《2025年5年中考3年模拟英语冀教版河北专版》

四、阅读表达。[2024山东淄博一模]
人与自然——常见的动物，动物的特征与生活环境
What comes to your mind when you think of cicadas (蝉)? Maybe all the noise they make on hot summer days. But do you know that cicadas only spend a small part of their lives in trees? They spend most of their lives underground. Some cicadas even spend 17 years under the ground! Let’s take a look at cicadas’ life cycle (周期).
Just before female (雌的) cicadas die, they lay their eggs in trees. One cicada lays about 400 eggs. In the summer of next year, the baby cicadas come out of the eggs, fall to the ground and dig holes deep underground. Small and wingless, they’re known as nymphs (若虫). Most nymphs spend 3 to 17 years in these holes. But many of them may be eaten by birds and snakes. Now you understand why female cicadas lay so many eggs. They need to make sure enough nymphs live, even if many get eaten.
Finally, the nymphs come up to the top of the ground. Then they climb onto a nearby plant, becoming adult cicadas. Adult cicadas have big bodies and four clear wings. These adults live for about one month, so they have enough time to find a partner. This is when we hear cicadas’ loud sounds. Male (雄的) cicadas make these sounds to find a partner. They die soon after pairing up, while females die after they lay their eggs. And then the life cycle begins again.
No one is sure why some cicadas have such a long life cycle. But no matter what the reason is, cicadas are truly a wonder of nature.
1.How does the writer start the passage?
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2.What does the nymph look like?
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3.Where does a cicada live most of its life?
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4.Why does a male cicada make sounds on hot summer days?
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5.What does the writer think of cicadas?
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答案： 1.By asking a question. 2.It is small and wingless. 3.It lives most of its life underground. 4.To find a partner. 5.They are truly a wonder of nature.