《2026年水木金卷高考模拟试卷精编英语》

D
Lucy, whose skeleton (骨骼) was discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, died shortly after she fell out of a tree, according to a new study published Monday in the British Journal Nature.
For their research, Kappelman and Dr Richard Ketcham used a CT scanner to create more than 35, 000 "slices" of Lucy's skeleton. Scientists named her Lucy from the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", which was played at the camp the night of her discovery.
The following analysis of the slices showed sharp, clean breaks seen at the end of Lucy's right humerus(肱骨) are similar to bone breaks seen in victims of falls. The researchers concluded that these and other breaks in her skeleton showed that Lucy, who is believed to have stood about 3 feet 6 inches and weighed about 60 pounds, fell feet first and used her arms to support herself—but the injury was too severe to have been survivable.
The researchers estimate that Lucy was going about 35 miles an hour when she hit the ground after falling from a height of roughly 40 feet, according to the statement.
That sounds reasonable. But other scientists are doubtful. "There are countless explanations for bone breaks," Dr Donald C. Johanson, director of the Institute of Human Origins and one of the scientists who discovered Lucy, said. "The suggestion that she fell out of a tree is largely a just-so story and therefore unprovable."
Johanson said it was more likely that Lucy's breaks occurred long after she died, saying that "elephant bones appear to have the same kind of breaks. It's unlikely they fell out of a tree."
But the new research focused on "a small number of breaks" that are consistent with "high-energy bone-to-bone influences" and which differ from the sorts of breaks commonly seen in other collected bones. Kappelman responded in an email, "These appear to have occurred at or near the time of death."
51. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to .
A. propose a definition
B. make a comparison
C. reach a conclusion
D. present an argument
52. What could be inferred from Paragraph 2?
A. Lucy was cut into 35,000 "slices" by researchers.
B. The Beatles named Lucy.
C. Lucy was wearing diamonds when she was found.
D. Lucy was most likely found during the night.
53. What can we learn from Paragraphs 3 and 4?
A. Lucy only had bone breaks in her right humerus.
B. The researchers found out why Lucy climbed high.
C. Researchers found that Lucy fell from a height of 3 feet 6 inches.
D. The researchers estimated how fast Lucy was falling.
54. Johanson mentioned elephant bones in Paragraph 6 in order to .
A. show the different structures of elephant and human bones
B. point out other possibilities for Lucy's death
C. suggest that Lucy's bone breaks differ from other bone breaks
D. tell us what exactly happened to Lucy
55. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. The argument on how Lucy died will continue.
B. Scientists will find another way to solve the problem.
C. The newly published study was meaningless.
D. Lucy didn't die from falling out of a tree.

答案： 51.C 写作意图题。题干意为:作者写第一段的目的是_____。根据第一段内容可知,本段主要介绍了发表在英国《自然》杂志的一项新研究表明,Lucy是从树上摔下后去世的。本文以此展开,主要讲述了研究人员对其死因的争论。由此可知,第一段是对Lucy的死因做出结论。故选C。
52.D 推理判断题。题干意为:从第二段中可以推断出什么?根据第二段中“Scientists named her Lucy from the Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, which was played at the camp the night of her discovery.”可知,Lucy被发现的当晚,营地里播放着披头士乐队的歌曲Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds。由此可推知,Lucy很可能是在夜间被发现的。故选D。
53.D 细节理解题。题干意为:我们可以从第三段和第四段中了解到什么?根据第四段中“The researchers estimate that Lucy was going about 35 miles an hour when she hit the ground after falling from a height of roughly 40 feet”可知,研究人员估计,Lucy从大约40英尺的高度坠落到地面时,速度约为每小时35英里。由此可知,研究人员估计了Lucy的落地速度。故选D。
54.B 推理判断题。题干意为:Johanson在第六段提到大象骨骼,是为了_____。根据第六段内容可知,Lucy的骨折很可能是去世后才出现的,因为大象的骨骼有同样的骨折,而大象是不可能从树上掉下来的。由此可推知,Johanson提及大象骨骼的目的是指出Lucy的死因可能是其他的原因。故选B。
55.A 推理判断题。题干意为:我们可以从这篇文章中得到什么结论?根据最后一段中“But then new research focused on ‘a small number of breaks’ that are consistent with ‘high-energy bone-to-bone influences’ and which differ from the sorts of breaks commonly seen in other collected bones.”可知,新研究关注的是“少数骨折”,这些骨折不同于其他收集到的骨骼中常见的那些骨折。由此可知,关注点不同的新研究出现了。由此可推知,对于Lucy如何去世的争议还会继续下去。故选A。