三、阅读选择（阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中选出最佳选项；每小题2分，满分32分）

A

Wildlife in New York City tends to be headline news. These animals' admirable ability to live with humans in peace draws our attention and sympathy. Yet, what most New Yorkers don't even know is that another animal, the Quaker Parrot, has invaded (入侵) the city with surprising results.

Quaker parrots originally came from the mild regions of Argentina and Brazil. The details related to the birds' arrival to the U. S. have become a thing of legend. During the 1960s, workers at JFK International Airport reported that the parrots—then products of the pet trade—escaped from broken shipping trunks (箱子). Others say the birds escaped from their homes or were intentionally released by their owners, some of whom may have been unprepared to deal with the birds' unpleasant screams. Either way, the birds have now infiltrated (渗透) all five districts in New York within the last five years. They've also expanded into the lower Hudson Valley and major cities around the U. S.

Each bird is born knowing how to build a nest, although this skill is adjusted slightly with age and experience. The birds use their soft feet to build these free-standing nests in between tree forks. Nest structures can grow to the size of a refrigerator, housing up to 200 pairs of birds. Each nest can weigh more than a ton.

Unfortunately, these parrots' unique habit of building nests on public facilities can cause their homes to catch fire, taking down the electrical network. Con Edison, New York City's energy services company, realized about 14 years ago that these nests were behind a series of Power outages (停电) in Brooklyn. So the company partners with wildlife specialists to carefully remove nests from dangerous areas before they become a security risk.

Despite the challenges these parrots present for the public, they are one of the few invasive species stories with a fairly happy outcome. The parrots seem to pose no risk of overpopulating the neighborhood or outcompeting native species for food. And public service corporations arrange special teams to keep equipment free from birds, and the parrots have become a largely welcomed addition to New York's wildlife scene.

36. What do we know about Quaker parrots according to the passage?

A. They have charming voices. B. They are from South America.

C. They are only active in New York. D. Their nests look like a refrigerator.

37. What's special about Quaker parrots?

A. Size. B. Screams.

C. Popularity. D. Nest building.

38. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A. The birds are welcome. B. The birds need protection.

C. The birds are in danger. D. The birds are trouble makers.

39. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Magical Birds' Nest. B. Prefer Jungle to Buildings?

C. Parrots Living in Urban Jungle. D. Help Parrots Survive in Cities?

【分析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一种不明来历的鹦鹉无意中入侵到纽约城，出乎意料的是，鹦鹉受到了人们的欢迎，它们在城市里生存了下来。

36.【答案】B

【解析】细节理解题。根据文章第二段，“Quaker parrots originally came from the mild regions of Argentina and Brazil.”（这种鹦鹉最初是来自阿根廷和巴西），可知，阿根廷和巴西都属于南美洲，因此这种鹦鹉最初来自南美。故选B。

37.【答案】D

【解析】细节理解题。根据文章第四段，“Unfortunately, these parrots' unique habit of building nests on public facilities can cause their homes to catch fire, taking down the electrical network”（不幸的是，这些鹦鹉在公共设施上筑巢的独特习惯可能会导致它们的房子着火，破坏电网），可知，这些鹦鹉的建巢习惯是独特的。故选D。

38.【答案】A

【解析】主旨大意题。根据最后一段的主要内容，“public service corporations arrange special teams to keep equipment free from birds, and the parrots have become a largely welcomed addition to New York's wildlife scene.”（公共服务公司还安排了专门的团队来保护设备免受鸟类的侵害，鹦鹉已经成为纽约野生动物界非常受欢迎的新成员），可知，本段主要讲了这种鹦鹉在纽约城受到了人们的欢迎。故选A。

39.【答案】C

【解析】主旨大意题。根据文章第一段最后一句，“what most New Yorkers don't even know is that another animal, the Quaker Parrot, has invaded (入侵) the city with surprising results.”（大多数纽约人不知道的是，另一种动物，the Quaker 鹦鹉，带着很出人意料的结果入侵了纽约城），本句引出文章主题，所以本文主要讲“鹦鹉入侵纽约城”的事件经过，再结合下文内容，可以判断出文章的标题为“生活在都市丛林中的鹦鹉”。故选C。

B

At the 4th Street Photo Gallery on the comer of the Bowery, many photos are strung together like clothes on a laundry line. There are portraits of Muhammad Ali and Jean-Michel Basquiat, plus a series of cityscapes detailedly captured over 60 years by Alex Harsley, a neglected but talented New York photographer.

