《2026年水木金卷高考模拟试卷精编英语》

C
Rhinoceros horns(犀牛角) are big business. Traditional Chinese medicine uses them to treat certain diseases, even though they have no actual therapeutic(治疗的) properties beyond comfort. And craftsmen carve them into dagger handles. A kilogram can thus command as much as 60,000, so there is tremendous appeal for poachers to hunt the animals. Since almost all rhinoceros populations are endangered, several critically, this is a serious problem.
Some conservationists therefore suggest that a way to reduce pressure on the animals might be to flood the market with fakes. This, they hope, would reduce the value of real horns and consequently the motivation to hunt rhinos.
That would require the fakes to be good. But Fritz Vollrath, a zoologist at Oxford University, thinks his skills as a forger(伪造者) are up to the challenge. As he writes in Scientific Reports, he and his colleagues from Fudan University, in Shanghai, have come up with a cheap and easy - to - make fake strikingly similar to the real thing.
The main ingredient of Dr. Vollrath's forged horns is horsehair. Despite their differing appearances, horses and rhinos are reasonably closely related. Horses do not have horns, of course. But, technically, neither do rhinos. The "horns" of rhinoceros are composed of hairs bound(捆绑) tightly together using a mixture of dead cells.
Examination under a microscope showed that hairs collected from horses' tails had similar features to those found in the horns of rhinos except that horse hairs had a special layer absent in those of the rhino, but the researchers were able to remove this with a solution of lithium bromide(溴化锂溶液).
They bundled(捆绑) the treated horse hairs as tightly as they could in a mixture of a special glue, and then left the bundles in an oven to dry. The result was a material that, with some polishing, looked like the rhino horn.
Whether to launch indistinguishable fakes onto the rhinoceros - horn market would truly reduce prices and demand remains to be tested. But it might. It is an old trick in warfare to leave the enemy with forged, worthless money. Something similar may yet help save the rhino.
46. What is the main reason for the illegal trade of rhinoceros horns according to the passage?
A. They are essential for traditional medicines.
B. They are used as a symbol of status and wealth.
C. They have obvious financial appeal.
D. They have strong medical value.
47. What suggestion do some conservationists propose to reduce the poaching?
A. Banning the use of real horns in traditional Chinese medicine.
B. Improving the living environment for rhinos and avoid hunting.
C. Using the fake rhino horns to lower the value of real ones.
D. Increasing public awareness about rhino conservation.
48. What is the component of the horns of rhinoceros, as described in the passage?
A. A special type of horn tissue unique to rhinoceros.
B. Hairs bound together by a mixture of dead cells.
C. Dead cells mixed with bone material.
D. Bundled horse hairs in a special glue.
49. According to the passage, which of the following statements accurately describes the process of manufacturing fake horns?
A. Fake horns are made from actual rhinoceros hair and bone.
B. Fake horns are created by placing bundled horse hairs in an oven to dry.
C. Horse tails are directly bundled without any treatment before use.
D. Horse tails are treated specially to remove a specific layer before use.
50. According to the passage, what is the author's attitude towards launching fakes onto the rhinoceros - horn market?
A. The author sees it as a potentially beneficial, though untested, strategy.
B. The author is skeptical about the effectiveness of this approach.
C. The author believes it is a guaranteed solution to save rhinos.
D. The author thinks it would harm the conservation efforts for rhinos.

答案： 46.C 细节理解题。题干意为:根据这篇文章,犀牛角非法交易的主要原因是什么?根据第一段中“A kilogram can thus command as much as 60,000,so there is tremendous appeal for poachers to hunt the animals.”可知,一公斤犀牛角的价格可高达6万美元。由此可知,犀牛角具有明显的经济吸引力,这是非法交易的主要原因。故选 C。
47.C 细节理解题。题干意为:有些保护主义者提出什么建议以减少偷猎?根据第二段内容可知,保护主义者建议用假犀牛角充斥市场来降低真犀牛角的价值,从而减少偷猎。故选 C。
48.B 细节理解题。题干意为:根据文章所述,犀牛角的成分是什么?根据第四段中“The ‘horns’ of rhinoceros are composed of hairs bound(捆绑) tightly together using a mixture of dead cells.”可知,犀牛的“角”是由毛发组成的,这些毛发通过死细胞的混合物紧密地捆绑在一起。故选 B。
49.D 细节理解题。题干意为:根据这篇文章,下列哪种说法准确地描写了制作假犀牛角的过程?根据第五段内容和第六段中“They bundled(捆绑) the treated horse hairs as tightly as they could in a mixture of a special glue,and then left the bundles in an oven to dry.”可知,制作假犀牛角的过程是:先用溴化锂溶液去除马毛的特殊层,将处理后的马毛尽可能紧地捆绑,并浸入一种特殊胶水的混合液中,之后将其放入烤箱烘干。故选 D。
50.A 推理判断题。题干意为:根据这篇文章,作者对在犀牛角市场上推出假货的态度是什么?根据最后一段中“Whether to launch indistinguishable fakes onto the rhinoceros-horn market would truly reduce prices and demand remains to be tested.But it might.”可推知,作者认为投放无法区分的犀牛角假货到市场上可能是一个有益但尚未经过测试的策略。故选 A。