《2026年江苏13大市中考名卷优选38套英语》

D
I love snakes, while my mother does not. Lots of people who are afraid of snakes have never seen one. Neither has my mother. So where does the fear come from?
To find out the answer, scientists put pictures with snakes, pandas, cats, flowers and many other things in front of a group of people of all ages, even babies. People found snakes faster than flowers. It wasn't just snakes. They found "black faces", another example, spiders(蜘蛛), faster than "safe" things like flowers. It seems we find things that might be dangerous to us faster. Maybe we are born to be afraid of them.
Scientists also found people learned to fear snakes faster. Why did they fear snakes? Most of them said that in their experiences, they were influenced by the scared voice and faces of those who met snakes, but wasn't bitten by snakes. After all, if we had to be bitten by a snake to learn that it's dangerous, we might learn our lesson too late.
So why is it important whether we are afraid of snakes or not? It may not matter much to us, but it is really very important to snakes. People protect animals they like, not animals they fear. Snakes may not be as cute as pandas, but they're just of the same importance to the environment. Snakes eat insects and mice that are pests to humans. Snakes are also food for other animals, so, when we kill snakes, we're breaking the balance.
How can we reduce our fears to give snakes a chance? Scientists did a study recently. Some volunteer students went on a field trip. With the help of safety tips, everyone could safely touch and hold a snake. It turns out that snakes aren't so bad when you know the way to stay with them. Most people who were afraid of snakes before the field trip weren't afraid afterwards. In fact, snakes even became some students' favourite animal. Hmm, maybe I should take my mum on the next field trip.
41. In the writer's opinion, what are "black faces"?
A. Things make people feel dangerous.
B. Faces of animals in the picture.
C. Things that have black faces.
D. Faces of people in danger.
42. What does the writer mean by saying "we might learn our lesson too late" in the third paragraph?
A. We might never see any snakes.
B. We are not in danger any longer.
C. We might not fear snakes any more.
D. We might already be killed by snakes.
43. How do the scientists help people reduce the fear of snakes?
A. By teaching people skills of killing snakes.
B. By driving snakes away through a field trip.
C. By teaching them the right way to stay with them.
D. By giving snakes a chance to show they are good.
44. What can we learn from scientists after reading the passage?
A. Don't be afraid and find chances in danger.
B. Always remember to give people safety tips.
C. Face failures bravely and never give up trying.
D. Find problems and do research to solve them.
45. Which fits the scientists' idea best?

b. need to be protected
c. don't protect animals they fear|a. are born to fear snakes
b. need to be protected
c. don't protect animals they fear|a. are born to fear snakes
b. need to be protected
c. don't protect animals they fear|
A. 1—c, 2—a, 3—b
B. 1—b, 2—a, 3—c
C. 1—a, 2—c, 3—b
D. 1—a, 2—b, 3—c

答案： D
文体：说明文
文章大意:文章介绍了人们害怕蛇是有一定依据的，但是蛇和其他动物在生态中同等重要，作者打算带妈妈去实地考察一下，减少妈妈对蛇的恐惧。
41. A 细节理解。根据第二段倒数第二、三句可知，我们似乎能更快地发现可能对我们有害的东西。所以作者说的“黑脸”指的是让人感到危险的东西。
42. D 句意理解。根据第三段最后一句可知，如果我们被蛇咬了才知道它是危险的，我们可能太晚吸取了教训。如果太晚的话，我们可能已经被蛇咬死了。
43. C 细节理解。根据最后一段第四、五句可知，在安全提示的帮助下，每个人都可以安全地触摸和握住蛇。事实证明，当你知道如何与蛇相处时，你会知道蛇并不是那么可怕。
44. D 推理判断。本文介绍了科学家们针对人们害怕蛇这一问题，为找到答案而进行了研究，并给出了解决办法。
45. C 组合式选择。根据第二段最后一句可知，也许我们生来就害怕它们，所以1对应a；根据第四段第三句可知，人们保护他们喜欢的动物，而不是他们害怕的动物，所以2对应c。