The city has been Mr Harsley’s home since 1948, when, aged ten, he moved there from South Carolina. He took his first photograph ten years later, and became the first black photographer to work for the city’s district attorney’s office. His vivid pictures freeze moments in New York’s evolution from the 1950s to the present. “It could start with the smell of something burning.” he says of his method. “And then you see a family sitting on the steps of a funeral home sadly looking at the firemen going through their routine.”

Some of the scenes in the collection were captured from the window of his old apartment in Harlem; they include images of black activists, streets submerged in snow and shots of the Crown Heights riots of 1991. A. D. Coleman, a photography critic, says Mr. Harsley has been able to capture the lives of minority groups by making himself “invisible”. His aim has been to assemble these fragments (片段) into an extended history of the city.

Mr. Harsley’s gallery is a time capsule. For decades, it is also a hub for the city’s artistic underworld. In the 1970s New York’s photography scene was flourishing, but exclusive. As Mr. Harsley puts it, “a number of great artists were swept aside” because they lacked connections. Helping talent became part of his mission. In 1971 he established The Minority Photographers, an organization that helps up-and-coming artists exhibit their work. He opened his gallery two years later; many photographers have had their first shows there.

40. How does the author describe Alex Harsley in the first paragraph?

A. Undervalued but expert. B. Gifted but exclusive.

C. Unknown but devoted. D. Gifted but awkward.

41. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A. His pictures show freezing weather in New York from the 1950s to the present.

B. His pictures capture the cheerful moments in New York since the 1950s.

C. His pictures record some historic occasions of New York over the past decades.

D. His pictures illustrate the vivid lives of minority groups in New York over the past decades.

42. Why does Mr. Harsley make himself “invisible”?

A. To assemble the minority groups of the city.

B. To highlight the lives of minority groups.

C. To help promising artists attract more public attention.

D. To build connections between the minority groups and himself.

43. How did Mr. Harsley help the other artists?

A. He excluded those who looked down upon the unknown artists.

B. He set an organization displaying their works.

C. He established the connections between up-and-coming artists and famous ones.

D. He reduced the rents of the gallery where their photography works were shown.

【分析】

本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述的主人公是一位被忽视但才华横溢的摄影师Alex Harsley，主要内容为Alex Harsley的个人经历与他的优秀作品，并且他帮助了很多摄影师获得更好更多的机会去展现自己的能力和作品。

40.【答案】A

【解析】推理判断题。根据第一段“There are portraits of Muhammad Ali and Jean-Michel Basquiat, plus a series of cityscapes detailedly captured over 60 years by Alex Harsley, a neglected but talented New York photographer.(这里有穆罕默德·阿里和让·米歇尔·巴斯奎特的肖像，还有亚历克斯·哈斯利60多年来详细拍摄的一系列城市景观，他是一位被忽视但才华横溢的纽约摄影师)”可知，作者认为Alex Harsley是一位被忽视但才华横溢的摄影师。故选A项。

41.【答案】C

【解析】句意猜测题。根据画线句子“His vivid pictures freeze moments in New York's evolution from the 1950s to the present.(他生动的照片定格了纽约从20世纪50年代到现在的发展历程)”可知，他的照片记录了纽约近几十年的发展历程。故选C项。

42.【答案】A

【解析】推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句“His aim has been to assemble these fragments (片段) into an extended history of the city.(他的目标是将这些碎片拼凑成这座城市的悠久历史)”可推知，Mr. Harsley把自己变得“不显眼”是为了拼凑这个城市一些小的团体，把零碎的事情聚集在一起。故选A项。

43.【答案】B

【解析】细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“In 1971 he established The Minority Photographers, an organization that helps up-and-coming artists exhibit their work. He opened his gallery two years later; many photographers have had their first shows there.”可知，他通过成立了“少数摄影家”组织，帮助那些崭露头角的艺术家展示自己的作品，帮助他们举办他们自己的展览。故选B项。