五、任务型阅读。
主题群:自然生态
子主题:动物科普
语篇类型:说明文
难度:★★
Can a cricket really tell you the temperature outside? Do fish know if it's going to be a cold winter? You may hear that groundhogs can predict(预测) the end of winter. Some of the sayings, like "If a cat sits with its back to the fire, hard weather can be expected.", may sound unbelievable, but some may be true. Many animals do have stronger senses than humans.
Do animals tell us when a storm is coming? Birds react to the drop in air pressure(气压) before a storm by flying low. Insects stay close to the ground and wolves howl because their ears can sense the pressure change. A good rule is that when animals act strangely, you probably should be careful with the environment around you.
Do you know that the sound of crickets' chirping(鸣叫) can tell you how hot the day is? Crickets are cold-blooded, so when the temperature in the air changes, the cricket's body temperature changes with it. As the temperature rises, the cricket's metabolism (新陈代谢) increases. When the heat rises, crickets chirp. To get the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit($°\mathrm{F}$), count the number of chirps in 14 seconds, and add 40.
Do you have a tried-and-true weather animal that predicts the weather?
根据短文内容回答问题,每题答案不超过6个词。
1. Why can some animals know the weather changes?
Because they have stronger senses.
2. What do birds do before the storm?
They fly low.
3. When should we be careful with the environment?
When animals act strangely.
4. What can crickets' chirps tell us?
How hot the day is.
5. What is a possible title for the passage?
Animals and weather(言之有理即可)
解析：
【分析】
拿到这道任务型阅读题，首先明确题干要求所有答案不超过6个词，解题思路是先逐个划出每道题的核心关键词，带着关键词回到原文精准定位对应语句，直接提取符合要求的信息即可：
1. 第一题关键词是Why、animals know weather changes，回到第一段末尾找动物能感知天气变化的原因，提炼符合字数的表述；
2. 第二题关键词是What do birds do、before the storm，定位到第二段讲暴风雨前鸟类行为的句子，直接提取对应动作；
3. 第三题关键词是When、be careful with the environment，定位到第二段末尾的规则描述，提取对应的时间条件；
4. 第四题关键词是crickets' chirps、tell us，定位到第三段开头的设问句，直接提取鸣叫能告知的内容；
5. 第五题是选标题，通读全文可知全篇都在讲动物和天气预测的关联，提炼出简洁的核心主题作为标题即可。
【解析】
1. 定位原文第一段最后一句"Many animals do have stronger senses than humans."，可知动物能感知天气变化的原因是它们拥有比人类更敏锐的感官，整理后得到符合字数要求的答案。
2. 定位原文第二段第二句"Birds react to the drop in air pressure before a storm by flying low."，可知暴风雨来临前鸟会低飞，提取对应内容得到答案。
3. 定位原文第二段最后一句"A good rule is that when animals act strangely, you probably should be careful with the environment around you."，直接提取对应的时间条件作为答案。
4. 定位原文第三段第一句"Do you know that the sound of crickets' chirping can tell you how hot the day is?"，直接提取蟋蟀鸣叫能告知的内容得到答案。
5. 全文围绕动物预测天气的相关科普内容展开，提炼核心主题作为标题即可。
【答案】
1. Because they have stronger senses.
2. They fly low.
3. When animals act strangely.
4. How hot the day is.
5. Animals and weather(言之有理即可)
【知识点】
细节信息定位、说明文主旨归纳、阅读信息提取
【点评】
本题属于动物科普主题的说明文任务型阅读，整体难度适中，重点考查学生快速在语篇中定位细节信息的能力，同时设置了答案字数限制的要求，提醒学生作答时不仅要保证信息准确，还要符合题干的格式要求，最后一题主旨归纳需要学生整体梳理全文核心话题，避免以偏概全。
【难度系数】
0.7
