elephants may even eat the dung （粪便）of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.

During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly. Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine (尿液) to make them muddy!

As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.

65. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means“     ”.

A.remains in the African countries

B.drinks 120 liters of water a day

C.manages to live in desert areas

D.eats 150 kilograms of food daily

答案C    survive in a desert environment

66.Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they       .

A.tarely ruin trees

B.drink only every 3-4 days

C.search for food in large groups

D.protect food sources for their young

答案A    原文 they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available.

67.The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with    .

A.stories and explanation

B.facts and descriptions

C.examples and conclusion

D.evidence and argument

很显然 文章通过讲述事实和描述 所以选B

68.What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?

A.Overheating the earth can be stopped.

B.Not all animal species are so adaptable.

C.The planet will become hotter and hotter.

D.Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants.

答案B