《2025年飞越阅读英语真题年年新九年级英语上册通用版》

阅读理解(江苏省南通市 2024 年期中真题)
请阅读下面短文,从每小题所给的四个选项中选出能回答所提问题的最佳选项。

Hundreds of emperor penguin chicks(帝企鹅雏鸟) jumped off a 15 - meter cliff(悬崖), as high as a five - story building. This scene was captured (拍摄) in January at Atka Bay, Antarctica.
This jump seems brave but could be lethal to these young penguins.
National Geographic shows us emperor penguins usually raise their chicks on sea ice platforms. When these chicks are 5 months old, they lose their baby feathers and grow adult feathers, which are waterproof.
Not long after, the chicks have to begin their first swim in the ocean to hunt for themselves. Normally, they just need to jump from the sea ice, which is less than a meter high.
However, the fast - melting(快速融化) ice in Antarctica changes the situation. The Antarctic summer sea ice has declined(减少) quickly since 2016, reported the BBC. In February 2023, the total area of sea ice reached a record low of 1.91 million square kilometers.
“Emperors depend on sea ice for their breeding cycle(繁殖周期). It's the platform they use to bring up their young,” Peter Fretwell from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), told the BBC. If the ice platform melts or breaks apart before chicks develop their waterproof feathers, they are more likely to drown(溺亡) or freeze to death. For this reason, emperor penguins are now choosing to raise their babies on the ice shelf. As a result, chicks must face the challenge of jumping off a high cliff.
“When the chicks get to this cliff face, they're like … This does not look like a fun jump, but I guess I'm gonna have to go,” Michelle LaRue, a scientist at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, told National Geographic.
According to Live Science, the decline in the ice has caused thousands of emperor penguin chicks to die in West Antarctica in 2022. The continuing decline of sea ice may force more emperors to make their nests on ice shelves, said Fretwell.
“It's heartbreaking to think that the whole species(物种) may be gone if climate change continues on the path that it's on at the moment,” he added.
(A) 1. What does the underlined word “lethal” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
A. Deadly.
B. Helpful.
C. Unusual.
D. Boring.
(D) 2. Why do emperor penguin chicks jump off cliffs?
A. They want to travel across the ocean.
B. They are celebrating getting their adult feathers.
C. They are trying to avoid being caught by hunters.
D. They have no other way to enter the water to hunt.
(C) 3. What is causing emperor penguins to raise their young on ice shelves?
A. Rising sea levels.
B. More food for the chicks.
C. The fast melting of sea ice.
D. Bigger size of ice shelves.
(D) 4. What is the main worry Fretwell expressed about emperor penguins in the passage?
A. Their shorter breeding cycle.
B. Their more dependence on sea ice.
C. Their ability to hunt for themselves.
D. The possible disappearance of the species.

答案： Passage 3
阅读理解
本文为说明文，讲述了由于南极海冰快速融化，帝企鹅这一物种可能会消失。
1.A。词义推测题。根据第一段中Hundreds of emperor penguin chicks jumped off a 15-meter cliff, as high as a five-story building.可知，lethal意为“致命的”。故选A。
2.D。细节理解题。根据第四段中Not long after, the chicks have to begin their first swim in the ocean to hunt for themselves.和第六段中As a result, chicks must face the challenge of jumping off a high cliff.可知，雏鸟跳下悬崖是因为没有其他方式进入海中捕食。故选D。
3.C。细节理解题。根据第五段中However, the fast - melting ice in Antarctica changes the situation. The Antarctic summer sea ice has declined quickly since 2016, reported the BBC.和第六段中If the ice platform melts or breaks apart before chicks develop their waterproof feathers, they are more likely to drown or freeze to death. For this reason, emperor penguins are now choosing to raise their babies on the ice shelf.可知，快速融化的海冰迫使帝企鹅在冰架上抚养雏鸟。故选C。
4.D。细节理解题。根据最后一段中It's heartbreaking to think that the whole species may be gone if climate change continues ...可知，Fretwell担心的是帝企鹅物种可能会消失。故选D。