Ⅲ .阅读理解

A

The natives of La Gomera can carry on long－distance conversations by whistling. For ordinary conversation they speak Spanish. But when they need to speak over a distance and ordinary speech is impossible, they use the silbo. This is the name of a whistled form of speech.

La Gomera is a small island. It is very mountainous, for it was once a volcano. The island is almost circular in shape, with a high peak in the center. From this peak, deep, narrow gorges, separated by rocky ridges, run down to the coast like the spokes (轮辐) of a wheel. So in

spite of the island's small size, walking from one place to another may be a slow and difficult job. That is why the silbo is so useful to the natives. A message can easily be whistled over a couple of miles, while to travel that same distance on foot might take an hour.

A good whistler, or silbador, can be heard and understood five miles away. His whistling can be heard even farther away when conditions are favorable—when there is little or no wind. It was said that the record is about nine miles. Anyone who has heard a firstclass silbador will agree that this figure is quite possible.

Not only does a whistle carry farther than a shout, but it is easier to understand. When a person shouts, he cannot pronounce his words well. But in whistling, this problem does not exist. If a whistle is heard at all, it will be heard clearly.

The silbo can be used to say everything—anything that is speakable in Spanish is also “whistlable”. This is true partly because the Spanish language has such a simple sound system. The silbo would not work nearly so well with English.

1．The title that best expresses the idea of this passage is ______.

A．The Whistle Language of La Gomera

B．The Whistle Skill of the Natives of La Gomera

C．The Relationship Between the Whistle Language and Spanish

D．Messages Carried by Whistling

2．What is the native language of La Gomera?

A．Whistle.           B．Spanish.        C．Silbo.           D．English.

3．Why is the whistle language so useful to the natives?

A．Because they have to talk in that language.

B．Because their island used to be a volcano.

C．Because close talk is an uneasy job on the island.

D．Because the natives like to talk over a distance.

4．What can we infer from the passage?

A．Only the natives understand the Silbo.

B．The whistle language will replace Spanish.

C．A first－class silbador can be heard nine miles away.

D．It is certain that the people from other parts of the world will learn the whistle language.

答案及解析：

1．A.主旨大意题。根据全文内容可以归纳出本篇文章主要讲述小岛上的口哨语言。

2．B.细节考查题。文章在第一段中提到For ordinary conversation they speak Spainish.从这句话中可以得出正确答案。

3．C.推理判断题。从第二段．..it was once a volcano...walking from one place to another may be a slow and difficult job.可以知道，口哨之所以有用是因为小岛特殊的地形地貌使得近距离的谈话很困难。

4．A.推理判断题。C项是信息，不是推断。B、D没有依据。第五段中The silbo can be used to say everything—anything that is speakable in Spanish is also whistlable.可以判断，只有岛上的原著居民明白这种口哨语言。故选A.