一、Alice 首先发言，介绍了南极洲冰层下鲜为人知的沃斯托克湖。阅读短文，一起来看看它蕴藏着哪些探索价值。
Beneath the wide, white surface of the Antarctic ice sheet there is a strange new world: lakes under the ice. The biggest one is Lake Vostok(沃斯托克湖). It has been shut under about four kilometres of ice for maybe 20 million years. The thick ice keeps the lake in total darkness, far away from the world above.
Getting to the lake and studying it, however, is hard work for scientists. The most important job is to keep the lake's old, clean water safe from dirt. Scientists use special hot drills that make a small hole through the hard ice. They follow strict rules to keep everything clean. They take small bottles of water and mud from the lake and make sure nothing from the outside gets in. Then they look for signs of life, hoping to find tiny living things called “extremophiles(极端微生物)” that can live where most other things would die.
If life is found in Lake Vostok, it would be big news for more than just our planet. This cold, dark and closed place is a lot like what scientists think may exist on icy moons in space. For example, Jupiter’s moon Europa(木卫二) may have large oceans under its ice. If life can live in Lake Vostok after millions of years of isolation, it gives scientists a stronger reason to think that life might also live in the hidden oceans of those far-off worlds. In this way, studying this hidden lake on earth helps us get ready to look for life in space.
()1. 新考法 句子回填 Which of the following can be put in “” in Paragraph 1?
A. However, the ice above it is melting very quickly.
B. This discovery has attracted many tourists to the area.
C. Therefore, its water is considered the most valuable.
D. So that is why scientists wonder if life exists there.
()2. What is the most important thing scientists must do when they take water from the lake?
A. Prevent outside dirt from entering the water.
B. Remove all mud to make the water perfectly clear.
C. Keep the water warm enough so it does not freeze.
D. Prove the lake is linked to other lakes underground.
()3. The word “isolation” in Paragraph 3 most likely means a state of being .
A. very cold B. all alone C. under pressure D. full of life
()4. How does finding life in Lake Vostok help space scientists?
A. It proves Europa holds the same form of life.
B. It shows where to land the next spacecraft safely.
C. It suggests life could exist under ice on moons.
D. It explains how life first began on icy planets.
()5. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The future plans to explore Lake Vostok in Antarctic areas.
B. The challenges of drilling through thick ice in Antarctica.
C. How scientists study a hidden lake under Antarctic ice.
D. Why studying an icy lake on earth matters for space research.

1. D 【解析】根据空前的“It has been shut under about four kilometres of ice for maybe 20 million years. The thick ice keeps the lake in total darkness, far away from the world above.”可知，沃斯托克湖被隔绝在冰层下，这让科学家好奇那里是否存在生命。D项承接上文，适合放在空处。
2. A 【解析】根据第二段中“The most important job is to keep the lake's old, clean water safe from dirt.”可知，科学家在取水时，最重要的是防止外界的尘土进入水中。
3. B 【解析】根据第一段中“It has been shut under about four kilometres of ice for maybe 20 million years.”可知，沃斯托克湖被隔绝在冰层下约2 000万年，由此可推测 isolation 意为“孤立，隔绝”，即一种完全孤立的状态。
4. C 【解析】根据第三段中“If life can live in Lake Vostok after millions of years of isolation, it gives scientists a stronger reason to think that life might also live in the hidden oceans of those far-off worlds.”可知，在沃斯托克湖发现生命会让科学家认为冰冷的卫星上也可能存在生命。
5. D

【分析】
先通读全文，明确文章围绕南极冰层下的沃斯托克湖展开，介绍其特点及探索价值。针对不同题型采用对应解题方法：句子还原题需分析上下文逻辑，找承上启下的选项；细节理解题定位题干关键词到原文对应句；词义猜测题结合上下文语境推断词义；主旨大意题梳理全文核心内容确定中心。
【解析】
1. 句子还原题：上文提到沃斯托克湖被冰层隔绝2000万年，处于黑暗中，下文引出科学家对该湖的研究。D项“所以科学家想知道那里是否存在生命”承接上文的隔绝状态，引出下文的研究目的，符合逻辑，故选D。
2. 细节理解题：根据第二段“The most important job is to keep the lake's old, clean water safe from dirt.”可知，科学家取水时最重要的是防止外界尘土进入水中，故选A。
3. 词义猜测题：上文提到沃斯托克湖被冰层隔绝2000万年，结合第三段“after millions of years of isolation”，可知isolation意为“隔绝、孤立”，对应B选项“all alone（孤立的）”，故选B。
4. 细节理解题：根据第三段“If life can live in Lake Vostok after millions of years of isolation, it gives scientists a stronger reason to think that life might also live in the hidden oceans of those far-off worlds.”可知，沃斯托克湖发现生命会让科学家认为冰冷卫星的冰下可能存在生命，故选C。
5. 主旨大意题：全文先介绍沃斯托克湖，再讲科学家的研究，最后重点说明研究它对太空探索的意义，核心是研究这个地球冰下湖对太空研究的重要性，故选D。
【答案】
1.D 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.D
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、词义猜测、主旨大意
【点评】
本文为科普类阅读理解，涵盖句子还原、细节理解、词义猜测、主旨大意等题型，既考查学生对语篇细节的定位能力，也考查逻辑推理和主旨概括能力，是典型的初中英语阅读考查题型，需学生熟练掌握阅读技巧。
【难度系数】
0.6