A South Korean man and the 21 ducklings he has been raising as his children ever since they hatched have been breaking the internet with their amazing bond. A video that recently went viral in the western world shows the cute birds following their “mother” on a mountain hike and listening to his every command.
The middle-aged man, whose name is not revealed in the video, has been taking care of his 21 ducklings ever since they were eggs, making sure the incubation( 孵 化 ) period went smoothly, and even helping the tiny birds break through their shell when it came time to hatch. He was the first thing they laid eyes on in this world, and he has remained the most important figure in their lives since.
Ducklings naturally follow their mother around, and since the man was the one who acted as their mother, these birds follow him everywhere, even up a mountain. To them it’s only natural, but the middle-aged man considers it training and conditioning for the time when he finally releases them into the wild. He would love to raise them all as pets, but knows that wouldn’t be ideal for him or the birds, so he’s making sure that they are strong enough to survive in the wild.
The video shows the ducks following the middle-aged man as he hikes up a mountain outside Seoul, stopping whenever he does and refusing to follow anyone else, even if they give the same “let’s go” command their human mother does. Unless they hear his voice and see him moving, they don’t budge. It’s actually quite remarkable. I mean, it’s one thing to see dogs acting like this, but ducklings? That’s something else.
While it’s not clear what the man does for a living, I’m pretty sure he has a lot of experience with ducks, as at one point he reveals a certificate for “father of ducklings” dated 2005.
1．What can we learn from the video?
A．The ducklings just broke through their shells.
B．The man accidentally saved some ducklings.
C．The ducklings just obeyed the man naturally.
D．The man took pride in his ducklings.
2．What’s the man’s purpose of raising the ducklings?
A．To make a living by performing.
B．To film a video to attract attention.
C．To free them into the wild one day.
D．To make a contribution to a bird reserve.
3．Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “budge” in Paragraph 4?
A．Attack. B．Move.
C．End. D．Struggle.
4．What can be the best title for the text?
A．“Father” and “mother” of cute pets
B．Man raises ducklings as his “children”
C．Ducklings also regarded as good pets
D．Amazing bond between man and animals
1．C
2．C
3．B
4．B
【分析】
这是一篇新闻报道类阅读。文章主要讲了韩国一位中年男子把小鸭子当“孩子”养，这些小鸭子把他当成了“妈妈”，到处跟着他，很自然地服从这个人的命令。
1．推理判断题。答案定位在第三段Ducklings naturally follow their mother around, and since the man was the one who acted as their mother, these birds follow him everywhere, even up a mountain.（小鸭子很自然地会跟着它们的妈妈到处走，因为这个人就是它们的妈妈，所以这些小鸭子到处跟着他，甚至上了山。）由此可知，我们能从这个视频中得知，小鸭们很自然地服从这个人，故选C。
2．细节理解题。答案定位在第三段To them it’s only natural, but the middle-aged man considers it training and conditioning for the time when he finally releases them into the wild.（对它们来说，这是很自然的，但是中年男人认为这是为它们最终被放归野外而进行的训练。）由此可知，这个男子养小鸭的目的是有一天把它们放归野外，故选C。
3．词义猜测题。上文The video shows the ducks following the middle-aged man as he hikes up a mountain outside Seoul, stopping whenever he does and refusing to follow anyone else, even if they give the same “let’s go” command their human mother does.意思是视频显示，当这名中年男子爬上首尔郊外的一座山时，鸭子们跟着他，无论他什么时候停下来它们都会停下来，它们都不愿跟着任何人，即使给它们发出和人类母亲同样的“让我们走”命令。由此可知，Unless they hear his voice and see him moving, they don’t budge.意思是除非它们听到他的声音，看到他在动，否则它们不会动。“budge”意思是移动，A. Attack.攻击；B. Move.移动；C. End.结束；D. Struggle.努力，故选B。
4．主旨大意题。第一段A video that recently went viral in the western world shows the cute birds following their “mother” on a mountain hike and listening to his every command.（最近在西方世界走红的一段视频显示，这些可爱的小鸭子跟随它们的“妈妈”爬山，听从他的每一个命令。）是全文的主题句，结合全文内容可知，本篇文章讲述了一名韩国男子和21只他从小就养大的小鸭的故事，他把小鸭当作自己的“孩子”，小鸭也非常听他的话。因此推断这篇文章最好的题目是人类把小鸭子当“孩子”养，故选B。
【点睛】
细节理解题的解题思路：
细节理解题就是我们常见的wh-题，它们大多是根据文章中的具体信息如事实、例证、原因、过程、论述等进行提问的。抓住文段中的事实和细节是做好该题型的关键，也是做好其它类型问题的基础。该题型几乎都可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息，或是其变体。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都属于这类围绕主体展开的细节，做这类题一般采用寻读法，即先读题，然后带着问题快速阅读短文，找出与问题和选项有关的词语或句子，再对相关部分进行分析对比，找出答案。例如小题2，答案定位在第三段To them it’s only natural, but the middle-aged man considers it training and conditioning for the time when he finally releases them into the wild.（对它们来说，这是很自然的，但是中年男人认为这是为它们最终被放归野外而进行的训练。）由此可知，这个男子养小鸭的目的是有一天把它们放归野外，故选C。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |