二、阅读理解
For a long time, people have been interested in weather and created simple sayings to predict (预测) it. While these sayings are old, scientists have found that some of them actually have truth behind them. Let's look at two of these sayings and learn about the science that makes them work.
One of the most famous weather sayings is "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning." This means that a red sunset often means good weather the next day, while a red sunrise might mean rain is coming. This has to do with how light travels through the air. At night, a red sky means the air is quiet and dry, bringing good weather. But a red sunrise often means the air is wet and full of dust. This wet air usually comes with rain clouds, telling us that a storm might be on its way.
Another interesting idea is that cows can predict the weather. It's true that cows often lie down before rain. This is not magic. They are just sensitive to changes in the weather. Cows feel cooler when they stand up because the wind can carry away their body heat. When the air becomes colder and more humid (潮湿的) before a storm, the cows lie down to keep warm and save their body heat. So, if you see a field of cows resting, it might be a good idea to carry an umbrella.
Many old weather sayings are not just silly stories. They came from careful and long watching of nature. Science helps us understand why these sayings are often correct, showing us how people in the past cleverly used the world around them to predict the weather.
()1. Which Chinese idiom has a similar meaning to the saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning"?
A. 日暮三更雨，月落午时风。
B. 早到东风不雨，清朗两风不雨。
C. 朝霞不出门，暮霞行千里。
D. 日暮西山一点红，半夜起来架雨篷。
()2. What is the main reason for a red sky at night according to the passage?
A. The wind is carrying away the heat.
B. The sun is shining through wet air.
C. The air is dry and not moving much.
D. Rain clouds are coming from the west.
()3. What does the underlined word "sensitive" mean in Paragraph 3?
A. They are scared of the weather.
B. They can feel the weather changing.
C. They like rainy days.
D. They make the weather change.
()4. According to the passage, why do cows lie down before a storm?
A. Because they are tired and need to sleep.
B. Because they are too hungry to stand up.
C. Because they are afraid of the coming rain.
D. Because they are keeping their body heat.
()5. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. The Science Behind Weather Sayings
B. The Power of Animal Habits
C. The Magic of the World
D. The Secret of a Red Sky

1.C 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.A

【分析】
这是一篇介绍天气谚语背后科学原理的说明文，解题可采用“关键词定位+文意理解”的思路：
1. 第1题：先明确题干英文谚语的核心含义（晚霞预示好天气，朝霞预示降雨），再逐一对比选项中文谚语的含义，找到匹配项。
2. 第2题：根据题干关键词“red sky at night”定位到原文第二段，提取对应的原因描述。
3. 第3题：结合第三段上下文语境，通过牛能提前感知天气变化并做出反应的内容，推断划线词的含义。
4. 第4题：定位第三段中关于暴风雨前牛躺下的细节描述，直接提取原因。
5. 第5题：梳理文章整体结构，文章开篇点明“天气谚语背后有科学依据”，接着通过两个例子展开，最后总结，据此归纳主旨标题。
【解析】
1. 第1题：题干谚语意为“傍晚天空泛红，水手欢喜；清晨天空泛红，水手警惕”，核心是“晚霞预示晴好，朝霞预示降雨”。选项C“朝霞不出门，暮霞行千里”意为朝霞出现预示降雨不宜出门，晚霞出现预示晴好可远行，与题干谚语含义完全匹配。A、B、D选项含义均不符合，故选C。
2. 第2题：根据原文第二段“At night, a red sky means the air is quiet and dry, bringing good weather.”可知，夜晚天空泛红的原因是空气稳定且干燥，对应选项C。A是牛相关的内容，B是清晨红天的情况，D原文未提及，故选C。
3. 第3题：根据第三段“They are just sensitive to changes in the weather. Cows feel cooler when they stand up... When the air becomes colder and more humid before a storm, the cows lie down to keep warm...”可知，牛能感知到天气的变化，因此“sensitive”意为“能感受到天气变化”，对应选项B。A、C、D均不符合文意，故选B。
4. 第4题：根据第三段“When the air becomes colder and more humid before a storm, the cows lie down to keep warm and save their body heat.”可知，暴风雨前牛躺下是为了保存身体热量，对应选项D。A、B、C均不符合原文描述，故选D。
5. 第5题：文章开篇点明部分古老天气谚语背后有科学依据，接着分别介绍“红天”谚语和牛预测天气的科学原理，最后总结科学帮助我们理解这些谚语。选项A“The Science Behind Weather Sayings”（天气谚语背后的科学）能全面概括文章主旨。B仅涉及动物习惯，C范围过大，D仅围绕红天展开，均片面，故选A。
【答案】
1.C 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.A
【知识点】
说明文阅读理解、词义猜测、主旨大意归纳
【点评】
本文结合生活化的天气谚语与科学知识，既考查了细节信息的定位提取能力，也考查了谚语含义、词义推断及主旨归纳能力。解题时需紧扣原文，通过关键词定位快速锁定信息，同时结合上下文进行合理推断，有助于提升英语阅读理解的综合素养。
【难度系数】
0.6