Passage 17
Does my goldfish know who I am?
I think this is a great question. I do spend my days (1) (study) how fish
go about their lives. First of all, fish are much (2) (smart) than people think
they are. People often talk of goldfish having three-second memories, but in fact they can learn all
kinds of things, and remember them for quite a long time.
This shouldn't be (3) (surprise). Just like other animals, they can find
enough to eat, and know (4) it is safe to be out in the open. Being able to
learn and remember things helps them do this.
Many kinds of fish can tell one (5) another, according to their group,
their relatives, and even their own eggs. But fish live in (6) very different
world from us. For many kinds of fish, (7) seeing is important, senses such
as smell and touch are even more important than seeing.
So, does your fish know who you are? I believe your fish can (8)
(certain) know when it is feeding time. My own fish become very excited when my hand appears
near their tank, even before the food (9) (drop) in. Some people say they are
(10) (use) pets, but I don't agree. I'm not sure whether your fish will be
able to remember what your face looks like, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it could remember
you in other ways, perhaps by the sound of your footsteps as you walk towards the tank.

1. studying 2. smarter 3. surprising 4. when/whether/if 5. from 6. a 7. although
8. certainly 9. is dropped 10. useless

【分析】
这是一篇科普主题的短文语法填空题，解题时首先通读全文，明确文章围绕“金鱼是否能认出主人”的核心话题展开，理清整体语义逻辑。之后分两类处理空格：有给出提示词的空格，先判断句子所需词性，结合固定搭配、时态语态、比较级等规则完成变形；无提示词的空格，结合句子结构和上下文语义，判断需要填入的介词、冠词、连词等虚词，逐一推导得出答案。
【解析】
1. 考查非谓语动词。固定搭配spend time (in) doing sth. 表示“花费时间做某事”，因此动词study要变为动名词形式studying。
2. 考查形容词比较级。空格后出现比较级标志词than，此处将鱼的智商和人们固有认知做对比，因此形容词smart要变为比较级smarter。
3. 考查形容词作表语。此处主语指代前文“金鱼可以长时间记住各类事物”这件事，修饰事物要用以-ing结尾的形容词，surprise的衍生形容词surprising表示“令人惊讶的”，符合语境。
4. 考查宾语从句引导词。动词know后接宾语从句，句意为“知道在户外什么时候是安全的/在户外是否安全”，填入表时间的when，或者表“是否”含义的whether/if都符合语义逻辑。
5. 考查介词。固定搭配tell...from...表示“区分……和……”，此处指很多鱼类可以分辨不同的个体，因此填介词from。
6. 考查冠词。此处表达“一个和我们截然不同的世界”，表泛指，very以辅音音素开头，因此填入不定冠词a。
7. 考查让步状语从句连词。句意为“尽管视觉很重要，但嗅觉、触觉这类感官甚至比视觉更重要”，前后是让步逻辑，填入连词although引导让步状语从句。
8. 考查副词用法。空格修饰动词know，需要用副词作状语，形容词certain要变为副词certainly。
9. 考查一般现在时的被动语态。主语food和动词drop是被动关系，即食物是被投喂进鱼缸的，全文为一般现在时，food是不可数名词，因此被动结构为is dropped。
10. 考查形容词作定语。根据后文“我不同意”的转折逻辑，可知此处表达“有些人说它们是没用的宠物”，use的否定衍生形容词useless表示“无用的”，符合语境。
【答案】
1. studying 2. smarter 3. surprising 4. when/whether/if 5. from 6. a 7. although 8. certainly 9. is dropped 10. useless
【知识点】
非谓语固定搭配，词性转换，从句引导词
【点评】
本题是初中阶段典型的短文语法填空题型，考点覆盖全面，既考察了基础的固定搭配、词形变换规则，也要求学生结合上下文语义逻辑判断连词、引导词的选择，易错点集中在surprising和surprised的形容词区分、被动语态的判断，整体能较好检验学生的基础语法掌握程度。
【难度系数】
0.6

Passage 18
A man planted a rose and watered it carefully. Before the rose blossomed(盛开), he noticed
many thorns (刺) around the bud (花蕾). He thought, "(1) can any
beautiful flowers come from a plant with so many sharp thorns?" (2) he was
not interested in this kind of plant any more, and then he gave up taking care of the rose and left it
in the sun. Just before it was ready to blossom, it was burnt to (3) (die).
Good qualities are just (4) roses. There is a rose in
(5) (everyone) spirit. The good qualities (6) (plant) in
us at birth, and then grow among the thorns—our weaknesses. When many of us look at
(7) (we), we only see our weaknesses. We lose heart, thinking that nothing
good can possibly come from us. We (8) (like) it and give up taking care of
the rose in us and deal with it (9) (care), so slowly they die. We never
realize the gifts of being able to find out our good qualities.
Someone may not see the rose in himself, so we need to help him discover the rose. With
love, we can accept a person into our life, even though we know his true weaknesses. At the same
time, we should encourage him (10) (face) his weaknesses bravely and
correct them. Then he will blossom many times.

1. How 2. So 3. death 4. like 5. everyone's 6. are planted 7. ourselves 8. dislike
9. carelessly 10. to face

【分析】
首先通读全文理清主旨：本文用带刺玫瑰的故事类比人的特质，告诉我们不要只盯着自身缺点，要发掘内在的美好品质，也要帮助他人发现自身闪光点。接下来逐空结合上下文逻辑、语法规则、固定搭配推导答案：第1空是特殊疑问句，表达对“带刺植物开出美花”的疑惑，选对应疑问副词；第2空前后是因果顺承关系，前面的想法直接导致他不再照料玫瑰的行为，选对应因果连词；第3空是固定搭配的组成部分，需要把动词die转换为名词形式；第4空要表达“好品质就像玫瑰”的类比含义，选对应介词；第5空后面是名词spirit，需要把everyone变为所有格形式修饰名词；第6空主语“好品质”是“被种下”的，要使用一般现在时的被动语态；第7空宾语和主语指代同一对象，需要用反身代词；第8空结合前文“失去信心，觉得自己身上出不了好东西”的语义，要给like加否定前缀表达“不喜欢”的含义；第9空修饰动词短语deal with，要把care变为表否定含义的副词，对应“不上心、不在意”的语义；第10空考察动词encourage的固定搭配，后面接不定式作宾补。
【解析】
1. 句意：长着这么多尖刺的植物怎么能开出美丽的花朵呢？此处表达对带刺植物开出美花的疑惑，填疑问副词How，句首首字母大写。
2. 前文他产生了上述疑惑，后文表示他不再对这种植物感兴趣，前后是因果顺承关系，填连词So，句首首字母大写。
3. 固定搭配burn to death表示“烧死”，此处需要把动词die变为名词形式death。
4. 句意：优秀的品质就像玫瑰。此处介词like表示“像”，符合类比的语义。
5. 此处修饰名词spirit，需要用everyone的所有格形式everyone's，表示“每个人的精神世界里”。
6. 句意：好品质在我们出生时就被种下。主语The good qualities和动词plant是被动关系，描述客观事实用一般现在时，主语是复数，所以填are planted。
7. 句意：当我们很多人看我们自己的时候，只看到我们的缺点。此处宾语和主语many of us指代同一对象，要用反身代词ourselves。
8. 根据前文“我们失去信心，觉得自己身上不可能有好的东西”，可知此处表达“我们不喜欢它”，给like加否定前缀dis，变为dislike。
9. 此处修饰动词短语deal with，要用副词，结合后文“它们慢慢死掉”，可知是我们不在意地对待内在的玫瑰，填carelessly。
10. 固定搭配encourage sb. to do sth. 表示“鼓励某人做某事”，所以填不定式to face。
【答案】
1. How 2. So 3. death 4. like 5. everyone's 6. are planted 7. ourselves 8. dislike 9. carelessly 10. to face
【知识点】
词形转换，被动语态，固定搭配
【点评】
本题属于哲理类初中英语短文语法填空题，既考查学生对上下文逻辑关系的梳理能力，也覆盖了初中阶段核心的词形变形、被动语态、常见固定搭配等考点，同时文章传递的正视优缺点、发掘自身闪光点的道理也有正向引导意义，整体考点基础，区分度适中。
【难度系数】
0.7